We’ve been wondering if it is worth heading somewhere cooler for a round considering the kind of summer that the UK is having right now. Germany came up. So did Denmark. Somewhere with a bit of a breeze and a lower number on the thermometer, basically.
So we checked. And the answer turned out to be a lot more interesting than "yes, go north."
Germany Was the Wrong Answer Entirely
If Germany was on your shortlist, we've got some news. This summer, Germany didn't have a mild one, it broke its all-time national heat record. Möckern-Drewitz hit 41.5°C in late June, beating a previous record that had been set just one day earlier, over in Saarbrücken. Motorways buckled in the heat. Deutsche Bahn was telling people to postpone travel that didn't need to happen. That is about as far from a cooler round of golf as a country gets.
So scratch Germany for now.
Denmark's More Complicated, and Honestly More Interesting
Denmark's answer isn't a straightforward no, which is what makes it worth actually talking about rather than just ruling out. Denmark also broke its all-time heat record this year, 37°C, beating a mark that had stood since 1975. It logged six separate heatwave days in 2026, more than in any year since Danish records began. At one point their meteorological institute issued a Category 2 dangerous weather warning.
Then, a few days later, it was over. Headlines swung to the return of classic Danish summer weather, with temperatures back down to a much gentler low-twenties. That whiplash is the real story here. Denmark isn't reliably hot this year, but it isn't reliably cool either. It's volatile. If you went purely on "Denmark sounds Nordic and breezy," you'd have packed completely wrong for whichever week you landed in.
Scotland's Not Off the Hook Either
We've written before about how hot the UK's had it this year, so this isn't news if you've read that one, but it's worth repeating here: Scotland isn't a reliable escape from any of this. In the same July heatwave that broke the UK's own heat records, southern Scotland was forecast to hit 30°C. That's a genuinely warm day for a country most people still picture as jumper-and-waterproofs territory. Scotland is usually milder than the extremes further south, links courses and Atlantic weather being what they are, but "usually" isn't a promise, and this year proved it.
Iceland Is the One That Actually Held
If there's a genuine winner in this list, it's Iceland, and not by luck. Average summer temperatures there sit around 10 to 15°C, and it rarely climbs past 20°C even on a warm day, because of its latitude and the ocean currents that keep it moderate. That's a structural ceiling, not a seasonal average waiting to be broken by whatever heat dome is currently sitting over the rest of Europe. We didn't find anything suggesting Iceland had its own version of this summer's story.
It also happens to be a genuinely fun, slightly novel golf destination if you've never looked into it: Iceland has around 65 courses, and thanks to its far-north summer daylight, some clubs host tournaments where you can tee off at midnight in full daylight. The Arctic Open, played in Akureyri, is the best-known example. It's a niche pick rather than a classic golf-holiday destination, but if cooler weather is genuinely the priority, it's the one place on this list that actually delivers it.
So What's the Actual Takeaway?
Here's the thing this whole exercise taught us: "go somewhere that sounds cooler" isn't really a plan you can rely on in a year like this one. Two of the four places we checked broke their all-time heat records. A third had a genuinely hot week despite its reputation. The one place that stayed cool did so because of geography, not luck, which is exactly the kind of thing that's very hard to spot just by guessing at a map.
The more useful question isn't where it is cool, it is what you actually need to be ready for, wherever you end up. That means packing for range rather than betting on one forecast: something breathable for the warm, settled days, a layer you can add or shed as the weather swings (which, as Denmark proved, it can do in a matter of days), and something waterproof and windproof in the bag regardless of the temperature on the label, because links weather doesn't wait for you to check the forecast twice. If you want the full packing rundown before you fly, we've got you covered there too.
It's also worth remembering that cooler doesn't mean no sun protection needed. UV doesn't scale down with temperature the way you'd expect, and a mild, cloudy-looking day in Scotland or Denmark can still catch you out. Sunscreen and a hat earn their place in the bag regardless of what the thermometer says.
Practically, that's a breathable base you're not going to overheat in, something like our Tamara Elite Lightweight Windtop that packs down small enough to carry "just in case" without noticing it's there, and a proper waterproof layer that isn't optional no matter which of these four countries you end up in.
None of that requires picking the right country. It just requires packing like the weather might do something you didn't expect, because if this summer's taught us anything, it's that it probably will.
Stay cool out there, wherever that ends up being!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is anywhere in Europe reliably cooler for golf this summer?
Genuinely, not really, Iceland's the exception, and even that's more a novelty destination than a mainstream one. Everywhere else on our list either broke a heat record outright or swung unpredictably between very hot and perfectly mild within days. The safer plan is packing a versatile kit rather than chasing a location.
What should I pack if I'm not sure how hot my trip will be?
A breathable base layer for the warm days, a light mid-layer you can add or peel off as the weather shifts, and a packable jacket that earns its place in the bag no matter what the forecast says. That combination covers most of what a changeable European summer can throw at you.
Do I still need sun protection if I'm playing somewhere cooler?
Yes. UV strength doesn't drop in line with temperature, so a mild, overcast-looking day can still catch you out. Sunscreen and a proper hat or visor are worth packing regardless of the number on the thermometer.
Should I still book a golf trip abroad this summer, or just stay closer to home?
Either works, honestly the point of this isn't to talk you out of travelling, it's to stop you picking a destination based on an assumption about its weather. Wherever you end up, a bag packed for a range of conditions will serve you better than one packed for a single forecast.