Golf Travel Insurances: The Definitive Guide

author-profile-picture
Nishadh Mohammed updated on March 30, 2020

verified information

verificator-profile-picture-profile-picture

Information verified by  Adeline Harmant

Our articles are written by experts in their fields (finance, trading, insurance etc.) whose signatures you will see at the beginning and at the end of each article. They are also systematically reviewed and corrected before each publication, and updated regularly.

Discover the methodology

You are crazy about golf and you are about to plan golf holidays to practice your favorite sport? You would like to find travel insurance that is tailored for your activity in case something goes wrong?

You’ve come at the right place.

In the below guide, we will tell you everything you need to know about golf travel insurance: what does it cover exactly, which policy you should go for, how much does it cost and other tips.

Stay tuned!

What is golf travel insurance?

You are going on a golf break in France? You should definitely get golf travel insurance.
Golf holiday insurance is not exactly the same as standard travel insurance as it is tailored for your needs as a recurrent golfer.

There are two ways to purchase golf travel insurance:

  • you apply for a standard single or annual multi-trip policy and pay an add-on to get golf cover
  • you purchase a specific golf travel insurance policy.

Golf is seen as a Grade 1 "low risk" sporting activity by most insurers (unlike rock climbing or winter skiing). However, being covered for golf will usually cost you more than standard travel insurance policy and you will have to take a dedicated policy for your golf sport activity.

Why do you need travel insurance for golf?

Getting travel insurance for your golf trip is vital.

Just to show you how important applying for travel insurance is, here are a few examples of what an unfortunate and unexpected event might cost you during your golf travel:

What you will need to pay without golf travel insuranceWhat you will need to pay with golf travel insurance
My golf equipment has been lost at the airport£1000£0
I want to cancel my trip as my golf competition has been postponed due to weather conditions£5,000 - £10,000
(real cost of trip)
£0
until trip cancellation limit is reached (check carefully cancellation reasons allowed)
I damaged the golf equipment I hired£500£0
(if planned in policy)
I got injured on the golf green and I need to stay at the hospital £30,000
(if not covered by European Health Insurance Card)
£0
until medical expense limit is reached
Expenses you may face during your golf holidays if not covered by travel insurance

Good to know

Depending on your destination, you may already have some financial assistance either with European Health Insurance Card (if your golf trip is in Europe) or with healthcare cooperation systems between countries for example UK and Australia or New-Zealand. Note that your EHIC will only cover medical treatment in public hospital (you won't be covered for any air ambulance, surgery in private hospitals etc.). It can't be seen as a substitute for travel insurance.

Compare best golf holiday insurance

To find the right cover for your golf travel, you will need to explore the different options you have. You’ll have to answer a series of questions such as:

  • what exactly you’d like to get covered for
  • the length of your stay
  • the destination
  • how much are you planning to play golf etc.

We’ve came up with a non-exhaustive list of travel insurers that cover golf breaks abroad as standard or as option:

InsurerPriceOur reviews
logo world first£20,08
  • Golf cover included as standard for free in all policy
  • No specific hole- in- one or course fees covered
  • Compensation amounts: up to £10M medical expenses and £2M personal liability
  • UK- based customer service and claim team
  • Reimburse within 14 days
logo travel insurance 4 medical 2£21,16
  • Golf cover included as standard for free in all policy
  • Dedicated to golfers with pre- exisiting medical condition
  • UK based- call center and 24/7 assistance team
  • Provides cover for people up to 100 years old
  • Provides all travel insurance types with 3 level of protection
logo insure and go£23,68
  • A leader in providing all kinds of travel insurance plans
  • Up to £1500 cover for equipment, equipment delay and green fees for Silver and Gold plans
  • Not available for Budget travel insurance plan
logo explorer travel insurance£27,02
  • Covers up to £1000 for golf equipment (including £300 for golf equipment hired and £250 for single item), £75 for hole- in- one bar bill and £125 for golf course closure
  • Golf cover Available as an option, paying extra premium
  • Standard compensation: £25000 personal accident, £10M medical, £2M personal liability
  • Only covers recreational sports (professional practice of a sport is not covered)
  • Dedicated customer service according to reviews
logo staysure29.81
  • Gold cover to be purchased as add- on on comprehensive travel insurance plan (from £15.95 p/person)
  • Cover for owned golf equipment up to £5,000, to hire replacement golf equipment up to £500, course closure up to £1500 and hole in One cover of £300
  • Available when playing non- professionally only
  • No limit in medical expenses and repatriation under comprehensive travel insurance cover
Golf travel insurances comparison

Prices above are for a 7 days single trip to Europe with golf cover for a 50 years old people.

What does golf travel insurance cover?

Travel insurance for golf holidays should include:

  • specific cover for your sport activity
  • must-have features you need in any travel insurance.

Good to know

If golf is included as standard in your travel insurance policy, carefully check limits and excess amounts that you will get / need to pay in case of claim.

Specific golf cover that you could get

Travel insurances for golfers usually include:

Golf cover optionsAverage amount
Golf equipment (clubs, bags, shoes) damaged, lost or stolen£1000 to £5000
Golf equipment hired£150 - £500
Golf equipment delayed over X hours during your golf breakVaries
Non refundable green fees (due to weather or health conditions)Up to £300
Hole-in-one cover (if someone makes a hole-in-one during your golf turnament and you have to pay the bar bill)300
Specific cover for golf travel insurance

Watch out!

Note that if you injure someone else during your sport practice, you may not be covered unless it is clearly mentioned in your policy booklet.

Must-have features your golf travel insurance should cover

CompensationAverage amountGood to know
Medical expensesFrom £5M to £10M
(depending on your medical situation and your destination)
  • Injury due to my sport practice included
  • Stays in private hospitals included
  • Pay for medical fees upfront
  • Accompanying person fees (extra travel, accomodation, car rental)
  • 24/7 free-of-charge and UK-based assistance landline available
  • Overseas assistance
RepatriationReal fees
  • Transportation mode included (by alternative schedule flight or by air ambulance)
  • Repatriation under the supervision of a nurse or a doctor
Trip cancellation / curtailment£5000 – £10000
(depending on your destination)
  • As standard or as option
  • List of valid reasons for cancellation (e.g. golf competition postponed)
Baggage or personal belongingsMinimum of £1500 limit
  • Valid for return transportation or entire stay
  • Receipts of belongings needed
  • Limit by valuable item
  • Sport equipment (golf clubs, bag and shoes) covered as standard or as option
Missed departure, delay Minimum £500 limit (minimum £200 limit for delay)
  • All justified reasons to qualify for compensation?
  • Number of hours of delay to qualify for compensation
Personal liabilityAverage £2 million limit
  • Limit by article or valuable
  • Don’t focus on overall limit only
Legal expensesAverage £15000 limit
  • Lawyer appointment fees included
Must-have features of travel insurance

Watch out!

Always carefully check the age limit and compensation amounts as well as deductibles you’ll have to pay in case you need to make a claim. For medical expenses, always get your insurer to accept them before paying if you need to advance fees.

As nice-to-have features, you may want to get in addition to your golf travel insurance included features:

  • business trip insurance
  • emergency dental treatment
  • loss of passport or documentation
  • gadget cover
  • Schedule Airline Failure (at least £1500)
  • money and cash cover.

Can I get golf travel cover if I have pre-existing medical conditions?

Of course you can.

The best option would be to purchase a pre-existing medical condition travel insurance tailored for your holidays, and add a golf cover option if not included as standard.

Watch out!

If you purchase golf travel insurance or any other insurance without disclosing your medical condition, that is called “fronting”. Your claim can be invalidated by your insurer, such as your entire travel insurance policy.

Can golf travel insurance be included if I purchase an annual multi-trip or a single trip policy?

Short answer: yes, it can be.

Golf, as many other sports, can be included as standard or purchase as extras on both single and annual multi-trip travel insurance policies.

You will need to specifically dig into insurers policy booklets to see which activities are covered as standard.

As a reminder:

Travel insurance typeExplanation
Single trip insuranceThese travel insurance policies are for one-off holidays.
You will be covered from the start of the journey until the end.
You can decide the number of days you want to be covered for.
Annual multi-trip insuranceThese policies are made for frequent golfers going away for golf holidays several times a year.
You would need to check whether it is more competitive to buy two or three single trip insurance policies or an annual multi-trip policy.
Types of golf travel insurance policies

Do I need to buy specific golf travel insurance?

It depends on the travel insurance policy you purchased. This will be clearly outlined in your policy booklet.

If you haven’t bought your golf travel cover yet, we would advise you to go for an insurer providing specific cover for golf equipment, competition etc. either as standard or as full option for an extra fee.

How much does golf travel insurance cost?

You will find below indicate travel insurance price including golf cover:

Age rangeSingle trip to Europe*Annual multi-trip to Europe
18 - 35£13,84£38,56
36 - 54£18,95£18,95
55+£23,61£23,61
Golf travel insurance price

*Quotes above are for a 7 days golf holidays.

It is, however, quite difficult to give precise ranges of how much a travel insurance will cost for you as prices are based on a wide range of criteria. It will mainly depend on:

  • How often will you play golf
  • If you are going on single golf trip or annual multi_trips
  • If you purchase other upgrades in addition to your golf cover such as gadget cover
  • If your teen has pre-existing medical conditions
  • The duration and destination of your stay
  • The financial limits you’d like to get in case of a claim
  • The excess amount you’re willing to pay.

What else should I check before purchasing my golf travel cover?

While shopping around for sport_name holiday insurance, always pay attention to:

  • The compensation amounts you will get for each claim (especially personal belongings compensation limit if golf is included as standard in your policy)
  • The deductible amounts you’ll have to pay in case of claim (don't forget that extreme sports or hazardous activities lovers often need to pay extra medical excess if they got injured whilst practicing their sport) - opt for excess waiver cover if you are practicing adventurous sports
  • The exclusions you may have in your policy
  • The claim process (100% online? How many days do you have to make a claim?)
  • The maximum duration of each trip included as standard (at least 31 days)
  • The upper age limit (if you are a senior travelling).
Did you like this article?
author-profile-picture/
Nishadh Mohammed
hellosafe-logo
hellosafe-logo

Nishadh Mohammed is a seasoned news editor and financial writer, working with HelloSafe since May 2023. Nishadh has developed expertise in financial markets, insurance, and investment products, with a deep understanding of the Canadian financial landscape. He has honed his SEO skills and content marketing strategies while writing for Canadian publishing houses. Armed with a master's in Business Analytics and extensive journalistic experience, Nishadh uniquely combines data proficiency and thorough research to deliver comprehensive and accessible information.