10 golf shops every passionate player should visit once in their life

There's an amazing amount of incredible golf gear to be found outside the tired confines of the everyday pro shop.

If you're willing to look for it, a visit to just about every major city will turn up its own tiny golfing paradise, from the legendary megastores of Japan and Korea where ultra-rare clubs are in abundance, to smaller boutiques in the US and UK that have produced some of the coolest new clothing brands in the game of golf.

With new golf retail concepts opening up every year around the world, golf tourism has expanded well beyond destination courses. Certain cities and countries are well worth visiting for the shopping alone, and Golf's rapid expansion among young people has made this space all the more exciting.

With that in mind, we thought we'd embark on a whirlwind tour of the world's very best golf shops, pulling together a list of retail destinations every discerning player should aim to visit. Trust us: you won't regret a trip to any of these.

The Agora

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Thailand's luxury golf scene is exploding in stature, and The Agora is a perfectly curated space to take advantage of the game's South East Asian boom. A one-stop shop for all things current in the game of golf, The Agora is dedicated to showcasing the sport's most exciting and disruptive brands, stocking collectiions from the likes of Manors, Quiet Golf and Students Golf alongside bags and accessories from trendy names like Jones Sports and Hiroki.

Visit The Agora

Bisque Golf

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Bisque Golf opened in Amsterdam a couple of years ago to form Europe's first hybrid golf retail space, giving a platform to incredible apparel brands while also stocking a highly curated selection of equipment. If you're on the mainland, this is the place to go for exclusive golf sneaker drops, edits from almost 50 of the game's most exciting designers, and a thoughtful, considered space for a happy morning's browsing.

Visit Bisque Golf

The Divot

Location: Tokyo, Japan

One of two Tokyo stores on this list (we could, and probably will, devote an entire article to golf shopping in Japan), The Divot is the place to go for ultra-rare vintage garms from brands like Reebok, Nike and Adidas, spanning everything from loud '90s polos to near-unattainable shoes. Started by the couple who founded much-loved label Anti Country Club, The Divot's range also spans its own in-house line and a curated selection of modern disruptors like Students, Local Rule and Western Gale.

Visit The Divot

The Hyundai

Location: Seoul, South Korea

The Hyundai isn't strictly a golf store, but rather one of the Korean capital's largest department stores. One visit to the Hyundai's fourth floor, however, will convince you this is nothing less than a golfer's paradise. This sports and outdoors level is dedicated to stocking the leading golf brands, with Titleist, Callaway, FootJoy, Callaway, Malbon and A.P.C. Golf all operating spaces there. 

If you want an even better discount, head to the Gimpo Hyundai Outlet, where you can cop an incredible selection of merch from all these brands at a huge discount.

Visit The Hyundai

Malbon Golf

Locations: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Manila, Miami, New York, Seoul, Washington D.C.

There are now approaching a dozen Malbon stores worldwide, spanning from the brand's California home all the way to the pacific rim. Visiting each one is a pleasure, and every Malbon location feels uniquely suited to its surroundings. The merch inside is, of course, all top-notch, with exclusive collaborations and key items that'll give your golf wardrobe a much-needed shot of energy.

Visit Malbon Golf

Pluto of St Andrews

Location: St Andrews, Scotland

Named after the beloved Great Dane that calls the shop home, Pluto of St Andrews brings something entirely different to the golf scene in the game's most historic locale. Pluto was founded by Roberto “Tiko” Abitbol, who formerly cut his teeth working in skate shops across London, and as such has a similar aesthetic, combining a curated selection of workwear and skate gear with sought-after vintage clothing and clubs – as well as course -ready clothing from PoSA's own in-house label.

Visit Pluto of St Andrews

Playfair

Location: Sydney, Australia

Melbourne might boast Australia's best golf courses, but the Sydney suburb of Randwick has its best golf shop. Part retail boutique and part practice facility, this design-led space has multiple trackman bays for precision practice, an indoor short game area and a shop stocking Titleist clubs as well as apparel from brands like Malbon, Eastside, and local label Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Oh, and the coffee's banging as well.

Visit Playfair

Quiet Golf

Location: Costa Mesa, USA

The Orange County enclave of Costa Mesa is the home to Quiet Golf: a brand that has built its rep (and collaborations with brands like Puma and Adidas) on thoughtful pieces that offer versatile style and a timeless focus on considered, premium materitals. The brand's retail space is no different, lit warmly and softly with a curated selection of apparel to peruse, perhaps with a drink in hand.

Visit Quiet Golf

TRENDYGOLF Canary Wharf

Location: London, England

After more than a decade helping define the new frontiers in golf fashion online, TRENDYGOLF moved into physical retail by partnering up with indoor centre chain Pitch to curate its retail spaces. The Canary Wharf outlet is the company's biggest space yet, offering a curated selection of some of its favourite brands, limited-edition shoe and apparel drops, one-on-one styling sessions and even a personal shopping service.

Visit TRENDYGOLF

Victoria Golf

Location: Tokyo, Japan

A Tokyo institution and really, in the very long list of Tokyo golf shops, the one everyone should probably visit if they only get the chance to hit one. Victoria Golf, Shinjuku outlet is a monolithic monument to the game, spanning a colossal nine levels and stocking just about every brand imaginable both local and global. 

Most of the stuff here is current line, however, and we'd recommend taking the train to Ueno's Niki Golf Secondhand Center if you really want to find some Japan-only equipment gems.

Visit Victoria Golf