Chile is essentially a long coastal strip (just over 100 miles wide on average and nearly 3,000 miles in length) that lies between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean on the east side of South America. Bordering Peru, Bolivia and Argentina, the country has a wildly diverse landscape that ranges from the Atacama desert in the north to the islands and fjords found in the south with forests, volcanoes and mountains in between.

Chile's main export since the early 1800s has been copper but the country has diversified its source of outside income since the demise of General Pinochet and many imbibers will have sampled the produce of one or more of Chile’s five winemaking regions as the reputation of its viniculture grows.

Many tourists now travel to the north to admire Inca architecture in San Pedro de Atacam or to view the volcanos of Pomerape and Parinacota. Other visitors go south to wonder at the glacial formations in the Laguna San Rafael National Park. For the more energetic, there are major ski resorts in the Andes and surfing centres along the Pacific coast.

Golf in Chile dates back to the 1930s when the country’s first golf association was formed but it soon folded and was replaced by the Chilean Golf Federation (Federación Chilena de Golf) in 1948. Golf courses can be found up and down the entire length of Chile but the lion’s share are centred around Aconcagua and Santiago. Currently there are 60 golf clubs affiliated to the Federation.

Our Chilean golf course rankings were last updated in June 2021.