Friday, February 11, 2011

Family-Friendly Golf Trips

Golf trips have always been popular among adults who enjoy golfing, but parents who want to bring kids along to high-profile golf vacation destinations have often found the choices rather slim. Many golf resorts frown on packing the kids along – it interferes with the serious golfer’s game. Luckily, not all golf destinations are that short-sighted – after all, kids who learn to love golf young become lifelong golfing aficionados. If you’re vacationing with your kids – or, for that matter, bringing your grandkids along – take a look at some of the family-friendly accommodations in some of the hottest golf destinations in the country.

Arizona Golf Family Destination

Scottsdale, Arizona is famous for its casual but highly competitive golf courses. With more than 174 public and private courses concentrated in the greater Scottsdale/Phoenix area, there are plenty of choices, and the 329 plus sunny days each year don’t hurt the golf dynamic. But the icing on the cake when it comes to family is that Scottsdale is well-known for its high number of junior golfers. When golf is that much a part of the fabric of everyday life, it’s only natural that the kids get to play, too.

Because Scottsdale is such a hot golfing destination—as well as a popular family vacation destination—many of the best hotels and lodges offer amenities that cater to both parts of the equation. Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak, for example, has its own golf staff dedicated to making life easier and more fun for golfers. If that means scheduling tee times around your kids’ naps, they can manage it. If it requires getting a babysitter for your younger ones, that can be arranged, too. If your kids want to tee up, there are places to book a tee time with them, and if they’re bored with golfing, they can chill out in the resorts water park, complete with rafts and slides, or go drop a few tokens into the pinball machines in the arcade.

Pointe Hilton isn’t alone in making golf trips friendlier to parents who want to take their kids along with them. Similar family-oriented packages exist for Myrtle Beach golf packages, as well as for international destinations. Imagine your kids’ “My Summer Vacation” after a Scotland golf vacation or an Ireland golfing trip.

No matter where you’re planning to spend your vacation, you’ll find family-friendly golf trips and packages designed to make sure that you and your family have the best time possible.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Top Golf Travel Destinations

For the golf enthusiast, nothing is quite as satisfying as hitting the links on some of the top-rated courses in the world. The world’s top golf travel destinations include greens located in diverse destinations from Ireland to Arizona, and the best destinations feature multiple courses where you can tee off.

It’s no surprise that Scotland golf vacations are popular – playing a round at St. Andrews Old Course is the Holy Grail for nearly anyone who’s ever picked up a club. A trip to Scotland offers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play the oldest course in the world, but the Old Course can only accommodate so many golfers. For those who don’t make the tee list at the Old Course, St. Andrews offers a number of other greens, including a second Open Championship course, the Carnoustie, within an hour’s drive of the Old Course.

Ireland is another popular golf destination, with former President Bill Clinton naming the Irish Ballybunion as his favorite golf course in the world. If you’re considering an Ireland golf vacation, be sure to make room in your schedule for a round at Lahinch Golf Club, with a well-deserved reputation for its quirky design. If you prefer a modern course and the luxury of a full-scale resort, you can’t go wrong with Killeen Castle, the country’s newest luxury resort golf club.

Of course, you don’t have to leave the country to enjoy fabulous golf on a stellar location. A Myrtle Beach golf vacation offers the opportunity to play on some of the best-known greens in the world. Located at the northern end of the Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach has earned the nickname “supermarket of golf” for its enormous variety of courses. With over 100 golf courses – 10 of them named in Golf Digest’s top 100 courses – in a 70-mile stretch, Myrtle Beach is one of the top golf destinations in the world.

In the southwest, Scottsdale and Tucson, Arizona take top marks with international golfers. The Scottsdale/Phoenix area boasts more than 150 premier golf courses, including the Grayhawk Golf Club and SunRidge Canyon, along with luxury resorts and amenities to please the entire family.

Whether your golfing dreams take you to the oldest courses in the world or the most luxurious of modern greens, there are travel agents who specialize in planning golf travel packages for their clients. Take advantage of the expertise of a golf travel agent to ensure that your golfing vacation is everything you’ve always imagined.