Thursday, May 12, 2011

Things to Do on Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations Besides Play Golf

Myrtle Beach golf vacations have a lot more to offer than access to more than 100 of the best golf courses in the country. Let’s face it – as much as you might love it, you can’t spend 24 hours a day on the green. If you’re planning a golf trip to Myrtle Beach, you’re just going to have to suck it up and check out some of the other wonderful things you can do on golf trips to Myrtle Beach.

All the Sand Is Not In the Sand Traps

Yes, Myrtle Beach features gorgeous beaches, so plan a day to get acquainted with sand that isn’t there to make your golf game more challenging. Myrtle Beach is part of South Carolina’s Grand Strand, with 60 miles of white sand beaches and sparkling blue water. Plan in some family time with a visit to a water park – if you’ve got an adventure ride fan in your travel group, be sure to check out the Swamp Fox at Family Kingdom Amusement Park, one of the few remaining wooden roller coasters in the country.

Watch the Pelicans Hit Something Bigger Than a Golf Ball

Myrtle Beach is home to a High Class A team in baseball’s minor leagues. If you’re planning golf trips between April and September, check out the Myrtle Beach Pelicans’ schedule to see if they’ve got a game on. Enjoy an evening game, complete with hot dogs and beer, and get in early enough to rest up for an early tee time in the morning. You’ll find that the ticket prices are very reasonable, especially if you compare them to major league ballparks.

Swing Something Besides A Golf Club

When Irving Mills wrote “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing,” he wasn’t talking about your 9 iron. Get into the swing of things with some of the country’s top recording and performing acts at one of Myrtle Beach’s top musical clubs. Check out House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach to see who’s swinging the place during your golf vacation, and book tickets for a show that will be almost as memorable as your morning at the Dye Club.

Laugh at a Joke That’s Funnier Than Your Slice

After a brutal day of golf on some of the most challenging courses on the Grand Strand, get out for an evening of tension relief. The Comedy Cabana is only one of the many clubs in Myrtle Beach that feature stand-up comedy, but it may be one of the best. If you’re lucky, your golf trips will coincide with a visit by a national headliner, but even the locals will knock some of that tension out of your stance and loosen you up for a better set in the morning.

In addition, Myrtle Beach features incredible restaurants for your dining pleasure, two huge outlet malls to tickle your shopping bone and hot dance clubs where you can work out the kinks after a day on the course. If you need more ideas, talk to a travel agent who specializes in Myrtle Beach golf vacations and learn more about the wonderful non-golf things you can do on your golf trip.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

5 Reasons for Golf Travel to Scotland

Ah, Scotland! The land of heather and hardship, the only land in the world where someone could be bored enough to invent a game where you hit a ball into a hole in the ground. One wonders if the Scottish kings, when they were busy devising the rules for such Scottish games as golf and caber toss, ever imagined that their humble sport would someday become one of the most popular and lucrative sports in the entire world, and that someday, tens of thousands of people annually would visit Scotland for golf vacations that are part pilgrimage and part pleasure. If you’re one of those who’d love to visit famous Scots courses but need to justify your choice of golf vacations to a spouse or traveling group, here are five reasons why you should make Scotland the site of your next golf trip.

Playing Golf in Scotland is Like Coming Home.

Yes, the game was invented here, and its governing body resides right here in Scotland. If for no other reason than that, you need to play a round or two of golf in the place where golf was born.

Scots Welcome Visitors With Open Arms

Nearly all Scottish golf courses welcome visitors, even the private clubs who generally accept members only. Hang about at the pub in town and there’s a good chance you’ll get an invite from a member. If that fails, ring up the club and ask. Most times you can get a tee time as a guest on even a private course.

If Variety is the Spice of Life, Scotland Is the Queen of Spicy Golf.

Scotland easily has enough golf courses for a dozen golf vacations, let alone one. Whether you prefer a quite nine-hole or a world class championship course, you’re bound to find all the variety you can imagine on a visit to a Scotland golf club.

St. Andrews, the Old Course, Gleneagle

The country is home to some of the oldest and most historic golf courses in the world. You’ve watched the golf pros play on the big money courses, and so can you, as long as you book your tee time in advance and pay your money for your booking.

Links Courses

There are few courses as stunningly beautiful or as wickedly challenging as the links style courses along the Scottish coasts. If you love links courses, you have to play Scotland. If you’ve never played a links course, you have to come to Scotland for a proper introduction.

There are dozens of other reasons to visit Scotland on golf trips, each of them played by hundreds if not thousands of other golfers. If you need still more reasons, contact a travel agency that specializes in golf holiday travels to book a very special golf tour for yourself.