Choosing the Best Golf Trips

Golf trips are becoming increasingly popular for holiday travel. Many travel agencies now offer grand tours of golfing areas, vacations at golf resorts and other golf-related vacations to their clients. If you’re sifting through golf vacations and trying to find the best deals, you’ll find there’s an embarrassment of riches. You don’t have to resort to happenstance in making a choice among the many golf trips available through your travel agent or online. These tips for choosing the best golf vacations can help.

List Your Must-Play Courses

If you dream of teeing off at Augusta, home of the Masters, you’re not going to manage it with an Arizona golf vacation. Start by listing the golf courses you’d love to play and work from there. A web search will help you find travel agencies that book golf trips in the surrounding area and may even be able to set you up with a tee time to your favorite courses as part of your package.

Draw a Circle on the Map

Start with your must-play courses as a center and draw a circle on the map to narrow down your choices of other local clubs. You could confine your golf vacation to one course, but why would you if you can play at a different club every day of your vacation? Of course, you’ll find far more in some areas of the country than in others. For example, South Carolina’s Grand Strand is home to well over 100 private and public golf courses. You can take in several when you plan a Myrtle Beach golf vacation.

Set Your Budget

Decide how much you can spend for your golf trip to help set your sights on a realistic goal. Of course, for some folks money is no option, but if you’re not one of them, you’ll find lots of great bargains on golf trips by shopping online. You can reduce the price somewhat by arranging your own travel, or by choosing golf vacations that are closer to home. If you’ve got a broader budget, consider Ireland golf trips and Scotland golf vacations for a never-to-be-forgotten trip for any golf lover.

Comparison Shop for Golf Trips

Once you’ve decided which courses you want to play, you get to the fun part – comparison shopping. You’ll find many sites online that specialize in golf trips. Make the rounds and look for golf travel sites that offer the combination of courses you want to play at the price you can afford.

Arizona Golf Vacations to Enjoy

Beautiful Arizona offers an incredible bounty to the golfer. With over 300 sunny days a year and average winter temperatures of about 70 degrees, the state is home to over 300 public and private golf courses that run the gamut from public greens open to anyone to golf resorts built around stunning courses designed by some of the best golf architects in the world. There are three basic Arizona golf destinations. If golf vacations interest you and you’re planning golf travel this coming year, Arizona golf courses are waiting for you.

Tucson, Arizona, Golf Experience

Tucson covers nearly 500 square miles of varied, diverse land, making it a perfect spot for casual golf crowd. The city, located at the north end of the Sonoran Desert, boasts about 350 sunny days a year. The warm temperatures and varied landscapes provide a mind-boggling variety of golf experiences for those on golf vacations. The casual atmosphere of the small Southwestern city spills over onto its golfing community. Tucson is the most welcoming city in the country for youth golfers, family golf and novice golfers. If it’s your first golf trip, Tucson is definitely worth the visit. It will be the first of many golf vacations to come.

Scottsdale, Arizona, Golf Clubs

The Phoenix – Scottsdale area of Arizona is one of the truly elite golf destinations in the world. Home to some of the wealthiest and most discerning people in the world, Phoenix has attracted the crème de la crème in course designer. Scottsdale,Arizona golf resorts offer incredible golfing, stunning scenery and the kind of luxury that you’d expect to find at high-end luxury resorts. Of course, there’s more to Scottsdale than golf courses. If you can tear yourself away from the rolling greens and sand traps, you’ll find world class restaurants featuring international cuisine, stunning scenery, water-skiing and hang gliding, shopping destinations and luxury spas. It’s the ideal spot for golf vacations for the serious golfer and family.

Sedona, Arizona, Golf Courses

Scottsdale may offer luxury golf courses and Tucson may cater to the more casual golfer, but Sedona provides the most dramatic and elite golf courses in a state famed for its golf courses. When the temperature in Scottsdale and Phoenix is hitting the triple digits, Sedona’s golf courses offer respite from the typical Arizona heat thanks to the mountain breezes. Sedona is home to more resort golf clubs than any other area in the state. Each of the stunning courses was designed by A-list course architects, and most are connected to resorts that were built for the purpose of serving the golfers attracted by the beauty and playability of the courses. While most of the resort courses are private, many of them offer public access to their links to give you plenty of opportunity to fill your golf card for the weekend or a few weeks.

If you’re looking for the ultimate in golf vacations, enlist the help of a travel agent experienced in booking golf travel and golf tours.

Planning Golf Trips for Your Family

Vanity and specialty vacations have always been popular, but none are quite as popular in recent years as golf trips – vacations that center around hitting some of the best links in the country. If you enjoy golfing and are considering a vacation where you intend to enjoy a round or five of excellent golf, these tips for planning golf trips can help you put together a vacation that you and your entire family will enjoy.

Enjoy Myrtle Beach Golf

In Myrtle Beach, golf is second nature. With nearly 120 golf courses along the Grand Strand, you’ll have a huge choice of excellent greens on which you can tee off. You can easily golf a different course each day, and take advantage of champion courses designed by some of the best golf course architects in the country. While you’re out enjoying the golf links, your wife and kids – assuming they’re not golfers themselves – won’t be stuck sitting around the hotel room. Myrtle Beach offers so many other attractions that you’ll be hard pressed to fit them all into one short, or very long, vacation. There’s shopping, water parks, amusement parks and, of course, some of the most stunning and scenic beaches of the Atlantic Coast.

Hit the Links in Arizona

Arizona golf courses are definitely coming into their own. With several golf courses making the grade in Golf magazine’s 100 Best Courses to Play, the Phoenix/Scottsdale area features desert golf at its best. Sunshine, dry weather and stunning scenery all add up to golf trips that can’t be equaled anywhere else in the nation. But unlike Myrtle Beach, Scottsdale and Phoenix didn’t develop around golf, so there are even more attractions to amuse your family while you’re out enjoying your swinging lifestyle. If, on the other hand, your family also loves to golf, you should definitely include a swing through Tucson on your golf vacation. Though it’s a relative newcomer to the ranks of the top golfing trips in the country, Tucson has already made a name for itself as a family-friendly golf area. Look into all-inclusive resort vacations that include Arizona golf in the amenities.

Overseas Golf Trips

If your golf trips take you overseas, you can’t miss out on Ireland and Scotland, golf capitals of the Old World. The Emerald Isle and Scotland, the land where golf got its start, feature the oldest and most famous golf courses in the entire world. Even newcomers to the game of golf can’t escape the thrill of standing on the Old Course at St. Andrews, site of some of the most famous games ever played.

If you’re considering a golfing vacation this summer, your best bet may be to work through a travel agent or website that specializes in putting together golf trips, and taking advantage of their connections and expertise to get the best deals on golf trips and golf vacations.

Myrtle Beach Golf Vacations Let You Enjoy the Scenery

Most golfers don’t golf for the scenery, but when you’re in Myrtle Beach, you can’t help but enjoy the view. Golf vacations in Myrtle Beach offer a few major advantages you won’t find anywhere else like the 110 plus golf courses to choose from, gorgeous weather and a culture built around golf add up to create a golfer’s paradise. It’s hard to find an unattractive course, but there are some jewels that are true standouts, even when you compare them to other Grand Strand courses. If your golf vacations are taking you to Myrtle Beach this year, be sure to check out these stunning courses where the scenery is almost as good as the golf.

Rivers Edge, an Arnold Palmer Signature course, is easily one of the most beautiful courses you’ll ever play. Six of the holes play out to the bluffs overlooking grassy marshlands and the Shalotte River. It’s not just a pretty face, either. Developed in 1999, Rivers Edge was named to Golf Magazine’s “Top New Courses You Can Play” in 2000 and in “The Best Courses Near You” in both 2008 and 2010.

Winyah Bay, touted as the course where nature meets golf vacations, is another of the most beautiful – and most underrated – golf courses on the Grand Strand. Located in Georgetown, South Carolina, the course opened in 1955, making it one of the oldest courses on the Grand Strand. In 1998, Winyah Bay got a major facelift and an additional nine holes, making it one of the newest 18-hole courses in the Myrtle Beach area. The course overlooks Winyah Bay, affording stunning views from most of the holes, and the topography makes the play interesting. After your game, relax on the antebellum verandah and enjoy the view with one of the club’s signature drinks.

Glen Dornoch, designed by Clyde Johnston, plays along the Intracoastal Waterway. The course meanders among centuries old oaks and over the marshes. Many of the holes feature spectacular views of the waterway, and the course features some surprise changes in elevation to keep the play interesting. It’s one of the four courses that make up The Glens Golf Group, and easily the prettiest of the group.

The Dunes Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1948, takes anybody’s prize as the most spectacular golf course on the Grand Strand. It’s biggest claim to fame is that it’s the only Grand Strand course that’s built along the Atlantic Ocean. While the others flirt with the waterways and inland marshes, only the Dunes is actually right on the ocean, and the stunning views alone are worth the green fees.

If you’re planning one or more golf vacations this year, make sure you get one of these gorgeous courses on your list.

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.

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.

Tips for Ireland Golf Vacations

Golf vacations allow you to combine your time off with a chance to play some of the best and most famous courses in the world. Next to Scotland, no country has a deeper history or connection to the game of golf than Ireland. Golf travel in Ireland combines magical landscapes, the best championship and local courses and a feeling that you’re golfing in one of the most historic regions of the world.

It’s been said that golf is a good excuse for a walk, and if that’s all you’re looking for on your vacation, Ireland provides it in full measure. The Irish links are situated on some of the most beautiful land in the world. From courses located on the rugged Northern Coast to links style greens that inhabit the misty inner reaches of the Emerald Isle, every Irish golf course provides stunning views and vistas. You may find yourself teeing off with your back to the prevailing sea winds one day and trying to concentrate on a putt surrounded by eerie mists and ancient trees the next.

If, on the other hand, the game of golf is all about the skills, Ireland golf won’t disappoint. The greens and links of the Emerald Isle are some of the trickiest in the world—they had to be to fit into the rights of way on which the original public golf courses were built. Many of the courses feature narrow, bent greens that require you bring your top skills to the game to play anywhere close to par on each hole.

If neither the skills nor the scenery are enough to bring you to Ireland for the golf, then the hospitality surely will. The golf clubs in the Emerald Isle are reputed to be among the most hospitable in the world. From the smallest village to the grand cities, Irish golfers are always ready to raise a pint with you while they regale you with tales of the country’s golfing past. If you think that fishermen’s tales of the one that got away were entertaining, it’s only because you’ve never heard an Irish golfer tell the tale of the hole-in-one that almost wasn’t.

If you’re convinced that you’ll find the luck of the Irish on an Irish golf course, these tips may help you enjoy your vacation all the more.

If you play the links courses, be prepared to walk. Most links courses do not allow buggies. Some may allow you to pull a golf cart, and the more luxurious will provide a caddy to carry your clubs.

Prepare yourself for the wind if you play seaside links. No matter which direction you’re playing in, the wind always seems to be in your face. It may not be a manly thing, but be sure to pack along moisturizer to diminish the chapping and windburn. No one can have fun when their face is smarting and burning.

If you’re considering Irish golf vacations, contact a tour operator who specializes in organizing tours of the Irish links. They’re in the know about the best deals and best courses to play on the greenest little island on earth.