Packing Tips for Golf Trips

If you’re heading out for a golfing vacation for the first time, you may be a little uncertain about the best ways to travel for golf trips. These packing tips can help you figure out what to do with your golfing equipment and what you should pack with you if you’re heading out on your first excursion in golf travel.

Should you take your own golf clubs with you? The answer to the question depends on a number of factors. If you’re traveling by automobile, there’s no reason why not. Simply pack them for travel just as you would to head out to your favorite golf course. If you’re flying, however, there are a number of things to consider. Nearly every airline considers your golf bag as one of your pieces of allowed luggage. Most require that your clubs and bag be packed inside a hard-sided golf case, and won’t guarantee them against damage unless they are packed inside a hard case. You can also include one pair of golf shoes and two sleeves of golf balls in your case to be counted as one piece of checked luggage.

Based on the expense and the possibility of damage to your clubs, many avid golf travel buffs recommend that you leave your own clubs at home and rent what you need when you arrive at your destination. The same doesn’t hold true of golf balls, however. Golf balls can be quite expensive overseas, so if you’re planning golf travel to Europe or Asia, pack a few dozen golf balls for the trip. If you do decide to pack your golf clubs with you, hunt around for a good quality, lightweight golf bag that can double as a field bag.

If your golf trips will take you to the UK, you’ll also want to pack along your handicap certificate. While there are plenty of golf clubs that will let you book a tee time without one, if you want to play the Old Course at Royal Troon, Scotland, golf at St. Andrews or play on many of the other world class golf courses in the UK, you’ll need to present your handicap certificate to prove that you’re worthy of treading the same greens.

Check the dress code on the courses you intend to play and be sure to pack appropriately. Consider choosing wrinkle-free clothing that travels well – you do want to look natty on the golf course, after all. And wherever your golf trips take you, always, always, always pack a good quality, lightweight raincoat because chances are you’ll need it at some point in your trip.

Fabulous Scotland Golf Trips

Every golfer dreams of someday making the pilgrimage to Scotland, golf’s original home, and playing a round on one of the oldest and most revered golf courses in the world. The Old Course at St. Andrews features large in the fantasies of those who enjoy golf vacations and golf trips, but there are many other Scotland golf destinations that an avid golfer should visit and enjoy. These represent some of the top golf courses in Scotland. Any golf vacation should include a round or two on at least a few of these courses.

St Andrews

The Old Course is venerated above all other courses in the world, and as would be expected, it’s booked well in advance. If you want to take your turn teeing off at the course where golf was born, be sure to book your tee time well before you go. In fact, you may even want to hold off on setting the particulars for your golf vacation so that you can plan it around your booking at the Old Course.

Gleneagles Golf Resort

Host of the Ryder Cup matches in 2014, Gleneagles Golf Resort features three championship courses that offer challenging play and stunning scenery. You can choose to play The Kings, The Queens or the Wee Course, which is a nine hole course. Whichever you choose, the experience will be unforgettable.

Turnberry Resort

Located on the southwestern coast of Scotland, the course at the Turnberry Resort offers stunning views of the Sleeping Warrior – better known as the Isle of Arran. The Turnberry Course is links golf at its most challenging and the area offers a number of other courses you can play while you’re in the area. It’s a very popular spot for luxury golf vacations, and you can expect to find luxurious lodgings, world class dining and some of the best golf to be had anywhere in the world.

Solway Links Golf Course

If your golfing trip includes your entire family, or you want a break from the intensity of playing the high challenge of courses like Turnberry, stop in at Solway Links, located between Dumfries and Galloway in the southwest Lakes District. The pay for play course is informal, inexpensive and designed to be fun for the entire family.

Royal Troon

Founded in 1878, Royal Troon is one of the oldest and best-known courses in all of Scotland, and its reputation has made it a choice destination for golf trips and golf vacations. The majestic course is located just four miles from Prestwick Airport, making it easy to reach, but it’s not so easy to play. You’ll need to book your tee time well in advance, and present a certificate of handicap in order to play on either of their challenging courses.

If you’re hoping to golf the Old Courses at Royal Troon or St. Andrews, now is the time to start planning your 2012 golf vacations. Make your plans early and you’ll be sure to enjoy the best of Scotland golf.

Golf Travel Tips for Family and Friends of Golfers

Are you tired of being a golf widow or widower? Does your spouse or partner go off on golf trips and leave you behind? You’re not alone by a long shot. Golf travel is one of the fastest growing specialty segments of the travel and vacation industry. You don’t have to stay behind when your guy or gal heads off on golf vacations, though. Today’s hottest golf travel destinations feature lots of other activities to keep you and your family happy even if you never set foot on the golf course. These tips can help you enjoy golf vacations as much as your golfing companion.

Choose golf vacations in areas that offer a lot of other activities on and off the golf course. In Myrtle Beach, golf may be the main draw but there are many other activities to choose from. You can spend the days on the beach, visit water parks or head out for a day of shopping, then join up with your golfing buddy for dinners in world class restaurants and nights at comedy clubs or on the dance floor.

Two words – golf resort. Nearly every major golf destination in the country and overseas features full-scale resorts built around a golf course – or more than one. You’ll get luxury accommodations, access to the spa facilities and lots of other resort activities. Your golfer will get to hit the links on some of the best golf courses in the country.

Explore the city and surrounding countryside. Golf courses are located in some of the most beautiful lands in the country. If you’re artistic, take along a sketchbook and pencil and try your hand at sketching. You’ll find yourself growing a true appreciation for the old saying that golf is a beautiful walk through God’s beautiful country.

Extract a promise of one golf-free day to do something together – and plan it out. Take the time to investigate other things to do and make reservations or set up your plans in advance. You’ll find activities that range from scuba diving to para-sailing or shopping to museum tours, all within easy range of the golf courses that are the centerpiece of your trip.

Learn to golf. Nearly every golf travel destination will have golf pros at courses who specialize in beginner lessons to groom new users and introduce them to the game. Who knows? Maybe future golf trips will feature the two of you playing together.

Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Offer Fun for Everyone

As the cold gloom of a northern winter closes in, the golfer’s imagination can’t help but turn to golf trips in warmer, sunnier climes. While there are many sunny places you can go to golf, none of them offer quite the same appeal and array of benefits that you’ll find at Myrtle Beach. Golf is more than a pleasant recreation in Myrtle Beach – it’s a way of life and the life’s blood of the entire region.

Back in the bad old days, Myrtle Beach was known as the bargain basement of golf trips. The 60-mile long Grand Strand that runs from North Carolina to South Carolina is home to over 100 golf courses, many of them in operation for decades. The pleasant, year-round weather and the stunning scenery has made the Grand Strand and Myrtle Beach one of the most popular destinations for golf travel, which has given rise to many other tourist attractions to keep your entire family entertained.

Golf Travel and Hotels

Some of the most popular golf destinations around Myrtle Beach are full-scale golf resorts built around one or more world-class golf courses. Legends Golf & Resort, for instance, offers access to five beautiful golf courses, all of them designed by a world-renowned architect of golf courses, while Barefoot Resort and Golf features four award-winning golf courses designed by, respectively, Greg Norman, Davis Love III, Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. At either golf resort, you can book a golf package vacation that includes playing one, two or more of the courses.

Of course, you don’t have to stay at a golf resort to enjoy a round of golf on a Myrtle Beach golf course. There are many golf courses and golf clubs that aren’t affiliated with the big resorts – and you can nearly always book a tee time on the resort courses even if you’re not staying at the hotel.

Beyond Golf – Activities for Your Family

For those golfers who are traveling with families who have other interests, Myrtle Beach offers a little something for everyone. You’ll find shopping malls and retail outlets, discount outlets for many major manufacturers and boutiques for everything from clothing to glassware. Take a day off from the links to head out to the beach or a water park with the kids, or take them to one of the many mini-golf and amusement park choices that dot the entire coast.

Don’t let the winter doldrums get your down. Myrtle Beach is always open, with sunshine and lots of golfing activities to keep your golf trips on track to fun.

Golf Travel Trends

Golf travel has always been one of the quiet mainstays of the travel and tourism industries – it’s one of the reasons that so many 4-star resorts feature stunning golf courses, or are built close to the most famous golf courses in the country. Golfers are in a league of their own when it comes to vacations among sports lovers. Baseball lovers may travel to see the Baseball Hall of Fame, but most fans know they don’t have a prayer of playing a sandlot game at Fenway or Wrigley Stadium. Golf travel, on the other hand, underscores the equalizing force that is the game of golf. In most cases, if you can afford the greens fee, you can play the same courses that the golf pros play. Most baseball fans will never face the Green Monster, but any golfer knows that someday he absolutely can play the Amen Corner at Augusta National or take his chances against the elements and the architecture of the Old Course at St. Andrews.

Playing famous golf courses is just one of the best known trends in golf travel. Every golfer has his own personal bucket list of holes he wants to play or courses he wants to tee off on, and every golf magazine and website in the country is built around stoking the fantasy of playing the great courses. Each year, the most famous golf publications publish their list of the best 100 golf courses in the country and in the world. Basing golf vacations around playing those famous courses is one way to plan your summer.

Other golfers prefer to put their golf travel time toward discovering little known hidden gems, those golf courses that are best known to local players and seldom make it into the national golfing magazines. Some of them might be famous for a particularly treacherous hole, or for the amazing hospitality of the staff, or the beauty of the surroundings. For those golfers, golf trips might involve parking the family at a hotel in an area surrounded by golf courses and clubs, and heading out to find out where the locals go to play.

While many traveling golfers head out to the Grand Strand or to Arizona to enjoy two of the best and most populous golfing venues in the U.S., others look for a more historic vacation. Golf vacations to Ireland, golf trips to Scotland, and golf travel that encompasses both countries that contributed so much to the history of the glorious game.

Whether you want to play the most famed courses in this country, the most historic courses in the Old Country or the quiet, hidden gems that have yet to be discovered, golf travel is one of the hottest trends in travel today. Pick your courses, pack your clubs and head on out to enjoy a round of golf on the courses you’ve always dreamed of playing.

Tips for Great Irish Golf Trips

Ireland is second only to Scotland as the home to great and historic golf courses, and it’s become more and more popular as an international destination for golf trips and golf travel. If you’ve been thinking about taking a golf vacation with stops at the most historic Ireland golf courses, there’s never been a better time. These tips from veterans of golf travel can help you plan an Irish golf vacation you’ll thoroughly enjoy.

Double Check Rate’s at Ireland Golf Venues and Courses

The economic crisis has hit everyone hard, and that includes some of the best golf clubs and courses in Ireland. If you’ve been dreaming about playing the great Irish golf courses but thought the prices were out of range, now is the time to look again. You’ll find that the golf and the accommodations have come tumbling down from their prices just a few years ago, and you may just be able to afford a few rounds of golf at courses you’d considered far out of reach.

Take Advantage of Golf Packages and Spas Near the Airports

There are a number of luxury golf resorts and spas within easy driving distance from the airports, and it’s worth the investment to take full advantage of one of them. Book a stay for a night or two, and check in directly from your flight. You can clean up, relax and sink into the luxury, then head out for an early morning or late afternoon round of golf to get yourself in the mood for the rest of your trip. If you book in mid-week, you can usually take advantage of weekday discounts, making a luxury stay a real bargain.

Book a Driver Along with Your Car Hire

If you’re traveling from the States – especially if it’s your first golf trip to Ireland – driving will be a challenge. While you can save money by hiring a car and doing your own driving, booking a coach and driver can be worth the extra you’ll pay for it. If you’re traveling with a group, it could be even more cost effective. Booking a driver eliminates the uncertainty of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, especially in areas where the roads are already twisting, windy and dangerous. It also means that you can set aside any concerns about driving and enjoy an extra pint or two at the pub to celebrate your game.

Enjoy the Smaller Lodging Places

Luxury is lovely, but don’t overlook some of the smaller guest houses and B&B’s that dot the Irish countryside. The hospitality is second to none, and your host may have his own golf tips to share with you about the local courses.

If you’re planning a golf vacation to Ireland anytime soon, take the time to get quotes on golf travel and golf trips to Ireland from a number of travel agencies. The prices are competitive, and you’ll be sure to get booked into courses you never would have found on your own.

How to Choose the Best Golf Travel Deals

Golf travel has become one of the most popular types of destination vacations. Many travel agents specialize in putting together and booking trips to areas of the country or other countries that are famous for their golf courses. Like any activity that becomes very popular, there are always a few scammers who take advantage of golfers willing to put up big dollars for golf trips that allow them to play golf courses they’ve seen on television or read about in a golfing magazine. Here are things to be watchful for when you book your next golf travel vacation.

Always ask for an itemized list of charges when you book your golf vacations, especially if you’re booking a package deal. Ask your travel agent if the price you’re paying includes greens fees and court surcharges, and if there will be other charges.

Be aware that some golf courses may require you to rent a cart. Many of the best courses don’t allow non-members to walk the green and require them to rent a cart instead.

Don’t book golf travel trips blind – that is, without knowing what’s going on in the area at the time you’ll be visiting. Check the local calendar to see what other events might be happening in the town or cities you’ll be staying in. Among other things, knowing what’s going on in town will help you schedule other activities around your golf games.

If your package deal includes golf and not just lodging in an area that gives you access to the golf courses you want to play, be sure to check the ratings and reviews on the courses where you’re booked to play. After all, what fun is golf travel if you end up playing on poorly ranked courses?

Choose a golf travel deal at an all-inclusive resort with a great reputation for golf. Many of the areas most famous for golf feature resorts built around golf courses, courses where anyone who is registered at the resort can play. Whether you book at a Myrtle Beach golf resort or an Arizona golf resort, you’re sure to get your rounds in if the golf course is part of the resort.

Whether your golf travel takes you to the East Coast or the West Coast, or even across the Atlantic to visit famous Scotland golf landmarks, always check the details of your arrangements to be sure that you’re getting what you think you’re getting. After all, your golf trip should provide you with nothing but happy memories.