It will happen sooner or later. If you’ve been bitten by the golf bug, you’ll get to the point where it’s just not enough to play the local courses. You start dreaming about the golf trips you could take. You imagine golf vacations, and plan your travel around the golf courses you might play. It may strike you suddenly – a desire to play an amazing hole you’ve seen in a televised tournament, perhaps – or develop over time. It may just be a general notion that if you’re going to travel, you might as well check out golf courses and clubs in the area. Or you may specifically plan golf travel – a trip taken completely for the purpose of playing golf at many different courses. No matter what you decide, though, there are some things to remember when planning golf trips, whether for yourself or for a group.
Budget
Budget is always a vital component of any trip, and it’s especially important when you’re figuring golf into your travel plans. Teeing off at some of the most popular courses in the world can be a pricey proposition, but golf trips don’t have to be expensive. If there are golf clubs or courses you must play, check their availability and the greens fees before you book the rest of your vacation. That will allow you to budget for expensive clubs if necessary, or choose different courses to play.
Season
Some areas of the country are great golfing in any season – Arizona golf, for example, is perfect in any month, and Myrtle Beach golf courses are always playable. Do call ahead, though, to find out when courses will be undergoing grooming and reseeding. Playability will be affected – but on many of the best courses, you’ll still get a dynamite game – often at bargain prices.
Golf Travel Agents
Consider planning your vacation through a travel agency that specializes in arranging golf trips, especially if you’re heading to an area you don’t know well. Golf travel agents have connections, which is one of the best reasons for using a travel agent for any type of trip. When it comes to golf trips, though, those connections often translate to knowing about obscure but amazing golf courses that are off the beaten path, or special little perks that won’t be available to a player who books a tee time on his own.
Transporting Your Clubs
Your golf clubs will count as part of your travel baggage if you’re traveling by air. If you’re planning to bring your own golf clubs, always check with the airline to find out about any special rules and regulations you’ll have to follow.
You can, of course, avoid the hassle of traveling with your golf clubs by either shipping them ahead of you and meeting up with them at your destination, or by making arrangements to rent a set of golf clubs when you arrive.
Golf trips are practically guaranteed to be enjoyable for an avid golfer, but some careful planning can ensure that your golf travel goes off without a hitch.
