Enjoy the Golf Trip of a Lifetime: The 2011 Masters

 What’s the next best thing to playing great golf? Watching great golf being played!

 

Where is the best place to do this? The first April in Augusta, Georgia, when we find out whom Phil Mickelson will be putting that treasured green jacket on.

 

Of course I am talking about the Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club, which is scheduled for April 4 through 10 in 2011. If you want to witness the best golfing, this absolutely THE place.

 

And if you want to have the time of your life doing it, go for first class. The Masters Event Executive Package includes an amazing list of opportunities, experiences, and amenities for the golf fanatic. If you want to give the golfer in your life the golf travel experience of a lifetime, it makes a fantastic gift for birthdays or special occasions.

 

Here’s the short list of what you will enjoy with the Executive Package:

 

·         Eight days and seven nights of luxurious accommodations at the downtown Marriott Augusta Hotel on the Savannah River

·         Each day a unique collectable Masters gift will be delivered to your room

·         Executive round-trip travel to and from the golf course for the competition

·         Daily admission for the entire Masters competition, from Monday through Sunday

·         The official daily program for the Masters event

·         Daytime Southern hospitality at the elegant Magnolia Manner, including breakfast and luncheon, just 750 yards from the Augusta course.

·         Ballroom galas every evening form April 7 through 11at the Marriot

·         PGA Guest Speaker each evening Thursday through Sunday for autographs, pictures, questions.

 

Naturally you can count on being well taken care of by a dedicated travel staff that will be there to assist guests throughout their stay. Executive guests also enjoy access to open bars, cigar lounge, and game center available throughout the whole event. If you absolutely must work too, it comes with full business and secretarial services.

 

This most luscious of golf vacations also comes with a corresponding price tag of nearly $12,000 per person.  If you can swing it, go for it. Even though the event is several months away, it is not too early to get your reservation in for this limited opportunity.

 

Whether you go first class or just plain classy, be sure to check with your friendly golf travel planners who can arrange for you to be there and enjoy the excitement of the best golf has to offer.

How To Plan a Great Golf Vacation

 

When you want to plan your golf vacations, you have basically three options. Let’s look at the plusses and minuses of each approach. Then you decide! Here are the three options:

• ·         Do it yourself golf trip
• ·         A pre-arranged golf package trip
• ·         A customized golf trip by a golf travel specialist

 

Do It Yourself

 

When you value freedom of choice, this option ranks tops. You get to decide where you go, where you stay, how you travel, tee times, and so on. If you want to plan that dream itinerary of playing famous English and Scottish golf courses combined with a tour of historic castles and gardens, you can decide exactly how much time you spend in each locale. This can work very well if you are traveling with a spouse who has “a different agenda” in mind as you can accommodate his or her wishes as well.

 

My friends John and Mary Ellen assure me that for them half the fun of their golf travel is the planning. It becomes a project for them as a couple, agreeing on an overall itinerary and then investigating the various points of interest using books and internet guides. One takes on finding the best transportation deals and the other looks for charming hotels. (I’ll let you guess who does which!) 

 

For some however, all that planning is more of a hassle and time-eater. If you don’t have the time or inclination to do the groundwork, your trip may be a disappointment. In such case, the next two options might have more appeal.

 

Package Golf Vacation

 

If you are willing to trade freedom for convenience, you can select from numerous pre-panned package golf vacations. Not only do you save time by not having to plan, but you are likely to experience significant savings if you choose some of the special offers available. 

 

Tour planners are able to secure discounts for golfing, lodging, and even travel because they have developed a relationship with providers. This also gives you, the customer, a certain peace of mind knowing that your vacation will probably unfurl just as planned as providers also have an incentive to keep that relationship going.

 

Golf vacation packages can cost as little as a few hundred dollars for a two or three-night stay in a modest place at a less popular course or deliciously self-indulgent for a full week at a luxury hotel at a famous resort. Thus your budget and taste are paramount.

 

If you take the time to look at specials, you can get more bang for your buck. During off-seasons, you can find some real bargains. For example, at some times of the year, you can play courses on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail for less than a meal at McDonalds.

 

 

Your Golf Trip Planner

 

When you want the freedom to choose when you go, where and when you play, and where you stay, but don’t want to spend all that time looking up the options and booking the details, you can ask a golf travel professional to plan your trip. He or she can do any necessary research and offer you clearly defined options, and all you have to do is pick! What could be easier and more fun?

 

This way you get some of the advantages of the above options, though of course you will not be getting the discounts from package vacations. You do get to relax knowing that a professional is making sure you will be well taken care of in and off the course. 

 

No matter which route you choose, may your golf vacations be full of challenge, fun, and memory-making moments!