Thursday, March 17, 2011

Tips to Help You Plan the Best Golfing Trips

Golfing vacations are among the most popular sporting holidays, ranking right up there with skiing holidays and scuba trips. Many travel agencies and websites have sprung up to take advantage of golf and the travelers who love it. If you’re considering hitting the links on your next vacation, these tips can help you make sure that you pack the most golfing fun into your vacation trip.

Check the Weather to Make Sure That it Will Support a Golfing Holiday

Unless you’re an all-weather golfer, check the typical weather in the area you want to visit during the time you’ll be there for your golf vacation. Of course, there are some regions where you don’t even have to think about it. In Arizona, golf is a year-round pursuit, thanks to gorgeous sunny weather more than 300 days out of the year. Likewise, Myrtle Beach golf clubs and courses offer beautiful golfing weather year-round. Even Scotland and Ireland, golf destinations for generations, can’t provide the same weather conditions that you’ll find in either of those two domestic golf destinations.

Shop Online to Find the Best Golf Vacations

The popularity of golf tips has birthed an entire mini-industry segment in the travel industry. You’ll find the best prices for golf travel at online sites that feature package deals that include tee times at some of the best golf courses and fairways in the country. Compare prices and features of golfing trips side-by-side to see which offer you the best deals for your vacation.

Read the Reviews

Before you plunk down your hard-earned cash to book a vacation, do some in-depth investigation. Check out golfing discussion forums to find out anything positive or negative about the service or facilities at lodgings included with package tours, and look for information about the tour packager. The last thing you want is for it to arrive at your destination only to find that everything about it has been exaggerated or misrepresented. But doing your research ahead of time will help you head off disappointment and ensure that you’ll enjoy every part of your golfing holiday.

Finally, once you find a tour provider you like and can trust, make a note so that you can return when you’re ready to book moregolf trips—perhaps for a golfing tour to play on the classic courses of Ireland and Scotland.

Friday, March 11, 2011

How to Choose a Golf Vacations Trip

Golf vacations are growing in popularity as tour operators put together golf tours and golf trips to appeal to consumers. While golf enthusiasts have always planned their travel around famous courses they’d like to play, golf travel has never been as popular as it has in the past few years. With all the golf vacations and golf trips available, how do you choose the best one for you?  Here are a few tips.

  1. Choose an area known for its golf courses and greens.  Some parts of the country and the world are famous for the quality of their golf greens and clubs. A visit to those areas is nearly guaranteed to give you plenty of opportunities to tee off on some of the best courses in the world. Ireland golf trips and Scotland golf trips include the opportunity to play at literally hundreds of courses, depending on the area of the country and the ability of the tour operator to book you at the best courses.

  1. Domestic golf tours offer excellent value at lower prices.  Myrtle Beach was once the bargain basement of golf trips, but that’s changed in recent years. The prices are still excellent, but the general quality of the courses available to play and the numerous resorts that have grown up around them has made Myrtle Beach golf trips among the most desirable in the world. Arizona golf trips offer similar bargains with some of the best and most unusual golf courses and greens in the world. Arizona’s climate practically guarantees great golfing weather, and the luxury resorts give the non-golfers in the family plenty to do while the golfers are out doing what golfers do best.

  1. Research the golf courses in your chosen area.  Do some research to get familiar with your golf options and which courses you’d like to play, and any tournaments you’d like to watch and what the courses are like. The more you know about your options, the better equipped you’ll be to choose the best golf vacations for your pleasure.

  1. Talk to several tour operators to compare golf packages.  Once you have an idea of which courses you’d like to play, or at least are familiar with the clubs in the area, contact travel agents that offer golf vacations to find out what they can offer. Many include bookings for tee times as part of their golf packages, and special deals and offers for groups traveling together.