Must-Play Courses for Arizona Golf Trips

Arizona is one of the country’s best areas for golfing, thanks to 320+ days of sunshine a year. The state features two main areas that are ideal for golf trips—the Phoenix-Scottsdale area, with a variety of classic courses, and the Tucson area, which has a younger, less stodgy feel. Tucson is famed for its youthful golf enthusiasts; Phoenix for its championship courses. If your Arizona vacation includes plan to hit the links for some exercise, there are a few courses that you can’t afford to pass up.

Troon North Golf Club

The semi-private Troon North Club is located in Scottsdale, close to the world-famous Four Seasons Resort. It’s a classic desert golf course design, with plenty of play on the two 18-hole courses. The Monument course, designed by Tom Weiskopf and Jay Morrish, takes its name from the large boulder that stands in the middle of the par-5 third hole. The course offers tricky approaches and stretches of dry desert wash to keep things interesting. The second course, the Pinnacle, features elevation changes and obstacles with spectacular views of Pinnacle Peak and the surrounding desert. Troon makes Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses to Play in America list every year, so be sure you put it on your list of must-play Arizona golf courses.

Ventana Canyon Golf Club

In the Tucson area, the two golf courses at the Ventana Canyon Golf Club make Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Courses in Arizona list at number eight. The two resort courses are desert courses requiring you to play target golf style. The bent grass greens make putting a challenge, thanks to their undulations. The Mountain Course features elevation changes and elevated tees. The Canyon course demands tight play and strong focus. Designed by Tom Fazio and Andy Banfield, the Canyon opened in 1988.

Wee-Ko-Pa Cholla Course

Wee-Ko-Pa, on tribal land owned by the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, features two courses – the Cholla and the Sqguaro. The Cholla Course is the older course, opened in 2001 and ranked high on the must-play list almost from the start. The wide-open space features large greens and fairways with little in the way of “civilization” to interrupt the scenery or your golf game. In 2006, We-Ko-Pa added the Saguaro Course, designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore. The Saguaro is designed to be walkable, a rare distinction for desert courses.

If you’re planning golf vacations in the areas of Scottsdale, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, be sure to line up your tee times early so that you don’t miss out on some of the best golfing in the country.

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.

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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

Courses to Hit on Southeast Golf Trips

Planning a golf trip this summer? The Myrtle Beach area has become one of the country’s most popular destinations for golf trips. With well over a hundred golf courses in easy driving distance of nearly any hotel or resort on the Myrtle Beach coast, choosing the courses to play presents the avid golfer with an embarrassment of riches. How do you choose the best links when there are so many available?  How about letting some of the world’s best golf experts help you with your choice?

The Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach take top marks in Golf Digest’s Myrtle Super 60 list of top Myrtle Beach golf clubs. Designed by Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1948, the course has been a world class course almost since its inception. While the green has been modified a number of times—most recently in 2003—it remains true to its original spirit and challenge.

Golf Digest ranks the Heritage Club among its 50 Best Public Courses in America and ranks it at No. 13 in South Carolina. The plantation style golf course was built on the site of the True Blue and Midway rice plantations. It features spacious fairways, undulating greens and some of the most gorgeous landscaping in the country. The Myrtle Beach Golf Association ranks it among the Players’ Top 20 and notes that the course had fallen on hard times, but is definitely on the way back up.

The Witch Golf Club, part of the trinity that includes The Wizard and Man o’ War golf clubs, is one of the most unique courses in South Carolina. Created by golf architect Dan Maples, the course opened in 1989. It also ranks among the Players’ Top 20 course at the Myrtle Beach Golf Association, which notes that its dynamic elevation changes and tight fairways make it a challenging course to play. The 1^st and 9^th holes are actually on islands, completely surrounded by wetlands.

Golflink lists Wicked Stick Golf Club among the top five player-friendly golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area. It features a John Daly signature course designed in conjunction with golf architect Clyde Johnstone. It’s not the most challenging course, but the staff is wonderful, and the layout provides enough challenge for experts to have fun without making it frustrating for those with less expertise. Myrtle Beach Golf calls it a great place to have a golf vacation with a group.

Tee Off With Golf Vacations

Indulging your passion for golf can lead you to some of the most memorable vacations of your life. Golf packages, both domestic and international, often combine your passion for golfing the best greens in the world with other interests and luxuries. A golf package is the ideal vacation for the golf enthusiast who wants to play a variety of courses in a location, or who has to share his vacation with a traveling companion who’d rather be shopping than teeing off. When you choose a golf package as your vacation, your travel agent will take care of all the details, including flights, hotel reservations, car rentals and, in many cases, booking your tee time for you at the best golf courses in the area.

International Golf Packages

Scotland and Ireland boast some of the oldest and best-known golf links in the world, so it’s no surprise that many travel agents and travel sites feature golf trips to regions of the Emerald Isle and the Scottish Highlands. Scotland golf trips may include lodging in a traditional Scottish castle, meals in some of the finest restaurants in the world and golfing on greens that are part of the history of the games, such as the Old Course at St. Andrews or Carnoustie, the oldest greens in the history of golf. Some of the hottest Ireland golf trips for 2011 include packages for the Solheim Cup, the biennial LPGA competition which takes place at Killeen Castle, Dunsany, Co. Meath, Ireland in September of 2011. If you’d rather play than watch, other golf destinations in Ireland feature rounds played at well-known golf clubs, such as the Royal Dublin and the Island Golf Club.

Myrtle Beach Golf Packages

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, once considered a bargain basement golfing destination, has come into its own as one of the best golf regions in the world. Located along the coast of South Carolina, Myrtle Beach boasts more than 100 golf courses—many of them championship courses. The best Myrtle Beach golf vacations include lodging and amenities at one of the many golf resorts located in the area. Indulge your passion for golf along one of the most beautiful seacoasts in the country while taking advantage of the pure luxury afforded by a resort vacation.

Arizona Golf Packages

Arizona features two distinctly different golf destinations – Tucson and the Phoenix/Scottsdale area. The Scottsdale area boasts nearly 200 golf courses, some with traditional layouts and others that feature the stunning Arizona desert landscapes. Tucson has a reputation for being more laid-back and relaxed, and offers courses designed by some of the best-known names in golf.

Whether your tastes run to the home-grown or you prefer a more international flavor, you’ll find golf packages that are designed to challenge and delight you.

The Perfect Golf Vacation Packages

Planning golf vacations are as time consuming and have as much to consider as any other vacation you plan, if not more. Not only do you need to research and reserve the usual formalities such as how you’re going to get there and where you’re going to stay, but you also have to think about where you’re going to play. Some popular companies offer golf packages that take care of everything for you at one low price.

Golf Travel Locations

The first decision that needs to be made when planning your next golf trips really should start with where you want to go or what course you want to play. Most major US cities have at least one championship golf course—Myrtle Beach, and several Arizona golf courses being among the most popular. However, many international courses are recognized as having some of the best courses to play on and amazing scenery, too. St. Andrews, a Scotland golf course is said to be the birthplace of golf and while you are thinking rolling green hills, Ireland golf courses are some of the most popular in all of Europe. From the crystal clear Caribbean waters to the majestic hills of Spain, choose the location you like best.

Services and Amenities

Once you have decided just where you would like to go, find the resort that offers everything you are looking for. From budget to luxury, included rounds or unlimited golfing, you can find golf packages to fit your desires. Whether you want every detail taken care of and planned before you arrive or you want to live it up a little and have some flexibility, they can create the prefect itinerary for you.

Budget

Most people think you can’t travel on a budget, but that’s simply not true. One of the greatest things about golf packages is there are no hidden fees. You can arrange everything from an arrival transfer from the airport, your tee times and what you’ll have for dinner, all for one low price with no surprises.

There are so many things to consider when getting ready to plan your next golf vacation. From where you want to go and what you’ll spend, to how far away you want to travel.  You can choose how long you’ll be away and which types of amenities you want to have when you arrive. The great thing is no matter what you are looking for in your perfect get away there is a package out there that is just right for you.

Dream Golf Vacations

If you are an old time golfer you remember what traditional golf trips used to be: 1 weekend, 8 guys, sunny spots and planned tee times. Well, there have been some major renovations in golf travel, and you can now get out and see the world, play on some on the best greens, be gone a week, and even bring they family if you want. Nowadays we are lucky to have endless choices in travel companies that cater for every standard of play, budget, location and trip duration.

Golf Packages

Many websites offer amazing golf packages with a wide range of amenities in destinations all over the world. Maybe you have a wish list of courses you want to play – it’s now possible to search the course and get detailed information about different packages available at that course. If destination is more important, then choose the place you want to visit or golf such as Myrtle Beach, and then see what’s available there. If amenities are important you, then you should search for five star accommodations or family friendly resorts. If you plan to bring your spouse, but she doesn’t golf then you’ll want to make sure the location has a spa on the grounds or some shopping close by. You can choose from all-inclusive packages with meals or just the basics, you personalize the package just the way you want it.

Popular Golf Destinations

Getting away from golfing in the sun or flying off to new golfing locations may not attract the golf traditionalist in many that prefer the well known Arizona golf course, but there are some new golf hotspots popping up all over the world. Europe has many popular spots to play like the birthplace and home of golf; Scotland. Golf packages are very popular there. Would you believe that hundreds of thousands of people every year flock to the Ireland golf course Emerald Isle? Other emerging golf destinations are Spain and Portugal, and there are always the famous Mexico and Hawaii courses.  Even many Caribbean islands have courses now.

If you love to golf, love to travel, and want to try a new course or even a new style of holiday, a golf vacation is the perfect getaway. From hot sunny beaches to breathtaking scenery you can find the perfect golf packages in destinations all over the globe. No matter what your style or budget is, it’s a great way for you to get the golf trip you have always wanted and take the family on a holiday they never forget.