Golf’s Holy Land, the British Isles. Land of wind, rain, and the best links golf in the world! If you haven’t made the trek, you should! If you are contemplating and not sure how to make it happen, read on!
I have taken and planned many golf trips to the British Isles; Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, and England. Each was a wonderful experience and I have learned a great deal along the way!
Step 1: Selection a Location
This is, in my opinion, the most difficult step in the planning process. There are so many amazing courses, how do you pick just a handful? There will always be a course of two that gets left off the list. Those circumstances simply create an opportunity for another trip!!!! Select a general area; Northern Scotland, London, etc. I recommend trying to reduce daily travel as much as possible by selecting 1 or 2 home bases. Once you identify a home base, begin identifying ALL the courses in that area. I start with a list of 15-25 courses, and group them into three categories; must play, like to play, and fillers. This helps me prioritize tee times. The trips we take are dedicated to golf, so we play every day and alternate 18 and 36 holes. On days with 36 holes, it makes sense to play the “nicer” or “more difficult” course first, leaving the afternoons for replays and fillers. And when I say “fillers”, I really mean the courses that receive less fanfare. Courses like Ardglass, Castlerock, Fraserburgh, Crail, and Murcar. These are all amazing courses and often are more fun than their more famous neighbors.
The length of the trip is important, obviously! Most often a long week is perfect. Remember that flights to Europe are typically overnight, so the first day is a “tired” day! I prefer to return to the US on Saturday, allowing me to recover on Sunday before real life slaps me in the face Monday morning. This type of schedule provides for 6 or 7 full days available for golf.
Step 2: When
For the “when”, getting 4, 8, 12 or more busy adults to agree on a date is nearly impossible. The larger the group, the higher likelihood that someone will be disappointed. The positive is that this planning process should start at least 1 year ahead of travel date, which gives all parties plenty of time to request vacation and adjust schedules. Generally, May through September is best, with the high season in June, July, August. I prefer late May as it is before the big rush, but late enough to hopefully get summer weather. If you live in colder climates where spring golf is difficult, you might opt for early September. This will give you the summer to get your golf game in order.
Step 3: How Much Golf!
How much golf do you want to play? I would imagine at this point you are sitting in a bar having a drink, or twelve with your buddies. One of them says, “we can play 36 each day”, and the rest of you respond with a “hell yeah”. And at first glance it sounds fun, after all you probably have caddies some or all the rounds and the courses are relatively flat and tight (short green to tee distance). But I am here to tell you, do NOT do it. 36 holes per day should be reserved for a select few days only. Walking 18 holes in a rain storm with 30 mile/hour winds will test the fittest golfer. Attempting to do it twice in a day and back to back days is sadistic! As with any suggestion, there are times to ignore it. We try to fit in 36 a few days during a trip, preferably when 2 courses are very close to reduce transit times.
At this point your group has identified a location and a generalized golf consumption model. Now, selecting the courses and making tee times.
Step 3: Tee Times!
From my experience, this is the portion of the planning where having an experienced travel agent is beneficial, but not required if you have patience and persistence. If you go at it alone, getting all the tee times lined up is a giant puzzle and you should expect spending many hours reworking your plan. Each course will have different visitor rules. An example, Muirfield has a small number of visitor times on Tuesdays and Thursdays only. Just be sure to check exactly when visitors are allowed. I have found that phone communication with the courses is most beneficial. The Pros and administrators at these courses are generally friendly and welcoming. Giving them a call is more personal and for me, part of the fun of self planning. Most tee times require at least a partial up front payment that is non-refundable. Keep thorough notes on all your interactions and reservations. Over the course of several months of planning it becomes difficult to remember all the details without referring to notes. Most importantly, start early and be persistent!
Step 4: Lodging
For lodging the major discussions are Hotel vs B&B and single vs double occupancy. I have stayed in both Hotel and B&B, and had private and shared rooms. All of my experiences were excellent, but my preference is private (single occupancy) rooms at B&B. Over the course of this trip, you will spend more time with your buddies then ever before. Having a private room provides each person the opportunity to “get away”, something I feel adds to the enjoyment of the trip! The B&B offers a more local feel and usually cost less than Hotels. Remember that on a typical golf trip, the time spent in the lodging is minimal! Most of our lodging has been found with the help of tripadvisor and general internet searches. Another avenue for ideas is asking the pro shops, as they often have a list of recommended hotels and guest houses.
Step 5: Travel (air and ground)
If you can afford it, go first or business class. If I want to save money on airfare, I will book the return as coach, but almost always try to be first or business on the way to Europe. Getting a bit of sleep on the plane is a huge benefit and the scorecard from your first round will thank you!
For ground transportation, there are three options. The cheapest, and most fun (in my opinion) is self drive. Driving on and navigating the small country rounds is an adventure, and having a car provides added flexibility. If you have more than 4 people, hiring a driver is a good option. This will be more expensive, but will allow all travelers to rest in transit and not spend much needed energy navigating/driving.
Step 6: Have Fun!
My goal on every golf trip is having fun! I always set the expectations with travelers that fun trumps scores. Talk with your caddies, take tons of pictures, admire the views, laugh at your bad shots and cheer your buddies birdies! In my experience, if that mentality is set from the beginning, each person is more likely to relax and enjoy the experience of playing amazing golf courses.