There’s nothing better than combining one of your passions and travel. If you love to golf, then choosing to do a golfing holiday is a wonderful way to explore new tees, while being in a new location with new restaurants and tourist attractions to explore. Scotland is a standout destination for golf lovers as it has everything you could wish for and more – from extremely scenic courses, extremely friendly hospitality, right through to whiskey tastings. If you’re interested in booking, check out these wonderful Ayrshire Golf Deals or keep reading for my top 5 tips for booking a memorable golf holiday:
1. Arrange a Package Deal
It can be a little complicated trying to figure out all the details for your golf holiday, from researching the available tee times, through to transfers and accommodations. For this reason it can be worthwhile arranging a package deal where an agent takes care of all the hassles for you. That way you’ll have more time to focus on getting excited for your trip. Some agents have special arrangements with courses and providers, allowing them to negotiate discounts for you which can result in considerable savings too.
2. Be Flexible with your Tee Time
If you’re on a budget, or looking to save a little cash so you can stretch your holiday more, one of the best ways to do this is to be flexible with your tee time. The morning slots tend to be the most popular, and at many courses they will come with a higher price than the twilight slots. Opting to do a few days of golfing during the ‘off hours’ can result in considerable savings. Check with the facilities you plan to visit to see if there is a difference in prices and whether its worth it for your trip.
3. Decide Whether You’ll Take Your Clubs
Depending on how you’re getting to your golf holiday, it may be worth researching how much it will cost you to take your clubs with you. If you’re flying, you should know that most airlines charge a pretty hefty fee for taking your clubs on board. If you’re only going to do a day or two of game play, it might not be worth the expense, but if you’re planning to hit up a lot of courses it may actually be cheaper to fork out for the transport fees. It’s worth checking in advance.
4. Safety in Numbers
You can often negotiate much better packages for bigger groups, from reduced course fee costs to even special prices for hotels and transfers. Not only is it a lot of fun to have extra people to compete on the field with, but it also can mean some considerable savings. Talk to your fellow golf lovers and see who else would be interested in a golfing trip. This is a situation where the more the merrier is really true.
5. Book in Advance
One of the best ways to get a good deal is by simply booking in advance. That’s when you’ll also be able to get the best tee times as they’ll be mostly all available. Leaving your reservations too late can mean you wont have as many options left. How far in advance you’ll want to book will depend on a variety of factors, but as a general rule 3 to 6 months in advance is a good sweet spot allowing you to make the most of the discounts available without having to commit a long time in advance.
There’s nothing quite like the thrill of doing a new course in a different country. Hopefully these tips help you plan your next golfing trip, whether it’s to Scotland or another country renowned for its wonderful tees.
