A Golf Package Vacation Needs Good Planning
Many people return from their golf package vacation and say “never again.” The experience for them was not a good one, and their attitude to golf vacations will never be the same. More often than not that is for one reason: they did not plan properly and failed to do their homework.
If your eye is caught by a glossy advert for a week’s golf for $200, what do you expect to get? Work it out on a daily basis. Even if you are on the course for only five days, that’s just $40 a round including accommodation! You won’t be playing great courses for that money. You will be heading for the worst golf vacation experience of your life.
Planning Ahead is your Number One Task
Plan ahead and do your homework. Make a list of what you want from your vacation. First is the location. Will it be Myrtle Beach that caters for the whole family, or do you want the desert golfing experience of Arizona or Nevada? How about the mountains of Colorado, or do you want something more exotic. Thailand has some great courses, and there’s always Europe. How about a golf vacation in Scotland, taking in all the great British Open links courses of St. Andrews, Troon and Muirfield?
Choose your location, then write down all the features you must have, followed by the ‘nice to haves’. You should also have a budget unless your wallet is bottomless. Be realistic, and understand that you won’t get much for rock bottom prices. You should know roughly how much a round costs and what the average accommodation cost of your destination is. You can get the information from the internet. Then find a reputable booking agency.
The Season Determines the Price
The best are normally those based in the area you intend traveling to. They know the current information on the courses and hotels, and while their prices might not be the very lowest, you can often get a good deal. The season also determines prices. For example, desert golf vacations are more popular in the winter, and if you can stand the heat you will get some great deals in mid summer. The reverse is true of the more northern courses.
Keep in mind that even many non-discount golf vacations are not all they might seem. There is a great deal of money in the golfing business and vacations have as many scam artists as any other business. It is easy to be attracted by what seems to be a great deal, only to find you are booked into a zero star hotel and a below par golf course. So keep on your guard, and try to get some testimonials for the vacation or phone up the hotel and golf course yourself to check out the facilities. Some searching questions will get you the truth.
If you are taking the family you will need to take the needs of your partner and children into consideration, so you will need to book your vacation close to a resort, decent shopping and perhaps a beach or someplace to amuse the kids. In this case Florida or Myrtle Beach would be better than Arizona! You can enjoy your golf while your partner shops and the children have fun. It is their vacation too.
A Golf School Vacation is a Good Option
If your game is not what it should be, you could combine your vacation with some tuition and take a golf school vacation. There are many instruction packages available and you know that you get a good deal with these, especially the residential resort based packages, because it is more difficult for the sharpsters to pull the wool over your eyes.
Whatever decision you make, if you plan well, do your homework and beware of tricksters trying to get your money for substandard accommodation and golf courses, a package golf vacation is ideal for you and your family.
Mike Pedersen
Golf Performance Coach
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Mike Pedersen is the creator of the "Power Golf Training Online Membership - What Every Golfer Should Know About How To Hit Longer Drives And Play Pain-Free Golf", and has taught thousands of golfers how to add up to 40 yards to their drives.