8 Tips For The Ultimate Men's Golf Trip

An ultimate golf getaway is just the right thing to relax and unwind.

But like all things, if you’re going to do it, make sure you do it right. Here are eight tips to help:

1. Know The Numbers

A golf vacation can be a complicated project to manage, especially if you are stopping by several courses in different locations.

To make sure you’re on track and have enough cash, you need to make sure you have enough money. Before you ever go on the trip, before you get people putting down deposits, you need to make sure you know the total cost.

We don’t think you have to cheap out, but identifying the total cost ahead of time will help you maximize your time on the course, hit as many as possible, and make sure you’re inviting the right people. There’s no point bringing people along who can’t afford the trip. You want to have fun and you want a getaway to remember.

 2. Decide If You’re Driving Or Flying

Whether you fly or travel really depends on the distance to your first location.

In reality, even if you fly, you’ll probably end up driving from course to course (assuming there’s more than one round planned on your vacation).

Either way, you’re going to need a car eventually. Want to bump around in a Nissan or Toyota? Not really! That doesn’t make for the ultimate getaway. Rent something fun. You don’t have to go nuts renting a Bugatti or something, but you can rent something with some horsepower.

3. Don’t Forget About The Nightlife

Yes, you have a 8:30 am tee time. Yes, you need to focus, Yes, you need to be relatively well behaved.Well, at least well-behaved on the course.

Just because you are hitting the course early, doesn’t mean you should ignore the nightlife of wherever you end up. When you reach your destination there are three things you can do to help find good restaurants, bars, and clubs:

•Get to know the people. Walk away from Google, it won’t help you. You need to ask people you know in that city where to go. If you don’t know anyone, find some locals and start picking their brains – they’ll be honest.
•Look for flyers. These things are regularly scattered all over a city and, if you strike out with the locals, they can help you pick a spot to crash.
•Don’t forget Reddit. Check out what’s happening in your destination city by using Reddit. You simply need to type reddit.com/r/[InsertCityName]. So, for example, reddit.com/r/montreal.

4. Find Luxurious Lodgings

If you plan your trip well, you can probably identify some golf resorts where you can stay, play and have fun.

If you don’t have that kind of luck, you don’t need to worry. There are a few things you can do to help you find a nice place to crash without breaking the bank. Here are some tips to help so you can save on hotels and drop as much as you want on the course:

•Compare prices. Shopping for hotels is no different than anything else – you need to shop around. Use the typical travel sites and be sure to call the hotel before you book online because not all fees are always disclosed through discount travel sites.
•Check out professional discounts. A lot of professional organizations and unions have landed their members discounts at hotels and they go largely unused. Do some research and see if you’re entitled to a discount anywhere.
•Be loyal. Do some research and join a hotel’s loyalty program. If you travel a lot for work (or even pleasure) the perks can add up and you can cash those in. (If you’re not currently a member of a loyalty program, TravelZoo provides a list.)

Don’t want to stay at hotels? Try services like like AirBNB, HomeAway or VRBO. They can help you have a “home” base while still traveling and golfing.

5. Pick Your Courses

Maybe you’re travelling to play that one course you and your friends have always wanted to play. Or, maybe you want to hit up a couple of courses that are located close to one another. Either way, the courses you select will impact the green fees you pay and the cost of gas or airfare.

The most important thing to remember, is that you’ll likely only play these tracks once. Enjoy the round and everything the course has to offer.

6. Pack Your Clubs Carefully

Don’t build your dream set of clubs only to have them destroyed en route to your dream golf getaway. If you don’t have a travel bag, Craig Better gives some great pointers on how to pack your clubs for a trip:

• Group all of your clubs together as closely as possible
• Put your tallest clubs in the middle of the pack
• Place your rain hood over your clubs to stop them from moving around too much
• Invest in a Stiff Arm, a telescoping device that goes in the middle of your bag and extends out to beyond the height of your tallest club

7. Ship Your Sticks Separately

We know United breaks guitars, don’t let them break your clubs. People have become so worried about airline’s ability to handle their clubs, new golf club delivery services have popped up.

Companies like ShipSticks will ship your clubs separately. It’s great because you don’t need to lug them through the airport, but they’re also insured should the unimaginable happen.

8. Get A Data Package

So, you’ve made the plans, gone on your trip and largely stayed on budget. The you get home and get your cellphone bill. Yikes!

We’ve all heard the stories of international travel gone awry when people go crazy with their data. Don’t be that person. Avoid a bad $22,000 roaming bill by planning ahead and purchasing an add-on package.

These are some tips that help us plan for our golf trips. What rules do you follow when planning a golf getaway? Leave a comment and let us know.

SEE ALSO: 34 Courses That Every Golfer Must Play

Join the conversation about this story »