Travel Tips

We believe there are a few secrets in putting together a successful golf trip.

	Compatibilty 1. Choose your group wisely! This doesn't mean you have to be the same sex, handicap, religion or political persuasion but it does mean you need to be able to get along together under sometimes extraordinary circumstances. A good criterion could be that each of you holds similar attitudes towards the nine topics covered below.
	Planning 2. This covers a couple of areas - firstly, make sure you think about, buy, book, reserve, request and pay for as many of the details as far in advance as you can (often more than a year ahead!). This means you minimize disappointments, get the best tee times or hotel rooms and allow yourself the freedom to enjoy the trip once you are on it. Secondly, unless you really enjoy driving as well as packing and unpacking we suggest you spend a minimum of three nights in each hotel room.
	Job Description 3. Every group has a 'Lead Golfer'- it's probably the poor person left to deal with our company. However, the golf world is a democracy (see Rule 8) and that means everyone gets to do some of the work. Roles that need to be filled on most trips include: treasurer, tournament director, shopper/cook, driver, housekeeper - each trip has a couple of others. Allocate the roles and rotate them each year.
	Preparation 4. Not to be confused with Rule 2. This involves getting yourself ready physically and otherwise for the trip whether it is three days or three weeks long. You're going to be flying more miles, playing more golf, walking more courses, drinking more beer/wine/Guinness and getting less sleep that you are accustomed to. Prepare yourself by doing some walking, stretching and exercise as well as practice-and not just a week before you leave. Think carefully about taking lessons at the last minute - don't try and change your game the day before you leave.
	Packing 5. Everyone has a different perspective on this -usually depends upon your approach to washing clothes and the number of times you wear the same golf outfit. However, there are some important items that are usually left at home and shouldn't be: (at least) two pairs of golf shoes, a rain suit, several golf gloves and whatever jackets/jumpers/mittens needed to handle weather 10 degrees colder than you expect (see Rule 10).
	Money 6. It IS the root of all evil. Make sure everyone knows the approximate cost of the 'included items' on the trip-make sure everyone agrees with what's in and what's out. Experience tells us that including alcohol and more than 1 or 2 group dinners gets dangerous (some people don't like sponsoring the Herculean drinking sessions of a small part of the travelling group). We encourage competition (See Rule 9) but strongly advise you to keep the stakes light.
	Drinking 7. Everything in moderation! We are not teetotalers and certainly encourage you to sample the local beers, wines and/or whiskies to enhance your overall travel experience. However, from personal experience we suggest you 'go easy'. You've got a lot of golf to play.
	Democracy 8. Some groups may work being run by benevolent dictators but there aren't many. Both before, during and after the trip try and give everyone the chance for input on venues, formats, finances, etc.
	Competition 9. It's important you have some kind of competition going on-and we recommend 'Team' rather than individual versions wherever feasible. This may be a Ryder Cup style event with teams based on gender, handicap, ages or some other arbitrary method of team selection. The beauty of 'Team' events is that they take the pressure off individual golf swings. Keep the stakes light, the trophies humorous and try to ensure the competition remains secondary to then actual experience.
	Expect The Worst ('Pretend its Scotland') 10. The course might not be as picturesque as in your coffee table book, the hotel room may be smaller than you expected and the weather is NEVER as good as 2 years ago! But, remember why you're there-for the golf-it's all about the golf. And golf is played outdoors in all kinds of weather and under all kinds of conditions. The most memorable trips we've had have been where record incredible weather conditions had us whining, moaning and threatening to walk off the course-but we never did, and we still talk about the incredible deeds we performed those days. On days like that its best to 'pretend it's Scotland'.