Every year, about 34 million Americans play golf. Approximately 2.5 million of them do it for the very first time.
Many of these people who play for the first time fall in love with the sport before long. And they can’t wait to expand their horizons by playing golf on new courses in their area.
Some even love golf so much that they decide to take a golf vacation. They spend a few days or, in some cases, even a week or more golfing with friends at different golf courses in another state.
Does this sound like something that would interest you? If so, you should make sure that you take the right steps when planning out your first golf vacation. It’ll ensure that you have a great experience from start to finish.
Here are 10 tips on planning a golf vacation for new players.
1. Begin by Getting a Good Group of Golfing Buddies Together
If you’re going to spend any length of time golfing with friends, you want to make sure they’re the right friends. If you don’t assemble the right group of people, you’re going to be asking for trouble.
Put out some feelers and see which of your friends might want to accompany you on a golf vacation. You should try to get a good mix of golfers together so that you’re guaranteed to have a great time.
Avoid asking anyone who is going to spend the whole time fielding calls and emails from their bosses. They’re going to slow your group down and potentially even prevent you from testing out all the different golf courses in your desired destination.
2. Pick a Date for Your Golf Vacation
Once you have a group of golfing buddies picked out and committed to taking a trip, choose a date that’s going to work for everyone. It should be a time when everyone in your group is free and a time when the weather is going to be good in wherever it is you decide to go for your golf vacation.
You might even want to circle a few dates on your calendar if you can. It’ll provide you with some backup options just in case you aren’t able to reserve hotel rooms, tee times, etc. on certain dates.
3. Find the Right Place to Go On Your Golf Vacation
Where is it that you want to go on your first golf vacation? There are lots of different golfing destinations for you to choose from in this day and age.
Some of the most popular places for golfers to visit include:
- Myrtle Beach, SC
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Birmingham, AL
- San Diego, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
If you’re just getting your feet wet when it comes to golfing, throwing your hat in the ring in a place like Myrtle Beach might not be the best idea. But you can no doubt find a great destination for golfing with friends on your first golf vacation if you look hard enough.
4. Map Out the Different Golf Courses You’re Going to Play On
After you’ve decided which city you’re going to visit for your first golf vacation, the next order of business will be ironing out which of the different golf courses in the area you’re going to play on. Depending on which city you choose, you’re likely going to find that there won’t be any shortage of options.
Let’s say, for example, that you’re going to visit Myrtle Beach to see what it’s all about (assuming you feel up to the challenge, of course!). Some of the different golf courses you’ll want to hit will include:
- Dunes Golf & Beach Club
- Moorland Course at Legends Resort
- True Blue Golf Club
- TPC Myrtle Beach
- Caledonia Golf & Fish Club
And that’s only the beginning. You can play at as many courses as your little heart desires in a place like Myrtle Beach. But you’ll want to plan it out so that you’re able to hit the ones that you really want to play at first while you’re in town.
5. Figure Out How Everyone Will Get to Your Desired Location
Before you and your golfing buddies can start teeing off at the different golf courses in your desired location, you’re obviously going to need to figure out how you’re all going to get there. Are you going to:
- Fly first-class for your first golf vacation?
- Drive separately?
- Carpool?
Your method of transportation should depend on everything from where you’re traveling from to what your golf vacation budget is. You might be able to set aside a little more money for golf if you skip taking a flight and carpool together instead.
6. Reserve Hotel Rooms, Tee Times, Golf Carts, Etc.
When you arrive at your final destination, the last thing you’re going to want to worry about is doing things like making hotel reservations or reserving tee times. You want to reserve these things months in advance so that they’re set in stone.
You’re going to have a hard time kicking back and relaxing on your golf vacation if you’re worried about which hotel you’re going to stay at or whether or not you’re going to be able to get a tee time on a certain golf course. It’s why you should have everything planned out ahead of time so that all you’ll have to worry about is showing up and getting down to business.
7. Make Sure You Have All the Right Equipment for Your Golf Vacation
If you haven’t been golfing for very long, you might not have all the necessary equipment for a golf vacation. It’s going to be important for you to remedy that so that you have everything you’ll need to golf when you go away on vacation.
New golfers have to work their way through the process of buying golf bags, golf clubs, golf balls, golf tees, and everything else that it takes to play golf. They’ll also need to make sure that they’re going to be able to either bring all of these things to the airport for a flight or pack them away in their car for a road trip.
8. Stock Up on Plenty of Great Golf Gear for Your Vacation
In addition to purchasing the right equipment for your golf vacation, you’re also going to need to stock up on golf gear that you’ll wear throughout the course of your trip. You’re not going to be able to set foot on many golf courses if you’re not wearing the right attire.
You should invest in plenty of golf shirts, golf pants, golf shoes, golf hats, golf towels, and more. You really shouldn’t have to be concerned about packing anything other than golf gear to wear since you’re probably going to spend most of your time on one of the different golf courses in your destination.
9. Decide On Some Other Activities You’re Going to Take Part in During Your Vacation
Golf is awesome, and you’re going to love playing it early and often on your first golf vacation. You’re going to make a million and one memories on the different golf courses that you play on throughout your trip.
Who knows? You might love them so much that you start dreaming about buying one of the golf course homes that you see. Golf is that great to a lot of people.
But it’s worth noting that you will likely want to do something other than just golf on your vacation. So you should try to plan out some other activities for your trip.
Maybe that will include going to a casino or a nightclub. Or maybe it’ll include taking in a show or checking out a great restaurant.
Whatever the case, you shouldn’t center your entire vacation around golf. You should work some other activities into the mix as well to keep things interesting.
10. Play a Few Practice Rounds of Golf Right Before Your Vacation
You’re going to spend a ton of time on the golf course during your golf vacation. That might lead you to believe that you shouldn’t worry about playing much golf prior to your trip.
But you don’t want to have to spend the first few rounds on your golf vacation knocking the rust off your game, do you? Of course not, which is why you should play a few practice rounds right before leaving for your trip.
By doing this, you’ll ensure that you’re ready to go once your vacation starts. You won’t have to spend any time warming yourself up.
Ready to Go On Your First Golf Vacation? Start Planning It Now
All vacations are fun. But a golf vacation is going to take the fun to the next level for you.
Even if you haven’t been playing golf for that long, you’re going to have the time of your life when you visit one of the many golf meccas throughout the country. You’ll get the chance to improve your golf game while playing on some of the best golf courses that you’ll ever play on. And you won’t be able to wait for your second golf vacation to come around.
Read more golf-related articles by browsing through the rest of our blog.