One of the biggest emerging trends in golf in the last few decades is taking golf holidays. Obviously, the nature of the sport is such that it is not too difficult to keep playing the game for all ages as opposed to only following it. Also, the fact that no two golf courses are the same and there is an obvious fascination for playing on a new golf course, adds to the flavor that the game has in store. Further, there is no shortage of information or references in today’s age of various golf courses – you can easily read about them in one of the multiple golf publications or on the internet or hear about it from friends who would have played on some of them and to top it all watch on television during one of the professional tournaments.
The variety of golfing options on offer with no two golf courses being the same is a great driver for people taking golf vacations. This coupled with going to discover a new place or going back to a place that you like sets up the perfect recipe for a golf-focused holiday. While many people like to go back and play again at their favorite golf courses and often have their favorite holes, there are others who would like to maximize the number of golf courses they have played and their search is always for layouts that they have not yet been on. It is no surprise then that taking one or more golf vacations in a year has become the norm for several amateur or club level golfers.
There are various aspects of a destination that appeals to traveling golfers. A very important aspect is the quantity and quality of golf courses on offer. It may be very difficult for a destination offering only one or two golf courses to have a big appeal for a golf holiday in comparison to another which may offer to say more than ten golf courses of good quality. Another consideration may be the time to get to the destination from one’s home base. A critical aspect of golfers holidays is the supporting infrastructure i.e the quality of the hotels, transportation, etc. Also, there are some destinations which anyway have great appeal golf or no golf. So a destination with a great climate, cuisine, sightseeing spots or nightlife can be a great location to get to provided there is some quality golf on offer. Having said all the above, there are some destinations which have immense appeal for golf aficionados and not just for the above reasons. England, Scotland, and Ireland with its famous and historic links courses appeal to every golfer for the deep roots of rich tradition and culture in which the sport is founded. Similarly great championship venues around the world like St. Andrews, Royal Portrush, Ballybunion, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black have a nonstop flow of traveling golfers wanting to play on the hallowed turf.
Ever since this trend of golf holidays started to pick up, there have been many new golf courses and resorts that have emerged on the scene in various parts of the world. In an effort to capture the growing market of golf vacations, there are various golf packages on offer from the golf resorts as also deals that combine stay, golf, and transfers. To support the marketing efforts, several tourism boards have in place a golf tourism strategy that enables a regular flow of golf holidaymakers to their respective destinations.
