If you’ve spent any amount of time researching your overseas golf trip on our website, you’ve seen us spell out the advantages of an itinerary that is customized to your precise desires and expectations. One of the many benefits of custom golf travel packages is the opportunity to upgrade your experience beyond the standard offerings found on most pre-packaged itineraries. Some of these upgrades provide an additional level of convenience, others take what is already an unforgettable journey and transform it into the trip of a lifetime.
Here are five of the best ways to upgrade your upcoming golf trip across the pond, plus a sixth bonus option for trips to St. Andrews.
Your Ride
Ask any veteran member of the H&B Forces and they will tell you that the most important decision you’ll make when planning your overseas golf trip is whether to self-drive or hire a driver-host. The vast majority of our travelers opt for the latter. They just prefer to sit back, enjoy the camaraderie with their travel companions, and let a local chauffeur them around the British Isles. For this reason, a driver-host has essentially become a standard feature of our Expeditions to Scotland, Ireland, and England. But if you’re still on the fence on whether it’s worth the investment, we’d suggest reviewing the benefits of an H&B Driver-Host before making a final decision.
Besides upgrading your transportation on the ground, you can do the same through the air by adding a little helicopter golf to your itinerary. This is especially popular in Ireland where the courses are more spread out than elsewhere in the British Isles. It’s also a common choice for playing some of the far flung courses in Scotland, such as Machrihanish Golf Club and the Machrie Golf Links. If it’s an unforgettable experience that you’re after, dropping in on the first tee by helicopter is certain to deliver exactly that.
Your Room
Perhaps the most common way to upgrade your golf trip across the pond is by enhancing your accommodations. Whether it’s opting for a five-star property, choosing that room with a view of The Old Course at St. Andrews, or deciding to enjoy a room to yourself as opposed to bunking with one of your travel companions.
One accommodation upgrade that’s growing in popularity is exclusive use lodging. From a sprawling estate in The Highlands of Scotland to private cottages in Southwest Ireland, these properties allow groups of any size to spread out and enjoy an enhanced level of tranquility, privacy, and the comforts of home. But upgrading your trip with an exclusive use property doesn’t mean leaving behind things like daily housekeeping or other amenities required by the modern traveler. For example, many of these properties feature a fully-equipped kitchen, allowing you the chance to upgrade your experience yet again by hiring a personal chef.
Your Table
Another common way to upgrade your golf trip across the pond is to add a specialty or private dining opportunity to the itinerary. These options are especially helpful if you’re looking to end the trip with a celebratory group dinner. These dinners offer a great opportunity to bond with your travel companions one last time while reminiscing on your experience together. Although the company is the most important feature of such a dinner, the venues can certainly add to the occasion. From the boardroom at The Old Course Hotel overlooking the Road Hole, to the Secret Library at The Bushmills Inn, the H&B Concierge has no shortage of options at their disposal for the perfect private dinner to cap your journey.
Your Touring
One of the things that separates Haversham & Baker from other golf travel companies is our steadfast belief that your time off the course during a golf trip is just as valuable to your overall experience as your time on it. Many members of the H&B Forces opt to take an entire day off of golf during their trip in order to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the culture and sights of the destination.
You can take this notion one step further by upgrading your trip to include sightseeing with an H&B Personal Guide. These local experts will introduce you to their country with a level of detail and passion that guidebooks and audio tours simply can’t match.
Your Tasting
For many, the opportunity to enjoy two of the greatest exports from Scotland and Ireland in the same trip is simply too good to pass up. There are an abundance of whisky distilleries throughout the British Isles, and it’s probably no surprise that they happen to be the most popular off the course activity by our travelers. The H&B Concierge can arrange for personal tours and tastings at countless distilleries around Scotland and Ireland. Besides offering a more insightful visit, these upgraded experiences will often allow you the chance to savor whiskies that aren’t featured on the general tour. At some distilleries, there’s even an option to take a class and craft your very own recipe of gin.
Bonus: Your Photos
If you’re planning an H&B Expedition to St. Andrews, our Concierge can arrange for a personal photographer to capture your round on The Old Course. Not only does this save you from fumbling around with your camera during the round, the professional photos will naturally be far superior to anything you’d capture with your phone. This also allows you to be in each moment and every shot, free from the distraction of snapping photos. If it’s your first trip to The Home of Golf, you’re celebrating an occasion, or you just want to be able to savor the memories for years to come, this upgrade is worth every penny of the investment.
The chance to upgrade the elements of your trip beyond what’s typically found on cookie-cutter itineraries is a valuable benefit of a custom golf travel package. Whether it’s your transportation, accommodations, or time off the course, these enhancements help deliver a memorable and one-of-a-kind experience for you and your travel companions. By using a combination of common and upgraded features, your H&B Expedition Planning Manager will craft an itinerary that both exceeds expectations and is uniquely yours.
For more insight on planning your overseas golf trip, visit the pages below or have a look through our Yardage Book, where you’ll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions.
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