Every golfer relishes the opportunity to pack the clubs and enjoy the game at a new or favorite destination. Golf travel overseas, however, takes this to an entirely different level both in terms of the planning required and the payoff throughout the journey.
If you are part of the enormous number of American golfers who are anxious to dust off the travel case, there are many reasons to opt for an overseas golf trip versus one closer to home.
The benefits of overseas golf travel might seem fairly obvious, but most are unique to the experience of golf across the pond.
Most importantly, they usually continue to pay dividends long after the trip is over.
Memories with Friends and Family
Perhaps the most valuable benefit of golf travel is the opportunity to make lifelong memories with your friends and family.
Maybe it’s a long-awaited trip to the Old Course at St. Andrews with Dad or an adventure that you and the regular foursome have talked about for years.
Then there’s the friendships that are actually formed on the trip itself. This is common when a club hosted Expedition gathers fellow members who start out as acquaintances, but end the trip with lasting friendships.
The shared bond of the special memories across the pond is almost impossible to replicate back home. But the desire to relive those experiences is one that never goes away.
For that reason, the first trip often turns into an annual tradition.
Connect with the heritage of the game
One of the most rewarding benefits of golf travel is the chance to connect with the heritage of the game. Although golf in America has a long and interesting history, it simply can’t compete with what’s found during Scotland golf trips.
For example, The Open Championship had been played for three decades by the time the first 18-hole golf course was built in America. Or take the original rules of golf, which The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers crafted 32 years before Thomas Jefferson fired off his letter to King George III.
Whether it’s walking in the footsteps of Old Tom Morris, or perusing the vast memorabilia at places like Prestwick, Muirfield, and Royal Liverpool, a golf trip overseas allows you the opportunity to grow closer with the roots of the game you love.
And while the story of golf can be learned by reading books or visiting a museum, there is simply no replacement for the chance to see it, feel it, and touch it first-hand.
Play a different kind of golf
Another benefit of overseas golf travel is the opportunity to play a different kind of golf than you’re accustomed to back home.
Some might say that golf in the United States resembles a giant game of lawn darts. We launch a golf ball through the air and down the fairway. That’s followed by another aerial approach to the green, where the ball stops within feet, or even inches, of where it landed.
On the great links golf courses across the pond, that kind of play is virtually unheard of. The fast and firm turf, combined with the ever-changing elements of weather, makes for a very different experience.
Depending on wind direction, the ball might run for miles or fly just ⅔ of its normal distance. Although most golfers will reach for the sand wedge after missing the green back home, in Great Britain and Ireland that choice is rarely a wise one.
All of which leads to a game that requires a variety of shotmaking and far more creativity.
For example, chances are you wouldn’t dream of putting the ball from 40 yards off the green at your club. During a round at The Old Course at St. Andrews, you might do so multiple times.
There is great joy to be found in executing a proper run-up shot or watching a low-flighted drive bound its way down the fairway. But taking advantage of this benefit of golf travel requires practice. That’s why we’ve put together this helpful guide on how to play links golf.
Reignite your love for golf
Golf is a great game, but let’s face it… It can also be a frustrating one. Every golfer knows the ups and downs that golf provides and the joy that it sometimes is missing.
But many travelers report that their view of the game of golf is very different while playing overseas.
Whether it’s the camaraderie, the heritage of the game, or the intrigue of links golf, many find that the benefits of golf travel combine to reignite their passion for the game.
This is something that we have first-hand experience with, as chronicled by sports coach Mike Bass in this article for the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The challenge, as explained in the article, is to bring home that newfound or rekindled appreciation for the game.
Play some of the best golf courses in the world
Recently, GOLF Magazine released its 2021/2022 list of the best golf courses in the world. In this helpful guide, we highlighted each of the Top 100 golf courses in Scotland, Ireland, and England.
Among the many differences between golf in America and overseas is the level of access available to these highly acclaimed courses.
For example, 27 golf courses in Great Britain and Ireland made the list. All of which allow some degree of visitor play. In contrast, of the 50 golf courses in America on the list, just 8 are available to the public and golf travelers.
Clearly, one of the biggest benefits of a golf trip overseas is the opportunity to scratch numerous courses off the bucket-list at once.
Even if you were blessed with unlimited access to the best golf courses in America, those courses are spread far and wide. The ability to play more than one in a single weekend is limited to just a few places.
On the other hand, there are numerous regions in Scotland, Ireland, and England where you can play two, three, or even four of the Top 100 golf courses in the world without having to change hotels.
Get a little exercise
Another key difference between golf overseas and the game in the United States is that the former is largely played on foot.
While the golf cart (known as a buggy across the pond) is a ubiquitous, and often mandatory, part of golf in the United States, in Scotland, Ireland, and England they are the exception, not the norm.
In fact, at many overseas golf courses, you’ll need a note from a doctor just to request a cart. Then you’ll likely have to hire a caddy to drive it, since most courses don’t want inexperienced golfers off-roading over their sensitive dunescapes.
If walking several rounds of golf sounds like an unenjoyable proposition, allow us to present why this is actually a benefit of golf travel.
Not only only is walking the golf course good for your health, but it gives you the chance to slow down, take in the surroundings, and enjoy moments that might be missed while zooming around in a cart.
In addition, there’s a good chance that you’ll do so with local caddies, who are known to provide some of the most memorable moments of a golf trip across the pond.
Although there are numerous benefits of walking the golf courses during your trip, the practice does come with one downside.
In the span of a weeklong trip that consists of half a dozen rounds of golf, you’re likely to walk over 30 miles. That doesn’t include what you’ll log while enjoying the sightseeing and other activities during the trip.
Our suggestion… Before your journey, walk the occasional round at your club and take plenty of long walks around your neighborhood. Your body will thank you later.
Enjoy the culture and people
For many, a golf trip is an opportunity to squeeze in as much golf as humanly possible within the time-allotted.
Although this approach may serve some golfers well, it overlooks one of the most important benefits of golf travel: the chance to enjoy the sights, people, and culture of the destination.
Just because golf is the main feature of your trip doesn’t mean that it should be the only thing on the itinerary. You wouldn’t visit Paris and Rome and skip over the Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum. But that’s precisely the kind of thing that happens on many golf trips.
If you ask any member of the H&B Forces, however, they’ll likely attest that their time off the course is just as valuable to the enjoyment of their trip as their time on it.
We call it the Good Life and it comes in a variety of forms. For some, it’s a day off the golf course for a personal tour of The Highlands of Scotland. For others, it’s marveling at the Cliffs of Moher en route to Lahinch or wandering the ancient streets of Edinburgh after the day at Muirfield.
But no matter how you choose to enjoy the Good Life, one thing is for certain… It’s a benefit of golf travel that should not be overlooked in your planning.
For more insight on planning your 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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