There’s a good chance you’re here because you’ve asked a common question: How do I plan a golf trip to Scotland? Getting your trip from the idea phase to firmly on the calendar requires navigating a series of important decisions. Some are a little more important to others, but each of these is vital to the overall success of your trip.
How to Plan a Golf Trip to Scotland
We’ve covered 12 of the most important decisions for planning a Scotland golf trip in the following infographic. Each decision is covered in further detail below, along with links to in-depth guides related to the question at hand.
Type of Trip
Most golf trips to Scotland start as just an idea. Perhaps you and a few buddies dreamed up the plan in the grill room over post-round cocktails. Maybe you’ve considered a family golf trip to Scotland. Or maybe you and a group of couples from the club would like to take a trip together. In that case, here are the best destinations for couples golf trips across the pond.
Whatever the case, our advice is to pick one style and stick with it. A blended approach between buddies, family, and couples is often less than ideal.
The Invite List
This decision, perhaps more than any other, can make or break your golf trip. So much so, that we’ve devoted an entire guide to the topic of selecting your invite list for a golf trip to Scotland. As the old saying goes, one sour grape can spoil the entire bunch. Choose your travel companions wisely.
Your Budget
Money may be an uncomfortable topic, but it’s vital that you and your travel companions are on the same page in terms of budget. Yet another example of why the invite list is so important. Your budget will also influence some of the other important decisions you’ll have to make while planning a Scotland golf trip. By covering this topic upfront, the planning process will go smoother and you’ll eliminate the possibility of some friction during the trip itself.
When setting your budget, it’s important to first understand all of the factors that will impact your final price. To that end, we’d suggest reading How Much Does a Golf Trip to Scotland Cost?
DIY or Golf Travel Company
Planning the average Scotland golf trip requires the research and execution of roughly 40-50 separate reservations. That doesn’t include the countless other decisions you’ll make along the way, such as where to eat and what to see. The question to ask yourself is whether you can afford the amount of valuable time that’s needed to successfully pull it all together on your own. If you have any doubts, then perhaps it’s best to “hit the easy button” and enlist the service of an expert.
Golf travel companies will handle all of the heavy lifting when planning your Scotland golf trip, but choosing the right one presents its own conundrum. That’s why we’ve shared our insight on identifying the best golf travel companies for your trip.
Spoiler alert: It’s not always us.
Custom or Stock
If you opt for the “hire an expert” route, it’s important to understand that not all golf travel companies are created equally. Many companies offer a variety of pre-packaged itineraries designed for the masses. For some, these itineraries will suit their group just fine. For others, a more customized approach is required. To understand the key differences between the two, we’d suggest reading about the benefits of custom Scotland golf packages before pin-pointing your itinerary.
Self-Drive or Driver-Host
Next to your invite list, no decision will have a greater impact on your journey than choosing between a self-drive trip and hiring a Driver-Host. Most H&B travelers prefer to sit back and let a local handle the driving as opposed to dealing with the stress themselves. This decision may impact your earlier answer to the budget question, however the effect on your overall cost is minimal with 8 travelers in your group. But, as explained in the benefits of hiring a Driver-Host, the impact on your overall experience simply can’t be measured.
Our free guide includes over 40 pages of valuable insight, plus links to nearly 50 additional resources, on Golf and the Good Life in Scotland.
When to Go
In our experience, the work and family obligations of you and your travel companions will influence the dates of your trip more than anything else. There are some important considerations, however, when choosing the best time of year for a Scotland golf trip. Everything from overall cost to ease of availability to other events in the area may sway your decision here.
Where to Go
Scotland is home to an abundance of bucket-list worthy golf courses. Unless you have a couple of months to devote to the task, playing them all in a single trip is simply impossible. Fortunately, these courses are generally clustered within half a dozen regions around the country. Our suggestion is to divide and conquer. Pick one or two of the best regions for Scotland golf trips and leave the others for your next journey.
Courses to Play
Even if you’ve wisely narrowed your trip to just a couple of regions in Scotland, narrowing down which courses to play is still quite a dilemma. Your selected regions are likely home to Open Championship venues, Top 100 golf courses in Scotland, and other courses each that are worthy of a place on your itinerary.
Unless you’re planning on mixing in some 54-hole days, seeing them all will be tough to manage. We’ve explained how to choose where to play on a golf trip to Scotland in further detail here.
The key takeaway: You probably can’t play them all.
How Much Golf
This may be a golf trip, but it’s important for your group to decide just how devoted to golf they want the expedition to be. Should you throw in one of the best 36-hole days in Scotland or take an entire day off to rest and enjoy some sightseeing? We’d suggest polling your group on this topic before putting any plans to paper. You may find a consensus is lacking. If so, revisit the benefits of a custom itinerary mentioned above.
What to Pack
The planning phase is completed, your departure date is fast approaching, and the suitcase has come out of the closet. This is one of the most exciting times of your Scotland golf trip. It’s also a time where it’s very easy to overdo it. That’s why we’ve shared this Scotland golf trip packing list, as well as what you should leave at home.
It’s important to remember that golf trips to Scotland are not excluded from an old adage: Pack half the clothes and twice the money.
If all of this sounds like a lot to manage, that’s because it is.
Although these are some of the most important decisions for planning a Scotland golf trip, they’re just the bare minimum required to get your trip off the ground. A seemingly endless supply of decisions, both before and during the journey, will follow along until the moment you return home. Even then, the relief may be short lived. Because as many of the H&B Forces will attest, there’s one decision that’s likely to remain perpetually unresolved.
Where to Next
Whether it’s your first or tenth trip to The Home of Golf, the journey is sure to provide a wealth of unforgettable memories and an unwavering desire to return.
Of course, as we covered above, there’s an easy way to take the burden of these decisions off your back and place them in the hands of an expert.
All that it takes to do so is a little info in the form at the link below. We’ll take it from there.
For more insight on planning your golf trip to Scotland, visit the pages below, read our Scotland golf trip reviews, 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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