It’s never too early to start planning a winter getaway with your golf buddies, and if you’re one of those unfortunate souls who’s currently looking at 2-inches of snow on the ground, Florida in February can’t come soon enough.
Before you start booking your flights and making reservations, make sure you iron out some of the minor details first. You can use some of the tips below to prevent those little mishaps from ruining your entire trip.
Ship Your Clubs, Don’t Fly With Them – Your golf clubs are expensive and the last thing you want is a baggage claim employee tossing around your $1200 set like a bag of clothes. Shipping your clubs is cheap and convenient. All you have to do is fill out a piece of paper, pack your clubs and make a phone call. Your clubs leave your house and the next time you see them is at your hotel, simple as that.
When you’re traveling, you have more important things to worry about than lugging around a 5 foot long, 60-pound hard case everywhere you go, so don’t do it.
Scout out Golf Courses Before you Get There – Don’t fly down to your destination and just hope that there are good golf courses in the area because you’ll probably end up being disappointed. Instead, take a few hours and find a place where you know there are multiple golf courses within a reasonable distance. You never know what might happen and if you limit your options, your trip could end up being less enjoyable than it has to be.
Pick a Spot You Haven’t Been Before – Everyone likes to go to that spot that they’re familiar with but sometimes it’s nice to step outside your comfort zone and try something different. There are literally thousands of great golf resorts all over the country and although you know exactly what you’re going to get by going to the same one over and over again, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not experiencing something new.
Do Research and Read Reviews – Sometimes “winging” it can be dangerous. Sure, it’s fun to be spontaneous but every time you find one of those hidden gems, you find five disappointments. If you’re looking for good golf and a nice place to stay with a lot of activities, always do research and read reviews. Chances are you’ll probably find a mixed bag of comments but you can gain valuable information by reading about peoples’ experiences that have been there before. Don’t let one bad review scare you off but if you find a place with a history of unsatisfied customers, save yourself the trouble and stay away.