The details for every golf course and accommodation — and everything else in the guides! — are carefully scrutinized and updated for each edition. Here’s an example from the Scotland Golf Adventure Guide.
All new purchases (immediate download and printed) will receive the updated versions effective immediately. Customers who have purchased a previous PDF version of the guide can download a free update to this latest version. This is just one of the many advantages of purchasing one of my guides.
Updated information includes, but is not limited to:
New accommodations and courses
Green fees and accommodation rates/tariffs for 2010
Golf course contact info (email, web sites, etc.)
Accommodation contact info (email, web sites, etc.)
Flight schedules and airlines
Reduced rates for 2010. You’ll be happy to know that many golf courses — especially those in Ireland — have reduced their green fees for 2010. This is the first time I’ve seen this in many, many years. Same with hotel rates. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case in Scotland where most courses continue their 5-10% year green fees increase despite the gloomy economic environment.
If you buy a travel guide book that was printed sometime last year, or you already own one, I can guarantee that a good portion of the information in it is out of date and/or incorrect. By publishing my guides electronically, I can easily deliver you the latest — and most correct — information. And, even after you’ve made a purchase, because you get free updates you’ll always have access to accurate information when you plan your next trip.
Here’s a beautifully-produced video of Machrihanish Dunes, now open for play. In addition to breathtaking footage of the linksland, the course architect David McLay Kidd discusses his role in creating this gem.
Machrihanish Dunes are offering a special introductory stay & play package through December 20th 2009 with unlimited golf and two nights luxury accommodations starting as low as £79 per person.
Baltray is one of my favorite courses in the east of Ireland. This is a great chance to see the course and decide if you want to add it to your next Ireland Golf Adventure.
New from Tom Coyne, A Course Called Ireland is the story of a walking- averse golfer who treks his way around an entire country, spending sixteen weeks playing every seaside hole in Ireland and often battling through all four seasons in one Irish afternoon.
In his thirties, married, and staring down impending fatherhood, Tom Coyne was well familiar with the last refuge of the adult male: the golfing trip. Intent on designing a golf trip to end all others, Coyne looked to Ireland, the place where his father had taught him to love the game years before. As he studied a map of the island and plotted his itinerary, it dawned on Coyne that Ireland was ringed with golf holes. The country began to look like one giant round of golf, so Coyne packed up his clubs and set off to play all of it. And since Irish golfers didn’t take golf carts, neither would he. He would walk the entire way.
Coyne plays everything from the top-ranked links in the world to nine-hole courses crowded with livestock. Along the way, he searches out his family’s roots, discovers that a once-poor country has been transformed by an economic boom, and finds that the only thing tougher to escape than Irish sand traps are Irish pubs. By turns hilarious and poetic, A Course Called Ireland is a magnificent tour of a vibrant land and a paean to the world’s greatest game.Â
About the Author Tom Coyne has written for Golf Magazine and Golfweek magazine. He is the author of Paper Tiger and the novel A Gentleman’s Game, which was adapted into a movie starring Gary Sinise.
The above book description is courtesy of Amazon.com.
If you’re thinking it’s too expensive to plan a Scotland golf trip in 2009, think again. Here’s some good news from VisitScotland.com:
With the dollar growing in strength against the pound, US visitors will have more bang for their buck in Scotland. Compared to the 2007 exchange rate of $2 to £1, Scotland is now 25-30% cheaper for US tourists with an exchange rate of $1.40 to £1. Contributing to these extra savings is the recent reduction in VAT (similar to sales tax) from 17.5% to 15% so if you’re planning a trip now is the time to come to Scotland.
And by planning your own golf trip to Scotland (i.e. not paying a premium to a tour operator) you can save an additional 25-30%. What are you waiting for?!
The details for every golf course and accommodation — and everything else in the guides! — are carefully scrutinized and updated for each edition. Here’s an example from the Scotland Golf Adventure Guide.
All new purchases (immediate download and printed) will receive the updated versions effective immediately. Customers who have purchased a previous PDF version of the guide can download a free update to this latest version. This is just one of the many advantages of purchasing one of my guides.
Updated information includes, but is not limited to:
New courses
New accommodations
Green fees
Golf course contact info (email, web sites, etc.)
Accommodation contact info (email, web sites, etc.)
Flight schedules
If you buy a travel guide book that was printed sometime last year, or you already own one, I can guarantee that a good portion of the information in it is out of date and/or incorrect. By publishing my guides electronically, I can easily deliver you the latest — and most correct — information. And, even after you’ve made a purchase, because you get free updates you’ll always have access to accurate information when you plan your next trip.
Why would anyone publish and purchase any other way?
On a recent golf trip to Ireland and had the opportunity to again play one of my favorite courses in Ireland, Carne Golf Links (Belmullet). If you haven’t played Carne, I highly recommend it.
The November 2005 issue of Golf Magazine has an excellent article about Carne, and opens with this:
When you first see the links from the back of the clubhouse, Carne takes your breath away. An untamed furl of land sitting between the Atlantic Ocean and Blacksod Bay in northwest Ireland, Carne is a panorama of greens and browns, of wide open spaces suddenly braked by the shadows of marram-covered dunes. But as your eyes follow the slopes uphill, they’re suddenly jolted as the land crashes into frantic breakneck falls down cavernous valleys pocked with craters that look like scars left by exploded artillery shells.
Next time you’re in Ireland, take a break from usual suspects (Lahinch, Ballybunion, Tralee, etc.) and make your way up north to play courses like Carne, Enniscrone, Donegal, etc. You won’t regret it. The photo above was taken by me. If you’d like to see the beauty of Carne as visualized by a professional golf course photographer, check out Aidan Bradley’s photos of Carne for a real treat.
More details about Carne Golf Links and on the best way to plan a golf trip to Ireland can be found in the Ireland Golf Adventure Guide.
Here’s a cool image created at Wordle.net using the text found on this blog:
Remember, now more than ever it pays to plan your own golf trip to Ireland and Scotland rather than pay a tour operator to do what you can easily do yourself.
Finally, an online tee-time booking system for tons of great golf courses across Ireland and the UK! Brought to you by the good folks at BRS Golf.
In the past I have been hesitant about using online booking systems run by many of the golf clubs across Ireland, Scotland, and England. Why? Well, let’s just say their speciality has been in running and maintaining golf courses and not online web-based tee time systems. I was always worried my reservation would go into a black hole and I’d show up at the club and be greeted by blank stares followed by, “Sorry Mr. Babcock, we have never heard of you and we’re fully booked today.” That would be a disaster.
BRS Golf to the rescue! They run a very useful and practical online tee-time booking system utilized by over 110 courses in Ireland and 90 courses in the UK (and growing!). For example, Carne Golf Links uses the BRS Golf system for their online booking. When you enter the system you see available tee time slots on a month by month basis and then can drill down to a particular day and pick specific times for 1, 2, 3, or 4 golfers — and see the green fee rate.
At North and West Coast Links Ireland you can use the BRS Golf system to book tee times at six different courses (Ardglass, Ballyliffen, Carne, Connemara, County Sligo, Enniscrone, and Rosapenna) in one fell swoop.
So, if you’re booking your Ireland or Scotland Golf Adventure tee times online be sure to look for “brsgolf.com” in the URL. If you see that, you know your tee time booking experience will be a successful one.
After many years of golf trips around the world, I’ve come up with a golf trip checklist that makes it easy for me to get ready for each trip and also to minimize the gear I’ve got to lug around, while still making sure I’ve got everything I need. You can download the checklist below to customize it for yourself.
You may see a few odd things on the checklist — like packing only two pair of underwear! — so I’d like to explain those below and give you some of my specific product recommendations.
Checklist Details
One fundamental is that you don’t need to pack “ten of everything” for a ten day trip! Most itineraries will/should have a 2-day stay in the same place at some point, preferrably near the middle of the trip. Use that opportunity to get some of your clothes (shirts, pants, socks, etc.) laundered at the hotel while you’re out playing golf. The other thing is that you can easily wear the same golf shirt a couple of times, especially if you’ve been wearing an undershirt. It just doesn’t get that hot (usually) in Ireland and Scotland and you’re not going to be sweating up a storm.
Golf Shirts — Four golf shirts is enough for any length trip. You can easily wear the same shirt more than once and you can always get them laundered mid trip. Plus, chances are you’ll want to purchase a shirt or two along the way as a momento.
Non-cotton Undershirts — I like to layer for warmth. Wearing an undershirt also extends the “wearabilty” of your golf shirt. The key here is it shouldn’t be cotton. Any of the polyester/spandex blends from REI, Nike, UnderArmour, etc. will work great.
Washable Underwear — Yes, you only need two pair of underwear for the entire trip regardless of how long it is. Not only does this save space, but you won’t have to lug a bunch of dirty underwear around in your suitcase. I would highly recommend the Ex Officio boxer briefs. They come in briefs and boxer styles as well.
Here’s how the “2-Pair of Underwear” system works. After golf, you come back to your hotel and pop into the shower wearing your underwear. While showering (leave your underwear on) soap up and wash yourself and your underwear. Near the end, take ‘em off and rinse well. After drying yourself off, place your just-washed underwear on a dry towel, roll it up, and then stand on the towel to extract as much moisture out of the underwear as you can. Remove from towel and hang over a chair to dry. Get dressed and put on the clean underwear that you washed the night before. Wear that underwear for the evening (while your just-washed pair is drying) and for the next day. Using this system you will always have a clean pair of underwear on hand.
After Golf Clothes — Bring a pair of dark trousers and a couple of nice button-down dress shirts. Don’t wear your golf clothes when you go out for dinner. And leave the jeans at home; they are heavy and bulky. Try your best not to look (and act) like a tourist.
Travel Luggage
I use The Last Bag from Club Glove which is perfect for holding the golf clubs, shoes, rain gear, balls, and extra clothing. It’s also compact once you take everything out and so fits well in the rental car. Do NOT use one of the hardshell cases; they are just too bulky and take up too much space once in country.
My suitcase is from Travelpro, the Platinum 5 22″ Expandable Rollaboard Suiter (suit holder stuff removed). It’s not too big — so I’m not tempted to bring too much — but not too small either.
2010 Ireland & Scotland Guide Updates
