You don't have to be a jaded golfer--or traveler--to want something different for your golf getaway. Fortunately, there's no shortage of unusual golf excursions combining luxury, exotic or unexpected locales, and adventure.
Sound expensive? It can be. A weeklong cruise along the South Carolina coast, with daily dockings near premier courses along the way, runs about $1,000 a day. That's pocket change compared with a gold-plated vacation in Scotland and Ireland in which golfers fly to and from Europe on a Lear jet and hop from course to course on helicopters. For those four days and three nights, expect a tab of $21,000. But not every memorable trip breaks the bank: A two-night golf and fishing adventure on the Chesapeake Bay goes for $179 (table).
For most golf travelers, the fun of a golf vacation is walking famous courses and sinking putts. That's what draws well-heeled clients to the luxury escapes offered by PerryGolf, says President Gordon Dalgleish. The Atlanta company organizes tours that stop at legendary golf destinations throughout the British Isles, including rounds at two or more of the following courses that host the British Open: Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, and Turnberry. That's no easy feat, considering the demand from tourists clamoring to play the venerable links.
Off the course, PerryGolf pampers with first-class hotels and travel arrangements that range from cruise ships to buses outfitted like limos. (Only a few trips, with tight schedules, require helicopters.) While packages that include a Lear jet and helicopters shoot to more than $20,000, even Perry's more modest itineraries--seven nights in Scotland and a ticket to the British Open--run $5,500 per golfer.
Some travelers may not realize how truly off-course golf vacations can become. Take the nine-day "links safari" in South Africa. The package offers a round of golf at six courses, including the Gary Player Country Club in Sun City, designed by the South African golfing hero. After a week on the fairways, vacationers spend two days in comfy quarters in the MalaMala Game Reserve. There, visitors can go on guided safaris where they're likely to encounter elephants and rhinos, but no caddies. Prices start at $6,500 per person.
In the U.S., golf destinations are ubiquitous and often interchangeable, with resorts in Orlando looking a lot like those in Phoenix. But a little searching can turn up unusual pleasures. In South Carolina, you can play by day and cruise by night aboard the Charlestonian, a 93-foot luxury yacht. The Charlestonian has just four bedrooms, so occupancy can't exceed eight guests. Travelers get plenty of attention from the yacht's staff, which consists of Captain Bob Murray and an engineer, hostess, master chef, and golf pro. "Five of us take care of eight people, so the service is second to none," Murray says.
The trip starts near Charleston on a late Sunday afternoon. Passengers dine on board and spend the evening playing cards or taking in the sights from the observation deck. The next morning, as they linger over breakfast, the yacht begins a slow three- to four-hour cruise to that day's golf course. Guests play some of the best courses in the Southeast, including Harbour Town Golf Links, host course of a PGA Tour event. At some stops, the yacht docks within walking distance of the course: You step off the boat and into waiting carts. "We'd walk out to the end of the pier, and the carts would be there, loaded with our clubs, ready to go," says Boston real estate developer Don Levine, a passenger on the Charlestonian last May.
A less expensive way to combine golf and water recreation is a two-day golf-and-fishing trip around Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The $179 package includes a round of golf at Quinton Oaks Golf Course, dinner, and a night at the Best Western. The next morning, pack your rod and join Captain Ferrell McLain on his 42-foot fishing boat.
Sometimes, going on an offbeat golf adventure requires that you do some planning for yourself. With the help of a "Lewis and Clark Golf Trail" brochure from North Dakota's tourism office, you can retrace the route of the 19th century explorers along the Missouri River while playing some of the 21 courses nearby. Historic sites complement the trip. History lessons and golf--now, that's a memorable combination.
By Mark Hyman
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