I did a few trips to Australia and Ireland beginning in 2007 and spent quite a bit of time on the Mornington Peninsula in Australia and County Donegal in Ireland. In 2014 I got a non-local membership at Ballyliffin in Ireland and The National Golf Club in Australia. For five golf seasons, I generally made two trips to Ireland beginning in 2014 I started doing two trips a year to Australia. I took a break this year at Ballyliffin due to other priorities.
I also live in the Seattle area and have a condo in San Diego. So I have experience traveling long distances to two different locations at opposite ends of the earth from each other. I have enjoyed my experiences playing golf in these two countries and really like the golf culture. It's been a nice lifestyle. Both places and clubs are welcoming and warm. Both have multiple courses. I have done 13 trips involving Ireland to date and the one I am leaving on in a week will be my 16th trip to Australia.
A few comments for someone looking at this kind of option.
1. Do a couple of trips to the course, club, and area.
2. Figure out what you like about the local culture, non-golf amenities, and your level of interest in the country you are spending time in.
3. Consider the effort getting there and what you are giving up with the commitment associated with being gone for four to ten or twelve weeks a year.
4. What kind of network options are there for discounted golf, open competitions or access to other clubs in areas you want travel to or through?
5. Factor in costs of being gone and consider options for holiday rentals, Airbnb, and lower cost lodging.
6. Ask yourself how comfortable you are with solo travel or alternatively if you have golf friends you can spend extended time with who are compatible with how you travel.
7. Ask yourself how you feel about saying you are a member of a lower tier club, with courses not ranked in the best of the best in the country.
My trip next week will be my 44th overseas trip since late 2007. About a dozen of the trips involved minimal or no golf. I have been gone close to three years and have spent close to two years driving on the left side. I have accepted cost saving options like driving manual transmissions in Ireland. I also found a credit card which covers damage on car rentals in Ireland. I've learned a lot about air fares, frequent flyer programs, public transportation systems, and so forth.
There are many good club options in Ireland and the UK. Virtually all the North and West Coast Links courses in Ireland have options. St. Enodoc, Royal North Devon, and Saunton in SW England are places I have visited. Most people focus their golf travel in Australia on eight to ten of the best of the best on a single trip. I found something that worked for me there.
Best wishes for people considering this option. It's made for a lot of quality time in retirement. I'll add that I don't have a spouse, never got married, never had children, and retired from a satisfying career at a time that worked out well.
I didn't travel overseas for four decades after my sophomore year in college in a study abroad program in Europe. School and a career took up four decades. Golf travel was a great replacement in this phase of life.
Charles Lund