Are you getting ripped off?

[Jim Sherma]

I've planned most of my trips myself and have enjoyed the process and results. The one trip I signed onto with a tour operator was a larger group and included the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarnes. I knew it was more expensive but I was just one of 24 guys and considered the extra cost ok. I did do a few days in front of the trip with one other guy that I set up on my own.


I generally agree that the cost of the package trip is well worth it for larger groups and difficult tee times. I can't even imagine dealing with those logistics myself. I personally enjoy the two to four person trip and am comfortable planning those myself.

[Ian Mackenzie]

The tour groups are nothing but "middle men", intermediaries and brokers.
Our entire planet has them in almost every industry known to man.


If YOU have the time, energy, patience and knowledge to "disintermediate" that model, then you will most certainly come out ahead financially.


But, in the meantime and while you were spending "20+ hours" organizing a Scottish golf trip, what else could you have done with those hours?


Did the time spent on organizing your own trip have a positive Return on Investment (ROI) for you when you:


1. Take the amount you saved doing your own bookings vs what tour compnay charges
2. Subtract the "opportunity cost" of you being able to do other things or earn income with hours spent on doing golf bookings.
3. Look at the result and ask yourself if it was worth it? A = yes B = no


Would your result equal or exceed the quality of the trip/experince/extras/convenience delivered by the broker/tour operator?

Some people dont care and just want to pay to have it done "right", hence the market exists to begin with.
Others know how to do it themselves and have the time.


RIPPED OFF?


No idea. Only you could know that.

[Mark Smolens]

If you call getting the cook at The Island to stay and cook dinner (steak or salmon) for us when one of our group's plane arrived late in Dublin, or getting 75% off the rack rate for our 3 nites at the Portmarnock Links Hotel, or getting our afternoon second round at Portrush (yes, it was raining, but the other groups who went back out all went into the pro shop and pulled out their ccs) comped, or getting Pat Ruddy to sit and have lunch with us after our round at the European Club getting "ripped off," then yes, I guess you could say that we got ripped off by our tour guide. I don't have a lot of experience in trips across the pond, and have done the self-guided and self-driven tour and the tour guide, I may be lazy but there's a lot of appeal for me of riding in a bus, napping, and getting off the bus ready to play. . .

[John Emerson]

You my be surprised to just take a golf bag and a backpack and pick up a rail pass in London and get off in Berwick...make no plans and ask to play when you want to play and the days you want to just hang then hang...now that is much tougher with groups but for one or two people it is a great trip...work your way up and then back to London.....you can't beat the price that way...

Hmmm....


If you got off the train in Berwick you'd be disappointed.  Goswick's a good few miles away and Magdalen Fields is a poor course.  You'd probably regret not staying on the train to Edinburgh, or changing for a train to North Berwick!

Was actually the first thing that came to mind...There's a certain romance associated with train travel, but most areas are no longer set up for that to be practical. And I've found car rentals to be dirt cheap in the UK, especially with a 2 or 3 way split.

I have booked one golf trip to Scotland for 4 people for 10 days and after one single trip feel 100% confident in just showing up at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, renting a car, booking Airbnb or hotels as I go.  Playing a different course each day.  It really is easy to plan a trip.  Take out TOC and your options are only limited to the time you want to drive.  It doesn’t take much effort to book these trips.  You only need three apps once you land in UK...booking, Airbnb, and hertz.  Of you go!

[jeffwarne]

You my be surprised to just take a golf bag and a backpack and pick up a rail pass in London and get off in Berwick...make no plans and ask to play when you want to play and the days you want to just hang then hang...now that is much tougher with groups but for one or two people it is a great trip...work your way up and then back to London.....you can't beat the price that way...

Hmmm....


If you got off the train in Berwick you'd be disappointed.  Goswick's a good few miles away and Magdalen Fields is a poor course.  You'd probably regret not staying on the train to Edinburgh, or changing for a train to North Berwick!

Was actually the first thing that came to mind...There's a certain romance associated with train travel, but most areas are no longer set up for that to be practical. And I've found car rentals to be dirt cheap in the UK, especially with a 2 or 3 way split.

I have booked one golf trip to Scotland for 4 people for 10 days and after one single trip feel 100% confident in just showing up at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, renting a car, booking Airbnb or hotels as I go.  Playing a different course each day.  It really is easy to plan a trip.  Take out TOC and your options are only limited to the time you want to drive.  It doesn’t take much effort to book these trips.  You only need three apps once you land in UK...booking, Airbnb, and hertz.  Of you go!

That would be a very dangerous strategy in high season in popular yet remote areas with limited lodging options (example Gairloch, Durness)
I've done it both ways, and winging it can be fun (I actually did it pre cell phone pre internet a lot) but struggling to find a room is no fun.

[John Emerson]

You my be surprised to just take a golf bag and a backpack and pick up a rail pass in London and get off in Berwick...make no plans and ask to play when you want to play and the days you want to just hang then hang...now that is much tougher with groups but for one or two people it is a great trip...work your way up and then back to London.....you can't beat the price that way...

Hmmm....


If you got off the train in Berwick you'd be disappointed.  Goswick's a good few miles away and Magdalen Fields is a poor course.  You'd probably regret not staying on the train to Edinburgh, or changing for a train to North Berwick!

Was actually the first thing that came to mind...There's a certain romance associated with train travel, but most areas are no longer set up for that to be practical. And I've found car rentals to be dirt cheap in the UK, especially with a 2 or 3 way split.

I have booked one golf trip to Scotland for 4 people for 10 days and after one single trip feel 100% confident in just showing up at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, renting a car, booking Airbnb or hotels as I go.  Playing a different course each day.  It really is easy to plan a trip.  Take out TOC and your options are only limited to the time you want to drive.  It doesn’t take much effort to book these trips.  You only need three apps once you land in UK...booking, Airbnb, and hertz.  Of you go!

That would be a very dangerous strategy in high season in popular yet remote areas with limited lodging options (example Gairloch, Durness)
I've done it both ways, and winging it can be fun (I actually did it pre cell phone pre internet a lot) but struggling to find a room is no fun.

During my trip (in the high season-late May) I opened booking and Airbnb almost every night to see what rooms were like imagining I was there “just winging it”.  There was never an issue to find lodging.  The places we stayed were popular areas though....I’m curious how it would look for the remote areas you’re speaking of.  Maybe In [size=78%]the high season I’ll look at that and compare?[/size]

[Thomas Dai]

Anyone been brave enough to travel on a commercial airliner during the past few weeks or feel confident enough to get on one sometime in the next couple of months? Just curious.
atb

[Daryl David]

Anyone been brave enough to travel on a commercial airliner during the past few weeks or feel confident enough to get on one sometime in the next couple of months? Just curious.
atb

I have. Wasn’t any scarier than going to the grocery store.

[Dave McCollum]

I've been a "wing it" sort of traveler my whole life and to more than 50 countries.  The single organized golf trip I took to Ireland was with a group of supers and a couple of assistant pros.  It was dirt cheap and we played the best courses, stayed at decent hotels, ate and drank well.  It was great fun.  I got to know the Irish organizer before hand by email.  He traveled and played with us the whole trip.  While we traveled or at meals we'd talk about the next week I planned to spend in Northern Ireland on my own.  He said he'd make a few calls.  I rented a car at the end of the organized tour and took off. I don't know who he said I was (that would be nobody special), but I got treated like the Sultan or Brunei at every course I played and all of my rounds were comped except at RCD where I paid the PGA pro rate, a fraction of the rack rate.  I enjoy planning trips, but sometimes, hiring or getting to know the locals is the best way to get around.       

[Mark Chaplin]

Green fees booked through an agent are subject to 20% VAT unlike individual private bookings.


Like Mark I’ve winged it in rural Scotland pre-mobiles and web. One evening we didn’t find a room until after 8pm and certainly after food was available anywhere. The future Mrs C wasn’t happy.


Going back to an earlier statement about the Old Course, those queuing are filling holes in the start sheet, some days there are few. In 2018 my brother and I had a dark time and were asked to have two players join us. They were the last in the queue to get out and arrived at 4.30am, we spoke to two guys in the Old Pavilion who queued from 4.40am and didn’t get out, there’s no guarantees.

[Bill Brightly]

I'm one who likes to take on the challenge of researching and planning golf trips for my buddies. I've learned  (the hard way) to search out the "lesser" courses and not be the typical American who drives all over Scotland and Ireland ticking of the big names. GCA.COM has been a great resource for me. Not just with golf courses, but also lodging, dining and transportation companies. Many of the guys on my trips are belt notchers, for sure. So the fun for me is when they fall in love with the "lesser" courses like Western Gailes and Dundonald. Of course, I had to tell one knucklehead: "no, we are not flying over to Ireland to play RCD... That's a different trip!"

[jeffwarne]

You my be surprised to just take a golf bag and a backpack and pick up a rail pass in London and get off in Berwick...make no plans and ask to play when you want to play and the days you want to just hang then hang...now that is much tougher with groups but for one or two people it is a great trip...work your way up and then back to London.....you can't beat the price that way...

Hmmm....


If you got off the train in Berwick you'd be disappointed.  Goswick's a good few miles away and Magdalen Fields is a poor course.  You'd probably regret not staying on the train to Edinburgh, or changing for a train to North Berwick!

Was actually the first thing that came to mind...There's a certain romance associated with train travel, but most areas are no longer set up for that to be practical. And I've found car rentals to be dirt cheap in the UK, especially with a 2 or 3 way split.

I have booked one golf trip to Scotland for 4 people for 10 days and after one single trip feel 100% confident in just showing up at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, renting a car, booking Airbnb or hotels as I go.  Playing a different course each day.  It really is easy to plan a trip.  Take out TOC and your options are only limited to the time you want to drive.  It doesn’t take much effort to book these trips.  You only need three apps once you land in UK...booking, Airbnb, and hertz.  Of you go!

That would be a very dangerous strategy in high season in popular yet remote areas with limited lodging options (example Gairloch, Durness)
I've done it both ways, and winging it can be fun (I actually did it pre cell phone pre internet a lot) but struggling to find a room is no fun.

During my trip (in the high season-late May) I opened booking and Airbnb almost every night to see what rooms were like imagining I was there “just winging it”.  There was never an issue to find lodging.  The places we stayed were popular areas though....I’m curious how it would look for the remote areas you’re speaking of.  Maybe In [size=78%]the high season I’ll look at that and compare?[/size]

John,
While late May is a very popular time for Americans to go on UK/Irish golf trips, it is decidedly not the  high season for rural tourist areas, especially thosecatering to domesti tourism and centered around non golf such as the remote highlands away from Dornoch etc.
In late May i'd guess you'd have no problem in Durness or Gairloch, but come July and early August, when the kids are out of school, you should have a reservation.
I'm big on winging it, and still often do but I have learned the hard way,

[Jon Wiggett]

You my be surprised to just take a golf bag and a backpack and pick up a rail pass in London and get off in Berwick...make no plans and ask to play when you want to play and the days you want to just hang then hang...now that is much tougher with groups but for one or two people it is a great trip...work your way up and then back to London.....you can't beat the price that way...

Hmmm....


If you got off the train in Berwick you'd be disappointed.  Goswick's a good few miles away and Magdalen Fields is a poor course.  You'd probably regret not staying on the train to Edinburgh, or changing for a train to North Berwick!

Was actually the first thing that came to mind...There's a certain romance associated with train travel, but most areas are no longer set up for that to be practical. And I've found car rentals to be dirt cheap in the UK, especially with a 2 or 3 way split.

I have booked one golf trip to Scotland for 4 people for 10 days and after one single trip feel 100% confident in just showing up at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, renting a car, booking Airbnb or hotels as I go.  Playing a different course each day.  It really is easy to plan a trip.  Take out TOC and your options are only limited to the time you want to drive.  It doesn’t take much effort to book these trips.  You only need three apps once you land in UK...booking, Airbnb, and hertz.  Of you go!

That would be a very dangerous strategy in high season in popular yet remote areas with limited lodging options (example Gairloch, Durness)
I've done it both ways, and winging it can be fun (I actually did it pre cell phone pre internet a lot) but struggling to find a room is no fun.

During my trip (in the high season-late May) I opened booking and Airbnb almost every night to see what rooms were like imagining I was there “just winging it”.  There was never an issue to find lodging.  The places we stayed were popular areas though....I’m curious how it would look for the remote areas you’re speaking of.  Maybe In [size=78%]the high season I’ll look at that and compare?[/size]

John,
While late May is a very popular time for Americans to go on UK/Irish golf trips, it is decidedly not the  high season for rural tourist areas, especially thosecatering to domesti tourism and centered around non golf such as the remote highlands away from Dornoch etc.
In late May i'd guess you'd have no problem in Durness or Gairloch, but come July and early August, when the kids are out of school, you should have a reservation.
I'm big on winging it, and still often do but I have learned the hard way,

Jeff,


I don't know if you have heard of the North Coast 500 around the top of Scotland but since it came in 5 years ago the route has become extremely popular. Between the beginning in June and September whilst it might not be impossible to find a room between Gairloch and Wick it would be a good idea to book in advance. July and August you won't find anything.

[jeffwarne]

You my be surprised to just take a golf bag and a backpack and pick up a rail pass in London and get off in Berwick...make no plans and ask to play when you want to play and the days you want to just hang then hang...now that is much tougher with groups but for one or two people it is a great trip...work your way up and then back to London.....you can't beat the price that way...

Hmmm....


If you got off the train in Berwick you'd be disappointed.  Goswick's a good few miles away and Magdalen Fields is a poor course.  You'd probably regret not staying on the train to Edinburgh, or changing for a train to North Berwick!

Was actually the first thing that came to mind...There's a certain romance associated with train travel, but most areas are no longer set up for that to be practical. And I've found car rentals to be dirt cheap in the UK, especially with a 2 or 3 way split.

I have booked one golf trip to Scotland for 4 people for 10 days and after one single trip feel 100% confident in just showing up at Glasgow or Edinburgh airport, renting a car, booking Airbnb or hotels as I go.  Playing a different course each day.  It really is easy to plan a trip.  Take out TOC and your options are only limited to the time you want to drive.  It doesn’t take much effort to book these trips.  You only need three apps once you land in UK...booking, Airbnb, and hertz.  Of you go!

That would be a very dangerous strategy in high season in popular yet remote areas with limited lodging options (example Gairloch, Durness)
I've done it both ways, and winging it can be fun (I actually did it pre cell phone pre internet a lot) but struggling to find a room is no fun.

During my trip (in the high season-late May) I opened booking and Airbnb almost every night to see what rooms were like imagining I was there “just winging it”.  There was never an issue to find lodging.  The places we stayed were popular areas though....I’m curious how it would look for the remote areas you’re speaking of.  Maybe In [size=78%]the high season I’ll look at that and compare?[/size]

John,
While late May is a very popular time for Americans to go on UK/Irish golf trips, it is decidedly not the  high season for rural tourist areas, especially thosecatering to domesti tourism and centered around non golf such as the remote highlands away from Dornoch etc.
In late May i'd guess you'd have no problem in Durness or Gairloch, but come July and early August, when the kids are out of school, you should have a reservation.
I'm big on winging it, and still often do but I have learned the hard way,

Jeff,


I don't know if you have heard of the North Coast 500 around the top of Scotland but since it came in 5 years ago the route has become extremely popular. Between the beginning in June and September whilst it might not be impossible to find a room between Gairloch and Wick it would be a good idea to book in advance. July and August you won't find anything.

Pretty sure that's what I just wrote? (Though I was trying to concede John may be right about late May)
I have drievn the road and nearly didn't get a room in Gairloch, which is why I was replying to John a second time with the information you supplied as well.