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We've told you the 10 best golf destinations to visit in 2025.
Now we're here to help you decide which one works best for you. I've gone on hundreds of golf trips the past 25 years. I think I've figured out the key to help everyday golfers plan their next golf adventure. It all boils down to four key questions.
If you're honest about the budget and expectations, then you're sure to have a great time, no matter where you go or who travels with you. If you ask yourself these four questions before you decide where to go, they should lead you in the right direction.
If you need more inspiration about ideas, check out our golf package page as well.
1. How much will the trip cost?
We'll start here, because frankly, if your house is like mine, every decision is motivated by cost. Of course, I'd love for every golf trip I take to be to Ireland, Scotland, Pinehurst or Bandon Dunes. However, the truth is these destinations are most likely once-in-a-lifetime, once every 5-to-10-year vacations. If I want to get an annual trip approved from the missus, I need to follow a set budget expectation.
That budget dictates where you go, how many days you go, how many rounds and where you stay and play. A three-night, four-round March weekend in Myrtle Beach filled with a mix of high-end and mid-tier courses makes a lot of sense to many golf groups. Compare that to a three-night, four-round golf splurge in the Palm Beaches in the same time frame. That Florida trip might cost double what you pay in Myrtle Beach, but with that added expense comes the likelihood of better weather, better conditions (no frost delays) and a more luxurious vibe.
Setting a proper budget will set everything else in your planning into motion.
2. How hard is it to get there?
I'll never forget what a golf marketer told me a couple of decades ago: Golf travel is regional. Think about it. When I lived in Michigan, my dream every winter was the chance to escape to Florida, Cancun or the Caribbean for some sun. Now that I'm on the West Coast in California, my winter golf go-tos are Phoenix/Scottsdale, Palm Springs, Hawaii and Cabo.
Most golf travelers are motivated by the convenience of taking one non-stop flight or the chance to drive to avoid the costs and the hassles of modern air travel. Again, those big trips that involve all-day travel and multiple flights are less likely because they tend to cost more and take up more of your valuable vacation time (time is money, right?)
My core group of golf buddies are looking at planning our first golf trip together. One guy wants to go to Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas. I think it's smarter to start small. We've got a world-class destination in our backyard. My suggestion is three days on the Monterey Peninsula. It feels worlds away from the daily grind of Silicon Valley/San Jose where most of us live. What we'll save on airline costs we can use to play more/better golf or for dining out.
3. How badly do I want to play these courses/visit this destination?
I think "want to" is a big part of the planning process. Maybe you're a little tired of your regular golf vacation destinations you've been to a number of times and want a change of pace. Maybe you've been inspired by something you read on GolfPass or watched on social media. Maybe you just have to play the Mike Strantz courses of the Carolinas or the 19th hole at Payne's Valley.
Call it bucket-list chasing or revenge travel or whatever you want. Every golfer wants to play certain courses before they visit that giant golf playground in the sky. My desire is stronger to visit New England - where I've played very little golf - than it is to return to more famous destinations I've seen multiple times. I'm probably the exception that the Omni Mount Washington in New Hampshire and Sunday River in Maine are higher on my "must visit" list than other more popular Top 100 courses. Pulling this off will require multiple flights to get cross country, plus plenty of driving. But that's okay because my desire to play there is stronger than the hurdles required to make the trip happen.
The motivation to play golf courses that speak to you is a powerful thing. Follow your heart when you're choosing where to play. If you're really motivated to visit a certain place or one key course, by all means necessary, do it. That satisfying feeling when you've checked it off your list will make the trip feel that much more gratifying.
4. What will the temperature be while I'm there?
Where you travel should largely be predicated by monitoring what the weather will be while you are there. I'm a big believer in being smart about when you travel to certain destinations. You're spending hard-earned money for this golf trip. Why tempt fate to save a few bucks to travel during the off-season when cold, rain, wind and poor weather could ruin the whole thing?
Traveling to Myrtle Beach anytime from December to February is fine. You might get lucky with the weather, but if you don't, the cost won't be crippling. I've also had just as good of weather in Ireland in April and October as I have in July. The forecast for links golf trips overseas often come down to just plain luck. Traveling to the Canadian Rockies for golf in early May or northern Michigan in October, however, probably aren't worth the risk. Although we played through it, my first trip to Bandon Dunes felt like a total washout of freezing rain and snowflakes in March 2015. I learned a hard lesson that trip: Don't mess with Mother Nature when it comes to planning a golf trip.
What advice would you share with golfers who are planning their first golf trip? Let us know in the comments below.
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