Club hire business flying to new heights
GOLFERS hoping to get their handicaps down this season now have another reason to hit the practice range.
Clubs to Hire, the Irish-owned company that makes it simple for golfers to avoid airline charges and pick up quality rental clubs at 26 destinations around the world, will reward 24 lucky golfers who achieve a 10 percent reduction in their handicap with a trip to Quinta do Lago next November.
To enter the draw, all you have to do is register online by 31 July at clubstohire.com/race-quinta-lago, reduce your handicap by 10 percent before 30 September, and you could be on your way to the Algarve.
Not only will you stay at the QDL Magnolia Hotel on the night of the final and play the Championship course at Quinta do Lago and attend the gala dinner and prizegiving, you also will get complimentary club hire.
The Dublin-based business is one of the great success stories of the Irish golf industry since it was set up by CEO Tony Judge, a long time member of Royal Dublin, and his business partner Gerry McKernan in 2010.
While they failed to agree new terms with 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, who was the face of the company in its early years, David Howell has taken over that ambassadorial role and the company continues to thrive, employing 24 full-time staff and another 18 contractors at 26 locations around the world.
With Ryanair charging golfers €60 and Aer Lingus €80 to travel with their clubs, Clubs to Hire has found its niche among the casual holiday golfers who pay as little as €35 for the convenience of picking up quality TaylorMade or Callaway clubs at the airport or having them delivered to their hotel.
“Statistically, golf travel is growing from 7-9 percent in Europe,” Judge said this week. “When we started in 2010, there were three million passengers going through Faro airport in Portugal. In 2017 it was nine million.
“So there are more people travelling and they are going to more diverse places and we are looking at adding eight to 10 new locations in Europe alone this year.”
Demand for long haul golf travel has also increased and Clubs to Hire recently expanded to offer three new locations in Australia.
Judge said: “Our research has told us that taking clubs on long-haul flights is extremely inconvenient and expensive.
“Often clients forget about the internal flights they encounter and the club costs just keeps adding up.
“Our long-haul destinations are proving extremely popular and demand into all locations is growing.”