Golf Holidays: Teeing off around the world
It’s a niche sector but golf has an army of devotees looking for expert advice – and they are prepared to pay for it, says Peter Ellegard
I’m riding a golf buggy made for five in the shadow of Japan’s Mount Fuji. It’s my first round of golf in Japan and my playing partners are my hosts from Fuji Country Club and the Shizuoka Prefecture golf course association.
After the obligatory group photo with the iconic mountain in the background, it is time to hit our tee shots.
We jump in our buggies, then, as my ball is further on, I remain in my seat when the others get out. Without warning, the buggy takes off, zigging and zagging with a life of its own. It’s like I’m on an automated Disney ride! The caddy is remotely operating the buggy, which is following a magnetic strip under the path.
Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, when golf will again feature after its reintroduction at Rio de Janeiro, Japan is promoting itself as a golf destination.
I joined operators from around the world at last September’s inaugural Japan Golf Tourism Convention, held in conjunction with global golf tourism industry association IAGTO. On my trip I also played courses in the Mie and Shiga prefectures and one overlooking historic Kyoto city.
From the self-driving buggies, obligatory one-hour lunch stops during rounds and palatial clubhouses with hot-spring pools to amazing food, golf in Japan is an experience like nowhere else.
Agents can cash in
It is true the golf market is dominated by direct-sell companies and many golfers book their own arrangements online, particularly to short-haul destinations like France, Spain and Portugal. However, there are still opportunities for agents to cash in and earn big commission.
A number of tour operators pay healthy commission and agents don’t even have to be knowledgeable about golf as experts are on hand to guide them through sales.
A new trade-only specialist selling worldwide golf-themed holidays is west country-based Tee The World (teetheworld.
co.uk). It has been set up by travel agent Carolyn Park, whose C The World travel agency has three branches in Gloucestershire, Bristol and Bath.
She explains: “As an agency we were struggling to find a trade-friendly partner for worldwide golf holidays. There is a big opportunity for agents to offer golf to their customers, grow their businesses with new golfing clients and, in turn, get these people to book non-golf holidays as well.
“We have already had some lovely agent bookings and support seems to be growing daily. Standard commission is 10%; however this may change for special events like the Masters or Ryder Cup. We decided on being trade-only as it sets us apart. We understand what agents are looking for in a specialist trade partner.”
Park says that holidays should not be
just about playing golf, and that agents often find it difficult building a package to include golf and non-golf activities.
“Clients are not going to travel to destinations further afield purely for golf,” she adds. “For example, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia have some wonderful courses that can be included into a tailored itinerary which caters for other interests and non-golfers alike. Many people travel with non-golfers and it is really easy to facilitate something that suits everyone.”
The operator, which is a member of
IAGTO, is partnering with flight consolidator and ATOL-holder Aviate. Its website includes helpful questions for agents to ask clients, and it also explains golf jargon.
Park says most golfers want to travel outside of the UK summer, so winter-sun destinations such as the Arabian Gulf are popular. She also highlights Portugal’s Lisbon Coast area for its combination of golf, culture and history.
In its latest annual Golf Tourism Report, IAGTO reports that sales through golf tour operators worldwide were up 3.2% in 2018 – the seventh consecutive year of growth.
Trends for 2019 include strong demand for Northern Ireland, which hosts this year’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush in July, Vietnam consolidating gains made in 2018, and interest growing fast in Japan.
Turkey, Tunisia and Morocco are also resurgent – Marrakech hosts the annual International Golf Travel Market in October.
Among operators offering commission is Elegant Resorts (elegantresorts.co.uk). Head of Product and Commercial, Matt Viemmiks, says short-haul European golf breaks remain popular thanks to their convenience, with resorts including Terre Blanche in Provence, the Costa del Sol’s Finca Cortesin and Costa Navarino in Greece among those ‘ticking the box’. Further afield, he highlights the Dominican Republic, Mexico’s Mayakoba resort complex, Scottsdale, Vietnam’s Danang area and resorts including South Africa’s Fancourt, Sandy Lane in Barbados, and New Zealand duo Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers.
Specialist operator A Golfing Experience
(agolfingexperience.co.uk) celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. Director Steve Frewin says 80% of requests are to Spain, Portugal, France or Turkey. He suggests asking what kind of holiday clients want, such as whether it is with a partner, with couples or with a group of guys or girls, how many rounds of golf are needed and a budget, as tee time and hotel costs vary from weekdays to weekends.
“Agents have a great opportunity to create an income stream from golf,” says Frewin. “Having a relationship with your local club is a way to build a relationship with golfers and gain information about booking habits.
Gary Boyer, head of purchasing at Classic Collection (classic-collection.co.uk), believes specialising in golf makes agents a ‘go to’ source for clients. He says: “Golfers tend to be well-heeled individuals, golf holiday bookings tend to be high-value group bookings and golfers are a community where word of mouth recommendation can be your finest marketing tool.
“Golfing holidays have a degree of complication: clubs, tee-off times, transfers, group dinners and awards. There’s an opportunity to provide real service that pays dividends in terms of repeat business.
“We have already had some lovely agent bookings and
support seems to be growing daily... we decided on being trade-only as it
sets us apart”
Carolyn Park, Tee The World
Top experiences
On track: Rovos Rail (rovos.com) operates South African golf and rail safari trips of nine and 10 days on its luxury Rovos Rail train and 15 days on its new three-star Shongololo Express train. Double commission rates of 20% are available on the nine-day October 3 Golf Safari roundtrip from Pretoria. Prices from £1,320pp.
Tees and temples: Play golf minutes from Cambodia’s UNESCO-listed Angkor Wat temple complex in Siem Reap, host for this month’s IAGTO Asia Golf Tourism Convention, on the Nick Faldodesigned course at Angkor Golf Resort
(angkor-golf.com). Nearby Phokeethra Country Club (phokeethraangkor.com) has the remains of an 11th century Khmer Empire bridge between the ninth green and 10th tee.
Vine rounds: Combine a few rounds of golf with visiting renowned vineyards and wine tasting in Bordeaux. The Golf du Medoc resort (golfdumedocresort.com) even uses distance markers shaped like wine bottles on its fairways. Bordeauxbased Greens & Grapes (greensandgrapes.com) organises golf, wine and gourmet breaks.
Fly high: Take a helicopter to the top of a 400-metre mountain to tee off on the world’s highest and longest par-3 hole, the Extreme 19th at South Africa’s Legend Golf & Safari Resort (legendhospitality.
co.za). The green is shaped like Africa.
Get your goat: Caddies with a difference assist golfers playing on the new, hilly seven-hole McVeigh’s Gauntlet course at Silvies Valley Ranch (silvies.us) in Eastern Oregon. Trained goats carry golfers’ clubs in specially designed harnesses that also hold six-packs of beer.
What’s new
Elegant Resorts has added Monte Rei Golf & Country Club (monte-rei.com) on Portugal’s eastern Algarve for 2019. A second Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is being built, expected to open in 2021. This will make Monte Rei the only club in Europe with two courses by Nicklaus.
Expedition cruise company One Ocean Expeditions (oneoceanexpeditions.com) will operate its first Scotland and Ireland golf cruise this June. The seven-night cruise aboard former Hapag-Lloyd’s RCGS Resolute leaves Dublin on June 5, with golf on courses like Ballyliffin, Royal Dornoch and Royal Aberdeen. From $4,395 (about £3,360).
Where to book it
TEE THE WORLD – 0117 428 0577
A 15-night Golf, Wine, Lions and Whales self-drive tour of Cape Town and the Garden Route, South Africa, includes five rounds of golf, game drives at Sanbona Wildlife Reserve, wine tasting and lunch at Franschhoek and a whale and dolphin watching cruise in St Francis Bay. Costing £3,995pp (September to November), it includes accommodation, British Airways flights (Premium Economy) and car rental.
teetheworld.co.uk
FRONTIER CANADA – 020 8776 8709 A seven-day Canada’s East Coast Golfing Expedition aboard One Ocean Expedition’s
Resolute ship starts from £5,319pp, including flights and an overnight in Sydney, Nova Scotia, prior to the cruise, commissionable at 10%. An optional four-night extension with a rental car exploring Cape Breton and ending in Halifax costs from £425pp.
frontier-canada.co.uk
“Agents have a great opportunity to create an income stream from golf. Having a relationship with their local club is a great way to build a relationship
with golfers ”
Steve Frewin, A Golfing Experience