KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Golf Vacations, Cruises, Etc.

SCOTLAND

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

Handicap certificates or letters from your pro stating your handicap are required by some clubs, don't leave home without one or the other.
Caddies and trollies (pull carts) are available as are club rentals, however trollies may be in short supply so it is a good idea to request one when you make your tee time if you are sure you will want one. Buggies (power carts) are not, and where they are they often require a medical reason to rent and should be reserved some time in advance.
Much of the UK is further north and as a result there is sufficient daylight to play a round after an early dinner during the summer months. Usually the clubs are open for business from 7 or 8 AM and since many of the courses that you might want to play are member courses it is not uncommon for the club to hold certain tee times for their membership. Some of the clubs will also have days where the courses are not open to any play due to a competition being staged. A good case in point is that Turnberry was closed to play from November 1st until July 21st, 2009. On the other hand St. Andrews won't close until June 19th being closed less than a month prior. Some have very limited visitor play which should be requested a year or more in advance. Most of the courses have websites and all of this information is fairly readily available.
Attire is influenced by the weather and to a lesser degree by the clubs themselves. For the most part, the attire required to play the courses is much the same as it is here for resort or private courses and would usually be described as smart casual. Should you be playing one of the very upscale traditional clubs gentlemen might be required to wear a jacket, collar, and tie in the members club lounges or restaurants if you fortunate enough to be invited by a member. Climate is typical seaside with some wind chill and average daytime temperatures in the summer months of 65 to 75 degrees. One should always be prepared for every possibility so water proofs and a sweater should be close at hand. Though not 100%, soft spikes are pretty much the order of the day.
Just as here, you can play golf from the early spring until probably early November. In the period from mid-May through the end of June the gorse is in full bloom and makes some of the links courses even more spectacular. Again, just as here, pricing is seasonal and you can expect to pay as much as 40-50% more in the July-August time period than perhaps the period from November - March.
You can obviously choose between driving or being driven in the British Isles just as anywhere else. In general a driver is probably going to cost about 3 times as much. Subsequently, if there were 12 people the per person cost would be similar to the cost per person of 4 people sharing a van. Driving on the left can be a daunting task particularly for first timers. However some people don't find it an issue at all. It is a good idea to allow extra time to keep the stress to a minimum. There are freeways as well as narrow country roads leading to many of the courses and places of interest. It is always best, particularly in an unfamiliar area to plan for the unexpected. It would probably be a good idea on planning to average 40 to 45 miles per hour due to traffic with people being "on Holiday", roundabouts, road construction, etc. We would be happy to supply you with some helpful driving tips.
Maps and touring books are always a good investment and can always be obtained through the visitors bureaus of the area you are visiting and are sometimes supplied by travel agencies if you are working with one.
Passports are required as they are in most foreign countries and Visas are not. It is a good idea if your passport expiration date is within 6 months of your planned visit that you have it renewed.
There are two currencies in Ireland as Northern Ireland which is part of the UK uses the Pound and the Republic of Ireland, most of Ireland, uses the Euro. It's best to use credit cards while traveling and you should research credit cards to determine what the bank charges as a conversion rate. There is at least one credit card which has no charge for the conversion. Early in 2010 the dollar is considerably stronger against both currencies meaning the cost will be less in 2010 than in 2009 if this continues. In addition, many top 10 courses in the British Isles have reduced green fees in 2010 making this a great year to go.