By Don Jozwiak, Senior Editor
Golf today is more than a game or a business. It’s a collection of experiences: birdies and bogeys replayed over dinner, scenic vistas remembered long after the round, and friendships formed on and off the greens. Golf travel gives PGA of America Golf Professionals the chance to author these stories beyond the fairways of their home facilities. Hosting golf trips to resorts or private clubs is one of the most powerful ways for golf professionals to strengthen bonds, create once-in-a-lifetime memories and enhance the value of a PGA of America Golf Professional to their golfers. From locations such as Scotland to Scottsdale and Pinehurst to Pebble Beach, golf trips are increasingly an extension of the club experience and a chance for members and professionals to connect on a deeper level.
Ongoing demand and packed tee sheets continue to tell part of the story. The dramatic rebound of golf travel after the pandemic continues, with destination resorts reporting record bookings and some even booking into mid-2027 already.
“This year has been just as strong as previous years – just crazy strong,” says Tim Willerton, the PGA Professional Relationship Manager at Premier Golf, which helps golf professionals plan and execute dozens of domestic and international trips each year. “We’re booking into 2027 already at Bandon Dunes. For international destinations like Scotland, getting on some of the bigger-name courses in 2026 is a challenge.”
The challenges involved in booking a golf trip during the game’s ongoing boom are dwarfed by the emotional impact of hosting getaways. A trip with members transforms the relationship between professional and golfer. Instead of 45 minutes on the lesson tee or a quick conversation in the clubhouse, it’s multiple days together on the course, at dinner and swapping stories on the shuttle to the airport – and back at your home club.
“It’s a completely different connection,” says Scott Schroeder, PGA, Director of Golf at Atlanta Country Club. “When you spend that much time together, you really get to know your members – who they are as people, not just as golfers. That’s something you can’t replicate at home.”
Golf’s historic popularity is changing how people travel to play the game, and so are other factors such as the cost, changing consumer tastes and the full tee sheets at many destinations. As a result, PGA of America Golf Professionals are evolving the way they travel to provide the experiences golfers want, while still enjoying all the personal and professional benefits of leading golfers on dream getaways.
Rising costs are shaping trip design. “You may plan a trip around a big-name bucket-list course, then fill in with some ancillary courses that are still great, but maybe not the same level in terms of name recognition or price,” Willerton explains.
“Expectations are also shifting. We are starting to see people want more downtime during their golf trips. People are looking for other experiences outside of golf. We see that even more at destinations like Spain, Portugal and Greece or South Africa, which is really starting to pop. And we’re seeing more demand for new destinations, like Omni PGA Frisco, which is only going to become more attractive as it hosts more major championships in the years to come.”
