By Tom Mackin
How far will you travel for a golf trip?
It’s a question worth pondering as winter takes hold and plunging temperatures force you indoors and onto high-tech simulators.
For me, there’s a simple answer. I’d go just about anywhere to play. Who wouldn’t? But then I posed the question to a fellow writer and New Jersey native who has, like me, been very fortunate to have a job that takes us to some of the nicest places in golf, both home and abroad. So I assumed his answer would mirror mine. Nope. Not him. He’s willing to travel only within the U.S. for a golf trip. I quote: “I don’t want to lug my clubs all the way to Japan or some other far-flung place to play some course that looks exactly like a parkland course I could be playing at home. Why take the time away from experiencing the real culture there?” But then he quickly made three exceptions: Ireland; the United Kingdom; and Melbourne, Australia. I can’t argue with those.
He’s got a point with (mostly) limiting his journeys to places not requiring a passport. No fierce jet lag coming and going; no complex currency calculations needed in golf shops; and no language translation apps to be downloaded. Plus, the list of above-average golf destinations to visit within our 50 states is almost endless, especially with the explosive growth of multi-course destinations in the past two decades at places like Bandon Dunes, Sand Valley, and Streamsong, with newer versions coming soon at Rodeo Dunes in Colorado and Wild Spring Dunes in Texas. Pure golf, accommodations on-site, and no need to leave the property. There’s something to be said for that, especially for you 36-holes-a-day sickos out there. Not to mention you can easily trek to stellar courses in places like Michigan, Palm Springs, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, and Arizona.
Still, there’s something to be said about broadening your golf horizons. My personal experience has been the people I’ve met through golf have been excellent guides to the cultures of their home country. Even more so if they have just defeated me in match play or the Stableford format more popular overseas than in the U.S.
For another perspective, I reached out to Australian journalist Matt Cleary. I met him – while on assignment for this very publication – during a golf trip to the Philippines in 2014.
So why leave this country to make the very, very long trek all the way to his country? “Australia has the best value golf in the world,” he says. “There are world top 100 courses for $100 U.S. And they’re public, accessible. Tasmania is going to have five of Australia’s top 10 in the next few years, and they’re all public and a steal, really, when compared to the high-end offerings in the U.S. and Asia.”
He wasn’t done yet.
Even with all that on their home turf, Aussie golfers still head overseas – including to the U.S. – to play golf while also managing to squeeze in some other activities, according to Cleary.
“I took a golf group to Las Vegas earlier this year to watch the National Rugby League play there, and we played Wolf Creek, which was jaw-dropping for Australians,” he says. “Our ‘desert’ golf is nothing like that. We played Cascata, too, which was tremendous, and there were chipmunks and long-horned sheep and cactus like we’ve seen in Road Runner and Coyote cartoons. And we watched horse racing in Los Angeles, basketball in San Francisco, ice hockey in Vegas, and said rugby tournament. So, it was a golf trip, per se, but it was also a buddies trip to watch sports and drink beer.”
He's played golf in Vietnam, Thailand, New Zealand, and many other places. “I don't know if it’s ironic or not, but we do pretty much the same things that we enjoy doing here – playing golf, drinking beer, watching sport, and engaging in cultural pursuits. I’ve been to an NFL tailgate in Santa Clara before a 49ers game, drunk Pimms at Wimbledon in England, and watched camel racing in Dubai. You can’t do that in my Allambie Heights (the Sydney suburb he calls home).”
I know what he means. Golf took me to New Zealand, where I found time to (gulp) bungee jump besides playing some stunning courses. In the Philippines, each player in our group had both a female caddie and a female umbrella holder to shield us from the unrelenting sun. In Australia, I gorged on new favorite snacks like Lamingtons and Tim Tams.
Yes. Yes, we should. Cleary and I both know a supremely talented Australian photographer named Gary Lisbon, whose golf course work often veers into the jaw-dropping category. “The most spectacular of the ones he’s shot is a course in Norway called Lofoten Links, which is just an absolute treat to photograph,” Cleary says. “It just spectacular. It’s all the Northern Lights and the ever-lasting day. You can play golf at midnight, though, dunno if you want to. So that’s on the list.”
To place any limits on said list is a shame, in my opinion. No, not every course at far-flung destinations will be dramatically different from the ones you play at home. And yes, there’s the reality of available vacation time and resources and cost to consider. But to quote Rick Steves, “Travel is rich with learning opportunities, and the ultimate souvenir is a broader perspective.” That, and possibly making some new faraway friends thanks to the common language of golf, makes a longer journey worth it.
So … How far would you travel for a golf trip?
Based in Scottsdale, Ariz., Tom Mackin is a proud Bayonne, N.J., native who has been writing about golf travel for 25 years. You can usually find him in seat 21D on a United flight.