Did you know that 82% of the countries worldwide have golf course? Did you know that Golfaround has been going to faraway places for 22 years traversing 6 Continents and playing numerous golf courses? Did you know that members can bring their significant others along to experience incredible adventures? Did you know that our golf trips are much more than golf, we have had many amazing experiences.
Golf travel is not our core business, and it certainly was not on our agenda twenty three years ago. One of our members thought we should go somewhere warm in the winter and she also thought it would be a great idea to have some of the spouses along. It was a daunting idea, we weren’t great golfers and we were not very competitive and most men are, should we do this or not? Golfaround had a booth at the golf show in 2000 and next to us was a mother and daughter team who did short golf trips to Laughlin Nevada, so we chatted and decided to take the plunge. Few sports in the world are as globally interconnected as golf and the greatest thing about the game is that any golfer, of any ability, anywhere in the world can travel to play wherever and whenever they want and so our adventures began. Di had a bucket list of places she wanted to go, not to play golf necessarily but to explore and experience and that was the start of our amazing and diverse experiences.
As you may or may not know Croatia is our trip for 2024 and we may have a couple of spots available. The golf there is sparse to say the least but the experiences are enormous, the scenery spectacular and our own private yacht to island hop, how great is that?
Craving to see places you’ve never been to before? Longing for encounters that you’ll never forget? In Asia we toured Borneo (2018), Thailand
(2004), and Vietnam (2010). In Borneo we experienced diverse cultures, exotic golf adventures, amazing snorkeling and a rain forest safari where we saw wild orangutans swinging through the jungle canopy. Thailand showed us floating markets, opulent temples and magnificent shrines. Vietnam had unforgettable golf caddies, unique landscapes and an unforgettable junk cruise on Ha Long Bay.
Our European experiences includes Portugal (2007) where we saw medieval castles, cobblestone villages, a cooking school and port tasting. Turkey (2014) was amazing offering ancient ruins, man made wonders, magnificent architecture eclectic bazars, geological wonders and golf on the Turkish Riveria. Italy (2006) is home to some of the most famous art, architecture and gastronomy. We saw the marvels of the Renaissance, colosseums, the canals of Venice, the Vatican and beautiful lakes and landscapes.
The Emerald Isle, Ireland was another trip of a lifetime. Outstanding hospitality, rugged peninsulas, village gems, fabulous links golf and ancient castles. The pub scene was pretty cool also.
Argentina was a beautiful, intense, extraordinary country and presented gaucho culture, streetside tango the mighty Andes, diverse wine tasting, wonderful golf and the amazing Iguazu Falls.
Africa delivered us somethings we will never forget, when we visited in 2006 and 2023. The
earlier trip commenced with a fabulous safari and seeing the big five, interesting golf, the garden route with rugged patches of coastline, gorges, caves and a steam train ride. In 2023 we added to our experiences with a fabulous trip up Table Mountain, the Cape Winelands and golf, outstanding game drives on the African savannah staying in a luxury tented safari camp and seeing Victoria Falls up front and personal.
New Zealand and the Cook Islands in Oceania was our destination in 2008. We loved the Maori culture, the fabulous golf and the geothermal wonders. Our rafting experience was something to remember and Fiordland was spectacular. The Cooks was a taste of tropical perfection with friendly natives, gourmet food a tropical cyclone and Santa in a dingy.
Lastly North America which is certainly the most travelled and the experiences are as diverse as the destinations. Cuba (2003) a country with a complex history, vintage cars and world class beaches. Another tropical paradise was Punta Cana in the Dominican where Kristy golfed one of the #1 golf courses in the Caribbean Teeth of the Dog, If you dare challenge the Dog it will bite back, but your efforts will be rewarded with 18 jaw-droppingly-beautiful holes—including seven right along the ocean—and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve played one of the best golf courses in the world. How many of your friends can say the same? We experienced the red rocks and scenic golf in Sedona (2007), flew into the Grand Canyon in a helicopter and traversed the red rock canyon in a pink jeep. Santa Fe New Mexico in 2011 an art mecca with an interesting background, Great golf , we all won irons which were literally an iron, not the golf kind. The gastronomic experience was second to none so much adventure for my palate.
We have also had some great experiences here in Canada. Victoria BC (2010) with spectacular harbor views, scenic golf and a foodie tour.
Kelowna BC great golf, great wine and fun people. The Kootenay Golf trail introduced us to the challenges of Redstone, Balfour and Kokanee Springs and the charms of Nelson. Then there is PEI, (2010 & 2022) the birthplace of confederation. We love the diverse culture, the great seafood, wonderful golf, cèilieh’s and Michael Smith’s Fireworks Feast.
The world is our playground, we have traveled near and far so very grateful for the places we’ve been also looking forward to the places still to be seen.
We travel not to escape life but for life to not escape us