With the weather heating up, it really feels as though our Summer has now begun, which is exciting! If you’re considering a trip away, but want to stay on home soil, here are some of my top tips…
Make sure your group size is manageable. My ideal number is 8-12. It is good to keep it smaller as you will all be finishing relatively close together time wise and also great for evening meals- you can all fit on the same table etc.
Find a friendly location and course. Depending on ability, if you are relatively new to golf, try and call the golf club and ask some simple questions, quieter time of the day to play? Difficulty of the course? And then decide on location. There are some resources for checking golf course suitability - Women & Golf have course reviews from women that have used the course before and that is definitely a great way to get an honest opinion. Alternatively if you are in any social golf groups you can always ask there if anyone has played there at whatever standard you are looking for. Also, if you have a broad location in mind you can ask for recomendations. You Club may be affiliated with another Club which may also be a more economic way to try another Club while away.
Why not do some fun formats. As you are heading away with the girls for a fun couple of days, try out some team or pairs formats. This can also help with the mixture of abilities and with pace of play. My recommendations would be -Texas Scramble – team or pairs. Greensomes Pairs, Bingo, Bango, Bongo this is individual but great to not think about handicap and very friendly for all abilities.
Bingo, Bango, Bongo. This is a great, as ability and handicap isn't relevant.
The format: there are 3 points on offer for each hole, 1st point goes to the player who’s ball finishes on the green first. 2nd Point, when all players balls are on the green, before putting, the players ball that is nearest the flag wins that point. 3rd point is the 1st person to hole a putt. You MUST play this in strict order of play (player furthest from the hole plays first)
Texas Scramble. The Format: All players tee off, choose the best shot from all of them that has been hit. All other players will then pick up their ball and move to the best one. Then you all hit from this ball, this process continues all the way until the ball is in the hole.
Greensomes Pairs. You both tee off, choose the best tee shot, and then play alternate shots until the ball is in the hole. E.g. Player 1 is the chosen drive. Player 2 then hits player 1’s Golf ball, then alternate.
When to book? As we are in the UK the weather isn’t always our friend, so try aiming for the months MAY-SEPTEMBER although you may get a bargain just off season - in April there are often good stay and play deals if you are willing to risk the weather or book at the last minute.
In my experience a Sunday/ Monday is usually a good time to go (Sunday afternoons and Mondays tend to be quiet times) Also check if they do a twilight rate on the Sunday (some courses do a cheaper rate after a certain time, this is always good to help with budget trips)
Fun things to do on your Weekend away trip- Before heading out onto the course, why not create some mini competitions with a small prize… chipping or putting as again this is great for all abilities? If you want it to be more for team bonding, then make it a team challenge. For the evening meal, a fun quiz is always good, you can make it golf related, even get some fun facts about the girls on the trip included.
Give an option for 9 Holes or 18. this way it can be more inclusive (but make sure you check if the golf club do a 9 hole rate, always worth asking)
And remember to check out the cute prizes that you can get from Surprizeshop.. have you seen the Girls Golf Trip ball makers? So perfect!!
I Hope this helps with some tips for a UK stay trip.
Love Zoe x
Pure Pro Zoe North
