One of the most common trips we coordinate here at Golf Away Tours is the Pro / Member trip. Typically these occur in the 'shoulder season' for golf professionals in early Spring or late Fall when there is a little more time to enjoy some social golf with members. But there are many further benefits to a golf professional beyond finally getting to play some golf. Here are three good reasons why every golf professional should go on a golf trip with their members.
1. There is no greater way to build relations with members and strengthen their loyalty than by spending a week eating, drinking and playing golf with them. Most members only know their pro through making tee times or taking a lesson. The natural social situation of golfers enjoying golf removes that invisible barrier between pros and members and allows people to really get to know each other in a much deeper sense.
2. Similar to above, a golf trip allows members to get to know each other better and develop relationships that strengthen the fabric of the club. Healthy clubs tend to be ones where the members have strong bonds and everyone feels welcome. A golf trip will be a conversation piece amongst members for years afterwards.
3. Often a pro doesn't hear about issues or opinions at the club until it has passed through multiple filters that skew the original context. A golf trip provides a forum for members to give raw feedback to the professional about things they like about the club, things they don't like, suggestions for improvement, etc. It gives the professional a chance to get out ahead of any potential sore points that could fester into something more serious down the road.
Virtually all of our pro / member trips have been a resounding success and generally the group has already started planning their next trip by the time they land back home. The trips tend to grow in stature and numbers as more members want to join in the fun.
If your club is interested in this type of golf trip, feel free to give us a ring here at Golf Away Tours and we'll help get the ball rolling.
Thursday 8 August 2013
Wednesday 7 August 2013
Our Thoughts on Golf Magazine's Top 100 Courses
You know what they say about opinions, they're like ***holes...everybody has one. Few things other than politics and religion get people riled up like golf course ranking lists do. Everyone has a style of course they prefer, be it links or parkland or heathland, and everyone has 'pet favourites' that they feel are being overlooked by those 'stupid raters'. Being raters for a few publications ourselves, TJ and I know how difficult it can be to decide which courses belong on a particular list and which courses we'd like to see recede from public consciousness.
The latest biannual World Top 100 Courses from Golf Magazine was recently released and we figured we'd give our 2 cents on the list. Golf Magazine's rankings are generally considered the gold standard, mostly due to the relatively small panel (~100) which is very well travelled and a group that considers the merits of a course very carefully. Here are a few thoughts on the list from Golf Away Tours' point of view.
-How great is Australia and New Zealand as a golf destination? 9 courses in the top 100...and they're all ACCESSIBLE. It's a shame more North American clubs don't open their doors to visitors. Everyone deserves to see great golf architecture. The diversity of courses down under is incredible, from the sandbelt courses near Melbourne, to the links courses at Barnbougle, to the spectacular cliff-top courses at Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs. Just think, with a trip to Melbourne and a quick jaunt to Tasmania you could play 5 of the world's top courses (and many other superb tracks).
-Links golf still rules, and always will. The list is littered from top to bottom with places at the roots of the game. Yes, the usual suspects for links golf are Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, but it's pretty cool to see links courses from the USA, Australia, and yes, Canada crack the list. I have not been out to see Cabot Links in Cape Breton but by all indications it is well deserving of its place on the list.
-Happy that St. George's in Toronto moved up a few spots on the list. I think it's one of the best parkland courses in the world, with incredible bunkering. I would place it ahead of some of America's parkland courses that are ranked higher, including this week's host of the PGA Championship, Oak Hill.
-Disappointed to see Highlands Links fall off the list. Canadian golf architect, Ian Andrew, has been working to restore the Stanley Thompson features and improve conditions through tree removal, but the fact remains that the course is generally in sub-standard condition. It's too bad Mike Keiser, the developer of Bandon Dunes and Cabot Links (along with Canadian golf entrepreneur and all around good guy, Ben Cowan Dewar), has expressed little interest in taking Highlands Links over. The course deserves better.
-Continuing with the Canadian theme, other courses that could merit recognition include Hamilton, The National, Toronto GC, Capilano, Banff, Jasper, and Shaughnessy.
My final tally is 29 of the top 100 played. Can't wait to add a few notches to the belt!
The latest biannual World Top 100 Courses from Golf Magazine was recently released and we figured we'd give our 2 cents on the list. Golf Magazine's rankings are generally considered the gold standard, mostly due to the relatively small panel (~100) which is very well travelled and a group that considers the merits of a course very carefully. Here are a few thoughts on the list from Golf Away Tours' point of view.
-How great is Australia and New Zealand as a golf destination? 9 courses in the top 100...and they're all ACCESSIBLE. It's a shame more North American clubs don't open their doors to visitors. Everyone deserves to see great golf architecture. The diversity of courses down under is incredible, from the sandbelt courses near Melbourne, to the links courses at Barnbougle, to the spectacular cliff-top courses at Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs. Just think, with a trip to Melbourne and a quick jaunt to Tasmania you could play 5 of the world's top courses (and many other superb tracks).
-Links golf still rules, and always will. The list is littered from top to bottom with places at the roots of the game. Yes, the usual suspects for links golf are Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales, but it's pretty cool to see links courses from the USA, Australia, and yes, Canada crack the list. I have not been out to see Cabot Links in Cape Breton but by all indications it is well deserving of its place on the list.
-Happy that St. George's in Toronto moved up a few spots on the list. I think it's one of the best parkland courses in the world, with incredible bunkering. I would place it ahead of some of America's parkland courses that are ranked higher, including this week's host of the PGA Championship, Oak Hill.
-Disappointed to see Highlands Links fall off the list. Canadian golf architect, Ian Andrew, has been working to restore the Stanley Thompson features and improve conditions through tree removal, but the fact remains that the course is generally in sub-standard condition. It's too bad Mike Keiser, the developer of Bandon Dunes and Cabot Links (along with Canadian golf entrepreneur and all around good guy, Ben Cowan Dewar), has expressed little interest in taking Highlands Links over. The course deserves better.
-Continuing with the Canadian theme, other courses that could merit recognition include Hamilton, The National, Toronto GC, Capilano, Banff, Jasper, and Shaughnessy.
My final tally is 29 of the top 100 played. Can't wait to add a few notches to the belt!
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