Golf weekend away

[Canary_Yellow]

Looking for some suggestions for a golf weekend away in June / July. It’s four lads, but not going for the booze, very much going for the golf.

2 of us did St Andrews a couple of years ago and loved having access to so many great courses in the same place, and the links ticket was brilliant. Ended up playing 6 rounds in 4 days.

Thinking of a Thursday - Sunday trip, looking for somewhere with a few courses close together which give us the opportunity to play a couple of 27 / 36 hole days, but without spending lots of time driving and without spending a fortune.

I’m thinking that we might just be better off doing St Andrews again.....seems like it’s hard to beat.....

 

[patricks148]

spoilt for choice really, esp Scotland.

you could do Ayrshire, Western Gails, Troon, Turnberry, Prestwick, Dundonald, Glasgow Gails, to name but a few, plenty of hotels and not far apart

East Lothian, Muirfield, North Berwick, Gullane, Luffness, Dunbar...etc, a stones throw from Edinburgh.

or Highland, Royal Dornoch, Nairn/ Ndunbar, Castle Stuart, Brora, Tain, Fortrose, Moray, all within an hour of Inverness.

then theres Aberdeen, Trump, Royal Aberdeen, Murcar, Cruden bay, peterhead, fraserborough.

all links of course

 

[Mel Smooth]

Out of interest, what would the budget be for a trip like that in the UK?

We always did Spain, but you'd be seeing off the best part of a grand ove a long weekend once you'd added everything up.

 

[pendodave]

Out of interest, what would the budget be for a trip like that in the UK?

We always did Spain, but you'd be seeing off the best part of a grand ove a long weekend once you'd added everything up.

Depending on how far you have to travel to get to Scotland, a lot less in my experience. We have done a few trips and used airbnb for digs, and even if you don't take a car, the distances between courses are small enough that taxis are cheap.
East Lothian staying in North Berwick would be my suggestion for a first trip away from st Andrews. Nothing against st andrews, but you only live once. Plus, if you're driving up from east Anglia, it's the shortest trip.

 

[Marshy77]

North West coast or Yorkshire. Depends on your budget, guess its a decent one if you've done St Andrews but you could do Birkdale, Formby, S&A, Hillside, Lytham, Liverpool - so many. Yorkshire you have Alwoodley, Moortown, Ganton, Lindrick, Fulford, Sand Moor, Harrogate.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Depends what you mean by 'without spending a fortune'.

How about :-

Notts, Sherwood Forest and Coxmoor.

All very close to each other and have played two of them Notts & Sherwood Forest and they are great courses.

Or West Wales Royal St Davids/Aberdovey & portmadog. Still a fairly cheap area to play golf in.

Or How about the Norfolk area like Sheringham/Royal Cromer and other courses around there, or maybe Hunstanton/Royal West Norfolk.

If your going Thursday-Sunday, then you would need to plan for the weekend games on many courses, due to members playing and restrictions as result.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

If you plan just three or four courses then staying in Barnstaple you have the two Saunton courses plus Westward Hoe - and for a fourth you could visit Ilfracombe.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Depends what you mean by 'without spending a fortune'.

How about :-

Notts, Sherwood Forest and Coxmoor.

All very close to each other and have played two of them Notts & Sherwood Forest and they are great courses.

Or West Wales Royal St Davids/Aberdovey & portmadog. Still a fairly cheap area to play golf in.

Or How about the Norfolk area like Sheringham/Royal Cromer and other courses around there, or maybe Hunstanton/Royal West Norfolk.

If your going Thursday-Sunday, then you would need to plan for the weekend games on many courses, due to members playing and restrictions as result.

Yes, the Friday, Saturday, Sunday access issue is where St Andrews is king.

On budget, per person if we were doing St Andrews, it would be something like:

Flight to Edinburgh £150
Car hire and fuel £50
Airbnb £125
Greenfees £300 (plus £180 or whatever it is now, if we got lucky in the Old Course ballot)
Food and drink £200 or so

All in: £825 - £1k

But that in theory would cover 6 rounds of golf.

Not against the idea of driving somewhere at all. It’s just finding an area that would have enough courses and courses we could play at the weekend. Green fees also rack up pretty quickly if playing 6 rounds at good courses....

 

[Deleted member 21258]

I know Royal St Davids / Aberdovery / Portmadog take visitors on the weekend. Fairly sure Abersoch, Nefyn & district does as well as well .
(all within an hour drive of Falmouth/Harlech area) All offer day rate discounts. That includes quite a variety of interesting/different set of courses(some long, some shorter, some stunning views, some mad, some really hard), maybe not the massive names of open venues, but RSD/Aberdovery are top 100 courses. All within budget and would make a great trip.

Not sure about the Notts/Sherwood or Norfolk at weekend, only played them during the week days. You would need to check with the club.

SILH mentioned, Saunton, and Saunton takes visitors normally on all days & weekend, it also offers day rates & discounted day 2 & 3 rates iirc for visitors. RND maybe weekday & Sunday visitors iirc.

 

[Deleted member 23270]

Yes, the Friday, Saturday, Sunday access issue is where St Andrews is king.

On budget, per person if we were doing St Andrews, it would be something like:

Flight to Edinburgh £150
Car hire and fuel £50
Airbnb £125
Greenfees £300 (plus £180 or whatever it is now, if we got lucky in the Old Course ballot)
Food and drink £200 or so

All in: £825 - £1k

But that in theory would cover 6 rounds of golf.

Not against the idea of driving somewhere at all. It’s just finding an area that would have enough courses and courses we could play at the weekend. Green fees also rack up pretty quickly if playing 6 rounds at good courses....

For that kind of money you could have a week all inclusive in Turkey with 6/7 rounds and guaranteed weather.

 

[patricks148]

Yes, the Friday, Saturday, Sunday access issue is where St Andrews is king.

On budget, per person if we were doing St Andrews, it would be something like:

Flight to Edinburgh £150
Car hire and fuel £50
Airbnb £125
Greenfees £300 (plus £180 or whatever it is now, if we got lucky in the Old Course ballot)
Food and drink £200 or so

All in: £825 - £1k

But that in theory would cover 6 rounds of golf.

Not against the idea of driving somewhere at all. It’s just finding an area that would have enough courses and courses we could play at the weekend. Green fees also rack up pretty quickly if playing 6 rounds at good courses....

i'd imagine that would be the same in all the courses i mentioned, most of the bigger courses allow visitors PM. most of the members clubs up hear allow visitors PM as most of the members would be playing morning

 

[IanM]

South Wales - Porthcawl, Pennard and Ashburnham. (for a rest from links, play Machynys)

There you are Glyn, South Wales next year's meet sorted - just leave it to you to get it for half the going rate!

 

[Canary_Yellow]

Is machynys not a links?

 

[howbow88]

Agree that St Andrew's is the benchmark for a few days away playing golf. You're spoilt for choice by the golf, but also the town itself is superb - there are loads of great places to eat and drink.

Budget was less though:

Petrol - £100
Hotel - £120
Golf ‐ £170
Food and drink: £150

So under £600, but two really long drives. Going up there was fun, but the drive back a chore. We played Fairmont (meh), Crail Balcombie (great), and Leven Links (decent). As it happened, I ended up there a few months later after I qualified for a public comp on the Eden. That time i played the Old Course

I too would be interested in anything similar to St Andrew's for a few days.

 

[Foxholer]

Is machynys not a links?

Yes!

Btw. I concur with North Berwick/Gullane area, West Wales or Devon courses for a group of (relatively) reasonably priced quality courses within driving distance of a base. Proximity to (and previous experience of) Edinburgh would be the clincher for me. Southport area also possible, but Green Fee prices probably push the budget.

 

[Mel Smooth]

I know Royal St Davids / Aberdovery / Portmadog take visitors on the weekend. Fairly sure Abersoch, Nefyn & district does as well as well .
(all within an hour drive of Falmouth/Harlech area) All offer day rate discounts. That includes quite a variety of interesting/different set of courses(some long, some shorter, some stunning views, some mad, some really hard), maybe not the massive names of open venues, but RSD/Aberdovery are top 100 courses. All within budget and would make a great trip.

Not sure about the Notts/Sherwood or Norfolk at weekend, only played them during the week days. You would need to check with the club.

SILH mentioned, Saunton, and Saunton takes visitors normally on all days & weekend, it also offers day rates & discounted day 2 & 3 rates iirc for visitors. RND maybe weekday & Sunday visitors iirc.

We had a caravan in Wales for a few years, in Abersoch. I took the clubs over and never used them once. Feel like I've wasted that opportuniity now.

 

[IanM]

Is machynys not a links?

It's next to the Bay, but has artificial lakes a plenty, is tree lined in places and gets VERY muddy in winter.... they call it a "man made links," I think that is stretching it a smidge, but call it what you will!

Doesn't mean I don't like it, quite the reverse! Play there quite often, but never in the winter......... we go to Porthcawl and Ashburnham instead!