Quickly Plan A Golf Trip in 5 Simple Steps

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I have been on several golf trips with a mixed bag of guys every time, so I have seen about every scenario a golf trip could endure. I’ve been on the friends trip where barhopping outweighs the golf, a trip with hardcore golfers playing 36 holes a day, and one in the middle where it’s 18 or 27 holes a day followed by a VRBO with some adult beverages playing cornhole/shooting pool/playing poker. 

You really only need 5 steps to plan a golf trip. I’ll explain them in greater detail below.

  1. Get the group finalized first
  2. Set golf trip Budget expectations from the group
  3. Get the length of stay and dates finalized
  4. Get courses, resorts, and VRBOS picked based on everyone’s budgets and priorities
  5. Pack for the Golf Trip

Get the group finalized first

This is the most important step, you need to find who’s going to get an idea of what kind of lodging, flights, and accommodations will be needed. I will say steps 1-3 are interchangeable depending on the overall goals of the group for the trip. 

I always start with a simple spreadsheet to keep track of who’s going and email or text everyone who may want to go on the trip.

Pro tip: If you can, try to get your group total divisible by four for tee time purposes. Anything that isn’t divisible by 4 you may get stuck with random people for a tee time and it’s harder to do team competitions/scrambles, etc.

set golf trip Budget expectations from the group

This one may be a dealbreaker for some. It’s hard to please everyone, but some people will refuse to golf if the total price for the trip is out of their price range. It’s hard to justify multiple $250 rounds with the current inflation rates.

Some people want to bar hop and enjoy the nightlife while others would rather have a few brews and play poker or cornhole at a VRBO/AIRBNB.

That’s why I always focus on value golf courses and VRBO rentals for our trips. Resort courses are often overpriced and you can find just as good of courses for half the cost! Renting hotels is another cheap option, but leads to limited options after golf. This usually leads to bar hopping, which will make the golf trip price skyrocket pretty quickly. 

It’s feasible enough for a college kid to shell out money for a few rounds at a good course under $80 with a great layout that every golfer appreciates. VRBOS and AIRBNBs are an insane value over hotels and resorts if you get a large enough group to go. 

You can get a large house with a pool, hot tub, pool table, ping pong, etc. for about $80-$90/ night if you get enough golfers to go. If you are staying at a VRBO, shop at a large bulk grocery store like Costco to get great prices on meats, fruits/veggies, chips, etc.

Pro tip: Research golf forums like the Refuge (No Laying Up) and GOLF WRX for great course reviews and the top-value courses in your area! If you want an affordable golf resort near the ocean, Myrtle Beach is the “Golf Capital of the World” and has over 90 courses for every budget!

Get the length of stay and dates finalized

If you are flying for your trip, this may be the most important thing as there are cheaper times of the year to fly and can save a lot of money booking well in advance.

Depending on your age range and people having families, it may just be a 3-day golf trip somewhere within driving distance or it could be a cross country week-long trip. I’ve never done the latter, but I can’t wait to someday when the kids are a little bit older!

If you are looking to save money, I would highly recommend that you stay within driving distance and book a VRBO that has a good value golf course within 20-30 minutes.  You could use some of that money saved on travel and lodging to splurge on a nicer golf course for just one day of the trip.  

Pro tip: If trying to start an annual golf trip, maybe start it out at 3 days and gradually increase it as the years go on. I know my wife would be hesitant about me going on a yearly golf trip that was 6-7 days long with having young kids.

Get courses, resorts, and VRBOS picked based on everyone’s budgets and priorities

Now it’s time to book everything based on everyone’s budget, length of stay, and expectations for the golf trip have been finalized. You will want to make sure you get everything booked as soon as you can as far as golfing, lodging, and flights/rental cars if necessary. 

Base extracurriculars off of location- do you want to bar hop that night? Go to a Casino? Hang out at the resort or rental house?

Will this be a golf trip where the golf is secondary and people are looking to go to casinos or barhop into the early morning hours? Or is this a group of hardcore golfers that wants to golf 27 or 36 a day? 

You will need to figure this out so you can pick a location according to the group’s expectations. Our group usually tries to meet in the middle of this, we rent a big VRBO where half of the golfers go back to hang out and have a few adult beverages while the other half golfs another 9-18 holes.

If you are driving to your golf trip, you will have to coordinate who is driving and split gas money. You could also rent a 12 or 15 passenger van, we did this once for a golf trip 10 hours away and it was reasonably priced!

It was also a blast being able to be in one van for the whole trip, reliving the excitement on the way down as well as the banter of each day’s bets and hilarious trash talk that happened during the round.

Pro tip: Base your decision on the lowest budget option. Those wanting to barhop or go to the casino will often find a way to do so. Prioritize saving money on the lodging while making sure that the golf courses selected are of high value and quality! No one wants to take a golf trip playing run-down munis.

Pack for the Golf Trip

Check out our comprehensive golf trip packing checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything for your next trip! I have made this after forgetting little things like a bluetooth speaker or a pair of sandals for my golf trips!

At minimum, you will need the following:

  • 1 golf outfit/1 casual outfit for each day
  • Weather specific items (sunscreen/sunglasses, rain coat, thermal coats/ stockings)
  • Golf bag with gloves, balls, tees
  • Golf Shoes
  • Toiletry items (toothbrush, deodorant, contacts, etc.)
  • Phone Charger

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