Thoughts to live by when planning a golf trip

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-10-13

It’s my opinion, and one that’s widely shared among those who have ever participated in a golf trip, that what happens in the days and months prior to the trip itself is critical to the success of the outing.

Every trip needs a leader, a captain, if you will. He’s got to be the guy who does the legwork, the scheduling, all the arrangements. He can be compensated in some manner by the trip participants, if they so desire, but even without that, he’s the man in charge.

While that’s at the top of the list of things to make a golf trip memorable, there are plenty of other important considerations as well. Such as:

-- Gambling is often a key ingredient in a trip. A couple things in that regard:

1) Make it known from the beginning of the trip that you have to play to win and if you don’t pay, you don’t play. All wagers should be collected before the first shot of the day is struck. Perhaps the best idea might be to have a pot, or a bank established to hold all gambling money for the week. And if you make any side bets, pay them as soon as the day’s play is concluded. There’s nothing that will cause problems quicker than money being owed among friends.

-- For the non-captains in the group, there are a few things you can do to make sure a good time is had by all. Simple things, really.

1) Show up on time and at the appointed spot. Your captain/trip leader should produce an itinerary that specifies time and place.

2) Try to confine your complaining and anything and everything to your room … or maybe your bathroom. Nothing is ever perfect, but your traveling companions are there to have a good time, not to listen to all of your complaints.

3)Everybody on these trips is an adult and has his/her own way of thinking, his/her own preferences and likes/dislikes. Every effort should be made, however, to go with the flow and not try to be the lone dissenting voice on every issue.

-- Depending on the size of the group, one of the biggest headaches once the group has arrived at its destination can be who plays with whom, when and how many times. If it’s a group of 8 or 12, it’s not all that big of a deal. Some groups, however, get as big as 100 participants (now that’s what I call a super group).

Believe it or not, there’s a website that will actually figure out pairings, groupings, etc., all to your personalized needs. Check out GolfTripGenius.com and see what they have to offer.

Unexpected circumstances can jump up on a trip at any time and even the best planning can’t foresee those. But you and your group can go a long way toward having a fun, relaxing trip by following some basic ideas:

Put somebody in charge. Let him do the work ahead of time. Have him make the tentative arrangements available for everyone’s appraisal. Once everyone agrees in principle, let him put it together and when the time comes, everybody gets to have an enjoyable trip.

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About Mike...
As a sports writer for over 35 years, Mike Dudurich has seen a lot of great things, covered spectacular events, but his passion is, and has been golf. He recently ended a 29-year career at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and will now be a frequent contributor on GolfGearReview.com. Mike hosts a weekly golf radio show on 1250 ESPN in Pittsburgh from the beginning of April through the end of August. The show airs Saturdays from 8-9 a.m. and can be heard online at http://stations.espn.go.com/stations/espnradio1250/show?showId=insidepghgolf - Listen to Mike Here!.

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