The PGA Grand Slam of Golf

By Greg Stenzel P.G.A
Consultant V.P.
To A Tee, Bermuda Ltd. www.toateebermuda.com

 

As an avid golf traveler, most readers of This Week in Bermuda are familiar with the golf opportunities that exist throughout the world. We have all heard about the treasured links of Scotland and Ireland, the tree lined fairways of Canada, the significant number of courses in the Algarve and along the east coast of South Carolina, but have you ever heard of playing The Iron Curtain Golf Trail? That’s what I said! Golfers can play golf in Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria while adding excursions stopping along the way to see portions of the Berlin Wall or an abandoned missile silo complex.

 

I have just returned from the International Golf Travel Market held in Malaga, Spain. The event is one of the largest in the world. At the 2009 event, more than 65 different countries were represented by 450 golf tourism suppliers. Over 300 qualified tour operators spent three days in more than 800 meetings learning about the ever expanding world of golf and the opportunities that are available for the avid golfer.

 

While golf in the United States has remained flat over the past several years, golf around the world is growing at an exaggerated rate. Let me name a few of golf’s emerging markets: Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland…Iceland has 61 golf courses and 30,000 golfers. Can you imagine finishing your round at 10 PM, stopping for a late evening dinner and heading back out for an early starting time around 2:30 AM?

 

Other emerging golf destinations include India, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Morocco, Nepal, Poland, Qatar, Slovenia, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia and Turkey to name a few more. Golf has certainly gone global.

 

Finding good news in bad; the troubled world economy has created a competitive market for those interested in growing their inbound golf tourism market. Many golf destinations are adding amenities to their golf program such as South Africa who offers Golf and Safari programs. Costa Rica includes zip line tours through the beautiful tree canopy of their hillsides. Italy combines their history, art and gastronomic experiences such as a cooking class or wine tasting to their golf packages.

 

While we dream of golf in faraway lands, let’s not forget that this beautiful island provides a unique golf paradise within a short two hour flight from the east coast of the United States. Bermuda has more golf holes per square mile than any other place in the world. Recent renovations at Tucker’s Point, Belmont Hills and Port Royal Golf Club provide golfers with world class conditions and Bermudian hospitality is second to none in the world.

 

There are plenty of golf choices available, but I’m not ready for lions and tigers and bears quite yet. Give me pink sand, sailing in the great sound, golf with my Bermuda buddies and a dark-n-stormy with a Bermudian fish sandwich. Oh yeah, life is good!

 

If you are looking for a golf getaway, why not ask Alex at To A Tee, Bermuda a partner of the Golf Travel Society, “golf’s social network of golf travelers.”