Golf holidays in Spain are perfect for those travelling on a range of budgets as green fees can vary so much, it has been claimed. According to GO2Spain, Spain boasts sunshine and the "sparkling" Mediterranean Sea in addition to luxurious hotels and great restaurants and some of the best golf resorts in the world. You can save a considerable sum on green fees if you book your golf tee times in advance.
In particular, it notes that the so-called "golf mile" is the "ultimate experience" for golf lovers and features five of Spain's best courses. The green fees vary greatly at each course. And it was recently reported that a selection of golfers from Sussex were victorious at a recent golf tournament hosted by La Manga Club.
The Argus noted that the Sussex under-18s team beat the local Murcian golfers 8-2 at the seaside resort. La Manga Club is located on the Mar Menor inland sea and features several golf courses including accommodation that offers vistas over the North course and other greens. The green fees on each of the courses are the same. Golf enthusiasts often choose to take a holiday in Spain, particularly in the region of Murcia, because of the number of golf courses on offer in the area.
Murcia, which is also appealing to those seeking the perfect family holiday in Spain, is host to some of the world's best golf courses, including Polaris World's Condad de Alhama development, featuring three championship courses designed by pro golfer Jack Nicklaus. "It's like a little community of its own, so even if you don't play golf, there's loads to do," Elaine Wallace of Scotland told the Sun. "It's going to be a great place for our family."
La Manga Club boasts a number of quality golf courses, which are ideal for a golf holiday or for a golf break during a family holiday. Tee times and green fees can be pre booked. The club also offers a golf academy, as well as private lessons from PGA-qualified professional instructors.
More Britons are interested in incorporating sport into their holidays, such as their luxury holidays in Spain, it has been reported. According to the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO), an increasing range of sports-related holidays are now available from UK operators.
The news comes after figures from the Office of National Statistics Social Trends 2008 survey suggested that the number of UK residents regularly taking part in sport and exercise is on the increase. "People are much more aware of health issues and the fact that our sedentary daily lives leave us open to potential heart attack and stroke problems in later life," Derek Moore, chairman of AITO, said.
He added that Britons no longer want to spend a two-week break sat on a beach "sunning ourselves". Golf and tennis were cited as popular holiday activities by Mr Moore.
La Manga Club offers several championship quality award winning golf courses for such active holidaymakers.
Add up $65 for greens fees + $25 for a cart, twice a week for 23 weeks and you spend will more than $3,500 a year to tee it up on golf courses. Your golf score may probably improve, but bank account probably won't!
Many discount golf programs promise that you can "Play more golf and pay less." Is that an "unplayable lie" or blasting out of a trap? There are many golf discounts from golf course greens fee arrangements. Some are on-line; some are printed coupon books.
Some work very effectively, where you can double your money or cut your fees in half. Some are real duds. To become a savvy buyer that your golf buddies and friends look up to. Use this 7 question checklist to figure out whether buying an on-line membership golf card is worth it.
1. How many courses belong to the discount golf course network? Is it 10? 50? 150? 3,000? The more courses the better. Why? Because if 100,000 people buy the membership and there are only one hundred courses, you'll get stuck trying to get a good tee time.
2. Do you have to travel to Montana to play golf? Does this program offer local courses for just one state, like Wisconsin or New Mexico? Is the network nationwide? Do you have to drive to the middle of Montana to find a course?
With the cost of gasoline and driving these days, are there enough golf course within a 50 mile radius of your home? If you vacation in Peoria, do those golf courses belong to the network?
3. Can you avoid cow pastures, the "Turtle Greens" golf networks? I learned to play golf as a teenager in Wisconsin. My father took us to Turtle Greens, built by farmer on the outskirts of his farm. The clubhouse was a barn; the fairways were like cow pastures; the greens were shabby like a mowed back yard. Of course, we were real hackers and kids at the time.
Make sure that the golf courses in your membership directory are a decent mix of very good courses, medium courses and "practice" courses. That way you can select the ones you want for a particular round. Some days, you may want to play a challenging forest course. Other times, you just want to play a simple course to get some exercise.
4. Do You Get Discounts for the ENTIRE golf season? Know how long the season is for the discount golf green fees. Is it a short time from mid-June to August 31? Do you have to play before May or after September?
The best discount green fees cards will allow you to get savings all year round for as long as the golf course is open. Don't buy a golf card that has seasonal playing restrictions.
5. How easily can you find a golf course? The program should make it easy to find a course. I have purchased a number of state golf discount coupon books. A paper coupon book allows you to look in the index to find where the golf courses are listed.
Before you buy these in a golf store, you can look through the book to see if your favorite courses are listed. If you subscribe to an online discount golf card program, make sure you can search the golf course directory.
It helps to search by zip code, state, city, distance to the golf course and even golf course name. If the search function is missing or limited, don't buy that membership.
6. Can you learn the pluses and minuses of the golf courses in the network - before you buy? If the online golf card membership program allows you to search, it should also give you the details of what you get. Different golf courses offer different discounts.
When many golf courses belong to the network, there will be many different variations. Just make sure that there is enough variety to fit your best times to tee it up. Take tee times for instance. Is the discount network allow you to play only on weekdays? Does the discount apply to weekends? Is your play restricted to a certain time of day, like before 7:00 a.m. or after 5:00 p.m.?
7. How reputable is the vendor's performance and longevity? Is this program new? How long has it been around? How many members has it served? How many belong now? Does it offer a money-back guarantee? These are important questions to ask, especially with on-line services. Anyone can put up a website.
Take care to do due diligence and check out the vendor before you spend your hard earned money. And make sure that they have a money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied for any reason.
Now that you have these questions about discount green fees programs, all you need to do is find one that helps you save money and get out on the links for less.
Both Michael J Lee & Dave Pipitone are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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