Golf in Hawaii (part 2)

As we dive into 2011 (on a Minnesota day where the current temp is -3) I need to stay on the Hawaii topic one more time...

Sitting here watching the season's first PGA Tour event from Kapalua, Maui reminds me, once again, that grass is green and the ocean is a glorious blue!

In the past, I have wondered why they play on the North Coast of Maui - where the weather elements are oftentimes a bit harsh - rather than the relatively calm, dry Wailea area on the Southwest coast.

It finally hit me... the pro's play the harsher areas exactly because they ARE harder. It again points out that the game you and I play is not at all the same game as the tour players play.

Stay warm - and contact me if you just need to get out of the cold and snow for a few days!

Cheers,

Dick

Golf in Hawaii: Well Worth the Long Flight!

The phone calls and emails to my golf vacation company have been hot and heavy since the 19" snow storm we just dealt with in Minneapolis! (Like these wonderful people didn't know winter was coming!!!!)

What sounds better... Shoveling snow in Minnesota? Or, raking bunkers in Hawaii?

90% of our business is "power golf trips by guy groups" - and, in 15 years of doing this, we've never booked a stag group to Hawaii. BUT, of the 10% that is made up of couples and couples groups, almost half is "Destination Hawaii". A good share of these clients are from "Mixed Marriages" - an avid golfer with a non-golfing spouse. Believe me guys... she won't mind your 5 hour absence when she is enjoying the pool and a Spa Treatment!

(The picture here and the one on my previous post are both from the Wailea Golf Club on Maui.)

As I said in the last post, I have to be the crappiest golfer in the world to play as many world class courses as I have. And Wailea ranks as my absolute favorite golf experience. Check our Hawaii page and ask me for my insights and advice - whether or not you ever book a trip with us.

Cheers,

Dick

Is Winter Nearly Over?

Here it is still December and I'm so sick of shoveling the driveway that I could... well, you get the idea!

To make matters worse, as a "seller of golf travel", I have to watch our golf clients pack up and leave for places like Cabo San Lucas, Maui, Phoenix, San Diego, Palm Desert and more! Whatta dastardly trick that is being played on me. As I'm writing this, another client has just emailed an acceptance of our proposal for a Pebble Beach golf trip in late February. I have offered to "escort" these two couples, but...... (well, nice try!)

The good news for those of you not as hand-cuffed to your desks as I seem to be, the prices for golf trips (as with all travel) are very good! Because of the shaky economy, hotels, golf resorts and golf courses in the south have reduced prices and deposit requirements to stimulate bookings. Our #1 trip over the years, the Gold Canyon Golf Resort, (pictured here) is offering our clients 2008 prices for the 2009 season.

A lot of our golf clients who normally "lock in" during the fall have been holding off but are now going ahead. It's a combination of the winter blahs and the realization that they are not as worried about their job status or portfolio status as they were a month or two ago.

As one of them put it (so elegantly), "The hell with it. Life is too short to worry about it. We're going!" If you feel the same, check out my site for some good ideas!

OK, so I gave you the sob story at the top of this... I will be going to Grand Cayman in late January. Not my favorite golf venue... but, I won't be shoveling snow off the greens before putting!!!!

Cheers,

Dick