History of Wide World of Golf

Wide World of Golf  (WWG) was founded in 1957 in San Francisco by Michael C. Roseto, who owned a successful travel agency and began planning golf tours to Hawaii for his fellow members of The Olympic Club. WWG is the oldest and most experienced golf tour company in the world, operating in over 25 countries.

WWG was the first American company to bring golfers across in groups to play the great courses of Scotland and Ireland, and the first to bring Americans across to Asia with many Friendship Cups in Japan, South Africa and others. In the 1960's, WWG was the originator of the golf cruise and the first to offer an "Around The World Golf Tour". In the 1980's WWG moved the HQ to Carmel, California near Pebble Beach. With the advent of the 90's, the baby-boomer traveler trends changed and now there are more independent tours than group tours, and most are custom "tailor made tours".

Today, Wide World of Golf is headed by Bill Hogan (President) in Texas and is partnered with Premier Golf LLC under the umbrella of Travel Incorporated of Duluth, GA. WWG has full time offices in Ireland and Scotland and regional sales offices in Austin, TX, Carmel, CA and Duluth, GA.  In addition, WWG has licensed seasonal representatives in Australia, New Zealand, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, South Africa, Argentina, Canada and other places around the globe to make golf vacations seamless and dependable.

Whereas 80% of our clientele select custom Tailor Made Tours, WWG still produces a number of luxury group tours, Corporate Golf Outings, Golf Incentive Programs, and retail package tours to events such as The Ryder Cup, British Open Championship, US Open and The Masters.

Wide World of Golf is founding member of AAGTO (American Association of Golf Tour Operators), NAGTOA (North American Golf Tour Operators Alliance), Ensemble Travel Group, Connoisseurs Scotland, IATAN travel network, and IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators).  CST 101-4765-040. WWG warmly welcomes business with Travel Agents too!

Our Team:

Our greatest resource is our people. They are trained to know our destinations and what questions to ask. You will find our staff totally dedicated to your travel experience. They love what they do and it shows. You will not only have confidence in the planning of your trip but you will have fun at the same time!

Jim Ward - President - Premier Golf - Jim joined Travel Incorporated as Executive Vice President in 1985. He became president of Premier Golf in 1987 when the company was established primarily to provide golf travel services to PGA of America members. Today, the company still serves PGA members as well as the general golf traveling public. Jim and his wife Sandy have three grown children and live in Cumming, Georgia. Despite several requests from the rest of the Premier Golf team, Jim refuses to retire.

Bill Hogan - President, Wide World of Golf Division - Bill joined WWG in 1988 and completed a successful merger with Premier Golf in January 2010. Wide World of Golf has been a fixture in the golf travel industry for well over 50 years with a “who’s who” client list from the world of sports, entertainment and politics. Bill has been in golf travel for over 25 years and is a recognized expert, having played golf in over 50 different countries and a member of the prestigious Golf Magazine World Top 100 Golf Courses Panel. Bill and his wife Michelle live in Austin, Texas with their children Haley, Nick and Grant.

Ann Mabry - Managing Director - Ann joined Premier Golf in 1993 and took responsibility for the 1995 Ryder Cup. She has had primary responsibility for every Ryder Cup since. In addition to her responsibilities as Managing Director, Ann also has her own loyal client following, specializing in the European golf destinations. Born in Scotland and raised in Ireland, many people love to call us just to hear her talk! Ann lives in Suwanee, Georgia with her husband David and son Douglas.

Chris Gurney - Director of Business Development - Following successful business ventures in which he developed extensive sales and marketing experience, Chris joined us in 2010 as Director of Business Development. He has been primarily responsible for many of our PGA professional group programs and the growth of our PGA business. Be prepared if you want to talk golf with Chris. He remembers every hole of every golf course he has ever played. Chris lives in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Suzie Cusentino - Accounting and Administration Specialist - After several years in accounting and finance positions, Suzie joined us in 2010 as our Accounting and Administration Specialist. With so much emphasis on sales and service it’s important we have someone whose role it is to keep us grounded and to insure bills are paid and collected. Suzie also oversees our sales reporting and our Globetrack reservations system. Suzie’s two boys, Adam and Alex, are in college and she lives in Alpharetta, GA.

Euan Findlay - UK Manager - Euan runs our St Andrews, Scotland full time office. He will share local tips and sightseeing suggestions to round out your golfing pleasure. Since about 20% of our travelers are non- golfers, he will provide information and insights on the best sightseeing in your destinations. Euan attended University of Kansas on a golf scholarship and spent years working with affluent American golfers at Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and aboard Seabourn Cruise Line.

Alison Deane - Ireland Manager - Our full time office in Quin, Co. Clare (minutes from Shannon Airport), headed by Alison and Barry Deane, will give you local tips and sightseeing suggestions to round out your golfing pleasure. Alison and Barry worked in high-end hotels and private golf clubs for about 10 years in the U.S., so they know what Americans expect, need and want. Our staff will meet with you at the beginning of the trip, go over driving and sightseeing suggestions, and always be on call during the trip.

Paul Schmidt - Golf Travel Specialist Trainee - new hire January 2013

Michelle Williford - Golf Travel Specialist - After working in the Travel Incorporated accounting Department and serving as Manager of the Leisure Department, Michelle joined Premier Golf in 1994. Michelle has served in several capacities within Premier Golf, most recently being responsible as our primary liaison for the PGA Village. In addition to being an experienced Golf Travel Specialist with a long list of her own clients, Michelle also oversees our website activity. Michelle and her husband Bob live in Lawrenceville, Georgia and have become “empty nesters” now that daughter Lauren is off to college.

Kristen Barr - Event Specialist - Following her time with incentive companies Incentive Solutions and U.S Motivation as an Account Manager, Kristen joined us in 2006 just in time to play a major role in the 2006 Ryder Cup. Kristen’s major responsibility is with our Ryder Cup project and coordinating corporate accommodations for PGA events. She also serves as a Golf Travel Specialist, specializing in Bandon Dunes. Kristen and her husband Brendan (a Philadelphia native) live in Atlanta and wrestle over whether little Ryan will be a Braves or Phillies fan.

Michelle Herrmann - Air Specialist - Fort Myers, FL - Michelle joined us in 2001 from golf tour operator Player’s Choice to oversee our air travel department. In her responsibility, Michelle assists our golf travel clients in securing the most convenient and least expensive air travel arrangements. Michelle’s agent skills and pleasant can-do attitude result in some of our most positive feedback. In addition to assisting our golf travel clients, Michelle also handles the air arrangements for the PGA Professional Golf Management Program, assisting PGA apprentices with their air travel to the PGA Checkpoint in Port St. Lucie. Michelle lives in Fort Myers, FL.

Mercedes Baldwin - Administrative Support - Perhaps the most underrated member of our team, but most valued, Mercedes joined us in 2003 and assists us part-time in providing support for our sales team. Mercedes oversees the mailroom, maintains time sheets, controls office supplies and sees that client documents are assembled and delivered in a timely and efficient manner. No matter how busy the busy season gets, Mercedes can be counted on for a reassuring smile. Mercedes has two grown daughters and three lovely grandchildren.

Others: Experienced Golf Tour Escorts such as Dr Warren Myers, and regional specialists such as Amy, Neil, Alistair, Seamus, Nicolas, Javier, Francois, Shaun, Gary and more.  

Let our long term business relationships become your golf contacts!