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ABOUT SCOTLAND GOLF PACKAGES |
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By
Bill Hogan - Wide World of Golf President
Scotland Golf Tours and Scottish golf packages come in
many different forms with the major price differences
being duration and type of hotel. For instance, Wide
World of Golf offers packages from as little as $1750
all the way up to $15,000. The difference? Are you going
for 7 days or 14? B&B’s and rental car, or castle hotels
and helicopters? Most everyone wants the world-ranked
links courses: St. Andrews Old Course, Muirfield, Royal
Dornoch, Turnberry, Carnoustie etc (read more…)
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Most
Scotland golf packages combine one or more of the major golf
geographical areas: The West Coast, The East Coast, and The
Highlands.
The West Coast features top golf links such as Turnberry Ailsa,
Turnberry Kintyre, Royal Troon (yes women are allowed on the championship course), Western Gailes, Old Prestwick,
Glasgow Gailes, Loch Lomond Dundonald, lovely Machrihanish and
the new Machrihanish Dunes. Loch Lomond is perhaps the most beautiful
course in Europe but open to members and their guests only.
Accommodations on the West Coast include the world-famous Westin
Turnberry Resort, Hotel du Vin One Devonshire Gardens in central Glasgow, the
quaint Lochgreen House in Troon and a plethora of other small
hotels and B&B’s.
The East Coast links are led by Muirfield (which usually sells
out about a year in advance), the St. Andrews Old Course,
Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Gleneagles (3 courses), North Berwick,
Gullane, and the other 8 or so courses in the immediate St.
Andrews area. In 2008 try the new St Andrews Castle Course! The Gleneagles Hotel and The St. Andrews Old
Course Hotel lead the way in accommodations, with Fairmont St. Andrews, Rusacks, The Balmoral in central Edinburgh,
Macdonald Marine in North Berwick, and many, many
others at all price points.
The Highlands are Scotland’s treasure, with mountains, rivers
and lochs combining to make a kaleidoscope of color and beauty.
Royal Dornoch is easily the best course up north, but Nairn,
Cruden Bay, The Carnegie Club, Brora and Lossiemouth often get
high rankings. The Boath House and The Culloden House are
prestigious manor's to stay in, plus The Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch, The Newton,
and small personal hotels like The Windsor or The Claymore in
Nairn are always warm and comforting...and great values!
So, how do you choose where to play and stay?
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Top Ranked Scotland Hotels |
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WESTIN TURNBERRY RESORT - Turnberry
This famous landmark hotel is one of the world’s
finest golf resorts. Set among 360 acres of
Ayrshire coastline with panoramic views of the
Ailsa and Kintyre golf courses, the famed
lighthouse, and the vast granite mass called The
Ailsa Craig jutting from the sea in the distance
beyond. With 129 bedrooms (half are deluxe ocean
view), the hotel provides a fantastic spa,
superb dining and other activities like fishing,
shooting, riding and more. WWG Rating: A+
GLENEAGLES HOTEL - Auchterarder
Set within its own 830-acre estate amidst
breathtaking Perthshire scenery, this
prestigious 5-star hotel (highest rated in
Scotland) is as famous as the adjoining golf
courses (Kings, Queens and PGA Centenary). Site
of the 2014 Ryder Cup, Gleneagles matches luxury
with outstanding dining (Andrew Fairlie
Restaurant has a Michelin star), unrivaled
leisure facilities, equestrian center, shooting
school, Spa, tennis and a fine swimming complex.
WWG Rating: A+
THE OLD COURSE HOTEL - St. Andrews
An imposing hotel with 125 bedrooms set in a
spectacular location overlooking the famous 17th
Road Hole and the historic Royal and Ancient
Clubhouse. All bedrooms have views overlooking
the Old Course or towards the countryside and
hills. There is a Spa and Fitness Center and two
excellent restaurants, The Road Hole Grill and
Sands. WWG Rating: A
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Determine the answers to these Top Ten
Questions before you call Wide World of
Golf, and we can give you a turn-key, no
obligation quote within 48 hours. We’ll make
it easy for you:
1. When do you want to go and for how long?
Most people travel between June and
September, but we’ve found great deals,
better availability, smaller crowds and
perfectly acceptable weather in April, May
and October.
2. How often do you want to play golf? Most
like to play 3 or 4 days and then one day
off. Some like to mix in 36 hole days.
However, we do not recommend playing 36
holes every day, as the exhausting schedule
and wear and tear on the body translates
into poor scores and a lack of sightseeing
while in Scotland (which has so much to
offer).
3. Are your handicaps under 18 or 24 for
Gents, and under 30-36 for Ladies? Courses
vary on their handicap restrictions, but
many ask for proof so you must carry your
handicap card at all times. If your group
has higher handicaps, talk to a WWG manager
about which courses will accommodate all
players.
4. Do you want caddies or do you like to
carry our own bag? Except for some of the
“secondary” courses, golf carts cannot be
found in Scotland on the famous courses.
Caddies range from about $70-100 per bag,
depending on course, so they are not cheap,
and must be paid on site in cash and can’t
ever be 100% guaranteed (although we can
normally get them if requested in advance).
5. Are you most comfortable in luxury 5-star
resorts with spas, or will smaller hotels
and B&B’s suffice? Many people combine a
little of both!
6. Twin or double rooms or single rooms?
Beware that single rooms are often double
your accommodation cost, so bunking up with
a friend will save you a lot!
7. Do you want to limit the changing of
hotels, and drive a little more each day, or
is it acceptable to move around a lot to get
closer to the golf courses? 3 different
hotels in a week is about the most we
recommend, but some groups want all the top
courses and therefore must change hotels
about 4 or 5 times per week. Some insist on
staying 4 or 5 nights in each place, and
really get to know a town!
8. Do you want the service of a professional
driver-guide in a luxury car or motor coach,
or drive yourself in a rental car or van?
Wide World of Golf’s VIP
Motorcoach (good for 8 to 16 people)
features wide leather seats with the most
recline on the market, card tables, DVD with
personal headphones, stocked bar and many
other luxury amenities. It costs a little
more, but it’s worth it!
9. Who’s in charge of your party? Experience
tells us that one person should be the main
contact. When too many generals try to
command a battle, it’s the infantry that
suffer.
10. Do you like having a great time, seeing
beautiful scenery, and thoroughly enjoying a
wonderful, safe country filled with
fantastic golf courses and hospitable
people? Then you have made an excellent
choice: Scotland with Wide World of Golf.
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Scotland's Top Ranked Golf Courses |
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Bill Hogan, Wide World of Golf
President, and GOLF Magazine
Panelist to rank the Top 100
Courses in the World, lists his
own Top 10 Scotland golf courses
"you can play" based on “overall enjoyment"
and "customer satisfaction":
1 - ROYAL DORNOCH GC
(6751 yards - par 70) - Golf
dates back here to 1616, but the
current layout dates back to
1886 in a design by Tom Morris,
and later redesigned by local
resident Donald Ross (ranked #18
in the world by Golf Magazine).
WWG Grade A+
2 - MUIRFIELD (The
Honorable Company of Edinburgh
Golfers) (6,894 yards – par 71)
- One of the oldest clubs in the
world, dating back to 1744, and
site of numerous British Open
Championships (ranked #8 in the
world by Golf Magazine). WWG
Grade A+
3 -
TURNBERRY AILSA
(6,848 yards - par 71) - Below
the stately hotel is one of the
best links in the world and site
of many exciting Open
Championships, the last won by
Nick Price in ’94 (ranked #19 in
the world). WWG Grade A+
4 - KINGSBARNS GOLF LINKS
(7,100 yards - par 72) - Superb
links from a similar layout over
80 years ago, opened in 2000 and
already ranked #61 in world (see
it to believe it!). WWG Grade:
A+
5 - ST. ANDREWS OLD COURSE
(6,933 yards - par 72) - The
world's most famous course dates back to the 1500’s (ranked
#35 in the world). WWG Grade A
6 - CRUDEN BAY GC (6,402
yards - par 71) - Often a
favorite of visitors because of
the dramatic ocean front holes,
Cruden Bay requires all clubs in
the bag (ranked #68 in the
world). WWG Grade: A
7 -
CARNOUSTIE GOLF LINKS
(6,692 yards – par 72) - A
municipal course frequently
called “evil”, and “brutal”, and
site of the 1999 and 2007 Open
Championship (ranked #24 in the
world). WWG Grade: A
8 - NORTH BERWICK GC
(6315 yards - par 70) - Built in
1878 and always one of our
customers favorites for it's
memorable holes and quaint,
in-town feel reminiscent of St
Andrews. WWG Grade: A
9 - ROYAL TROON GC
(7,067 yards – par 72) - One of
the most famous clubs in the
world and part of the Open
Championship "rota" (ranked #44
in the world). WWG Grade A-
10 - GLENEAGLES KINGS
(6,452 yards–par 71) - One of
those beautiful parkland courses
through the hills and for many
years site of the Scottish Open.
WWG Grade: A-
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For more information, call
800-214-GOLF (4653)
E-mail
request@wideworldofgolf.com;
or contact one of our offices to
request more details.
Your Scotland sales specialist
is Bill Hogan at (512) 328-7272
or
bill@wideworldofgolf.com
Pennsylvania: 848
Huntington Pl, Lancaster, PA
17601 (717) 285-2199
Texas: 1124 Elder Circle,
Austin, TX 78733
(512) 328-7272
California: 100 Dolores
St #175, Carmel, CA 93923
Ireland: Quin, Ennis,
County Clare, Ireland
Scotland: Dron Ct, St
Andrews, Fife, Scotland KY16 9YA
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TOLL FREE 1-800-214-4653
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