WHY USE US?
The Short Answer…
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The Long Answer…
3 Resources to Guide You
How to Choose Between Golf Tour Operators
There are approximately 160 companies in our industry. Thousands upon thousands of golfers have been in your position. It’s easy to become overwhelmed, and we understand the fear that the company you select may drop the ball and let you (and your friends or family) down. It is often one group leader who is making the choice for 3, 7, or even 40 others so we understand that you want to feel comfortable with your choice.
Comparing golf tour operators is not necessarily a straightforward task. Here we have outlined some criteria for evaluating companies that you may want to consider.
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Hidden Costs Are a Problem in Our Industry… How to Compare Proposals and Prices.
Be sure you are comparing Apples to Apples.
You have likely received a few proposals for your golf trip and each has a price. You’ll need a little industry insider information to determine the true cost of your trip as many tactics are used in this industry which result in the price you’ll eventually pay being higher than the one initially presented. Sometimes much higher!
Here at Pioneer Golf, we have pulled out all the stops to include absolutely everything in your price and present you a price that is absolutely fixed. The last thing we want is to have the group leader be plagued by complaints from their friends or family that the trip is more expensive than they were initially told when the trip components have remained the same.
* If booking a trip when vendor rates for the year of travel have been released, this is not an issue. If booking well in advance when rates for the year of travel have not been released, then most all companies will later raise the price when they receive new rates. Pioneer Golf estimates rates to avoid having to raise your price later.
The tougher stuff to catch!
(usually requires reading the fine print or following up if undisclosed)
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The easier stuff to identify!
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Why Use a Golf Tour Operator Instead of Arranging a Trip Yourself?
If you have the time and some experience, arranging a golf trip may be a viable option for you in certain circumstances. Hundreds of companies exist in this industry because arranging an international golf trip often is much more complex than meets the eye. We’ve had customers who have arranged their own trip before but then used us for a subsequent trip because it didn’t pan out as envisioned (e.g., didn’t get tee times on all the courses they wanted), because it became a second job to deal with all the moving bits and pieces, because they got tired of chasing up after their friends for money, or because a few hitches presented themselves that impacted the trip negatively.
If you’re a single golfer or perhaps a couple, one factor that is certainly eliminated is dealing with others who are counting on you to organize a trip with no issues. Couple this with having plenty of time, being very organized, not needing to play the St Andrews Old Course or other famous courses, and renting a car (as opposed to wanting a driver for transfers or full-time) then you may have a recipe to give it a go yourself. If you miss a deadline to pay the remaining balance at a golf course and lose the round or if the transportation you arrange is unreliable, then your son or spouse will likely be much more understanding than a group of friends or family members who are dead set on having the best experience possible.
On the other hand, if you’re considering organizing a trip for a group of more than two composed of friends and family, the hassle involved isn’t worth the relatively small savings. Yes, using a golf tour operator will be a bit more expensive but generally not nearly as much as you would think as golf tour operators receive better rates from vendors than you would.
Other practical reasons exist for using a Golf Tour Operator including:
Golf Tour Operators will be able to get you on certain courses that you won’t be able to yourself. Some golf tour operators have better access to courses and to the better tee times than others. Our access is unrivaled.
Golf Tour Operators get preferred rates at many courses and accommodation providers.
The best Golf Tour Operators in the business will have drivers who are reliable, friendly, and care! They will often “make the trip”. We can’t tell you how many times we’ve heard this! Just read our Google reviews to get a sense of how much this matters to people!
You don’t have to deal with foreign currency issues and fees.
You don’t have to worry about the exchange rate going the wrong way and the cost of the trip increasing substantially (only applies if the Golf Tour Operator is willing to fix your trip price).
You don’t have to hassle with collecting money from friends.
You don’t have to hassle with figuring out what courses allow carts and under what circumstances have pull carts; forecaddies, senior caddies, junior caddies; require caddies; and so many other things.
You don’t have to worry about losing a round or hotel because you forgot to pay deposits or the balance at the likely 10+ vendors that make up the component pieces of your trip.
If something goes wrong, you don’t want the wrath of your friends.
You don’t want to deal with friends or family pulling out of the trip and harassing you to reimburse them what they have paid you when you’ve already paid the hotels and golf courses.
Some Golf Tour Operators offer add-ons to make your experience better.
You can relax on the trip!
We are not often asked what the benefit is of using a Golf Tour Operator or booking a trip yourself since to most golfers, the fact that golf specific tour operators exist is a welcome relief. However, we are often asked why we should be a potential customer’s operator of choice versus others. We have also had plenty of clients tell us of bad experiences with a Golf Tour Operator they used in the past. During Covid so many Golf Tour Operators went out of business or simply closed their doors only to resurface a few years later. Plenty of operators are owned and run by avid golfers who turn their passion into a business. Although we are golfers, our roots are as tour operators dating back to 1971, and our entire staff is committed to delivering the highest level of service in the industry. We firmly believe that you should do your due diligence before entrusting your trip to any company and the above is simply meant to help you figure out how to do that.