A WORLD OF GOLF AWAITS

WELCOME . . .

A WORLD OF GOLF AWAITS

So, we are back out on the fairways! We’ve gone through the first tee nightmares and sprayed our tee shots far and wide but we did it with a big smile on our face. So much for all those YouTube videos we’ve watched and worked on in the garden!

Golfers have flocked back to the fairways as a respite from stay-at-home guidelines and lifestyle prohibitions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. OK, it’s not the game we left behind before lockdown, but none of us care about that at the moment, do we? And now we can extend that playing group from one other to three and fourballs. Those ‘social mediaists’ among us have been fed daily images of courses looking stunning in the fine weather with messages showing work being carried out by the staff and boy they have not let us down have they! Golf club managers in England are reporting a surge in membership applications as there has been a huge demand to play golf after the lockdown. The demand has been so strong that one manager, who has said his club received 35 signups in just three days, added that this could be the opportunity the golf industry has been hoping for, following years of declining membership numbers. English golf courses were the first in the home nations to reopen, and almost all have reported heavy usage. Many clubs have restricted play to members only and in some cases only allowing 9 holes to cope with demand. But let’s not forget, there are a lot of clubs who have lost members due to the lockdown and personal financial situations.

Hopefully, once we come through the other side of these hard times we will see the return of those previous members, or schemes introduced to assist them with this.

The UK tourism business has and continues to take a hammering financially and the next announcement we are awaiting is a date for the opening of hotels, restaurants, cafes, and bars, all of which we know are essential factors for that golfing getaway just as much as the choice of courses to play. Foreign travel will follow soon we hope, yes there will be restrictions of sorts, but again this is something we are all willing to deal with I’m sure. Confidence in safety will of course play a huge factor in the numbers of us who seek to explore the fairways in other countries as will the costs associated with traveling.

Here at Exclusive Golf & Travel, we will continue to explore superb venues to play and stay here in the UK, across Europe and Worldwide. Golf travel companies we work with report an increase in queries and bookings for August, September and October, and a significant increase in interest for UK based golf breaks. Inside this issue, we bring you some superb offerings at fantastic courses and venues across the UK, two great tournaments hosted by Brittany Ferries over the channel in France, and a great selection of destinations further afield to whet your appetite.

Enjoy the read, play safe, and stay safe!

MIKE STAFFORD