While reading a Time Magazine piece on mall closings and thinking about the inevitable shuttering of Glen Abbey Golf Course and host of the Canadian Open, I conclude that society has permanently shifted. Online behemoths like Amazon have stolen the thrill out of shopping at malls and laid waste to many retail stores. Golf courses…
The Great One whizzed by me in his cart. Wayne Gretzky was just finishing his charity tournament while I was just starting my nine holes at Banff Springs. Joined by a New Brunswicker we played this spectacular Stanley Thompson course. Watching my tee shot disappear into the mountain backdrop into the Devil’s Cauldron’s green to…
While having a nice dinner in Kelowna, BC with our golfing guests, I asked what was most important to them on this trip. Scenery was the first response and they pointed outside. Since we do custom inbound and outbound golf trips, rather than packages, I am always intrigued by answers to this question. Golf is…
The revamped Ailsa Course at Trump Turnberry is world class. Getting the inside scoop on the course alterations from Jamie Darling of Ayrshire Golf Scotland while playing with him was very insightful. The holes closing out the outward nine and the first two on the back blow you away with ocean views. Stand on the…
While sitting on the patio with Ross, Jeff and Chris at Seymour Golf Club in North Vancouver following an enjoyable round, all four of us discovered we had Scottish blood. It is quite remarkable how many Canadians have these roots and there is a strong pull for us to play links golf, sip whisky and…
Golf is morphing into adjectives. This great game traditionally meant 18 holes to me and was based on what you shot. Simulator golf, FootGolf, mini-golf, 9 hole golf all have their places. If it gets people out to have fun that is great. Now there is popular TopGolf. I find this really entertainment with some…
If you have not had the pleasure of visiting Dornoch you should. The town in the Scottish Highlands is one of the most charming ones you will encounter. Indeed there is spectacular Royal Dornoch Golf Club that draws golfers from far and wide. I get why writer Lorne Rubenstein raves about it in his book….
Later April and May can be very good months to play golf in Scotland. This period falls before the tee sheets fill with North Americans fixated on links golf and others who want to escape the doldrums of everyday life. And the golden gorse sparkles while bracketing fairways. Aesthetically pleasing to the eye but an…
When my good friend Andrew mentioned to me a few years ago that he played more golf on annual trips than the rest of the year this thought lingered. It makes some sense. We hear cost, time and other things to do are why we do not join golf clubs like in the past. Men…
For those interested in learning more about my perspective on golf travel trends and Canadian golf here is a Q&A I had with Matt Ward.Golf Travel Weekly