Plan your trip on Caddy Scout
Use Caddy Scout's built-in Trip Planner – pin the courses you want to play, see drive distances between each stop and share your full itinerary with your group via a single link. Free, no account required to start.
The Six Steps to a Perfect Golf Trip
Choose Your Destination
The destination defines everything else about your trip. Consider the skill level of everyone in the group – a beginners' group will find championship links exhausting and demoralising, while experienced golfers may find beginner courses underwhelming. Think about how much driving you're willing to do between rounds, and whether scenery, history or pure golf challenge matters most to your group.
Set Your Budget
Budget early and honestly. Golf trip costs have four main components: green fees, accommodation, transport and food/drink. Green fees at championship venues can be £150—£380 per round, whilst excellent golf is available for £25—£80 at regional clubs. Accommodation varies from £30pp/night in a self-catering house shared between eight, to £300+/night at resort hotels.
Book Tee Times
Booking tee times is the most time-critical part of planning. Championship courses fill up 6—12 months ahead. For the most famous venues (Old Course St Andrews, Royal County Down, Muirfield), booking a year in advance is not excessive in the peak summer months. Lesser-known courses can often be booked 4—8 weeks out – and frequently offer better value than the famous alternatives.
Sort Accommodation
Accommodation choice depends heavily on group size. For groups of 6+, a self-catering property (farmhouse, cottage or house) near the golf courses is almost always cheaper, more fun and more flexible than hotel rooms. For pairs or smaller groups, B&Bs and golf hotels offer a more sociable option and often have their own course or discounted access to nearby clubs.
Plan the Format
Agree the competition format before the trip – especially for golf societies. Stableford is the most sociable format for mixed ability groups; it rewards consistency and keeps everyone in the game until the end. A Ryder Cup-style matchplay format works well for groups of four (two pairs), generating genuine team spirit across the trip.
Sort Transport
Transport logistics depend on group size and geography. For 4—6 players, a hire car each or a people-carrier is usually most practical. For groups of 8+, a minibus or coach eliminates the designated-driver problem and allows post-round drinks without restriction. Some areas (Edinburgh, St Andrews) have good enough public transport that a car isn't essential.
Group Trips – Using Caddy Scout
Caddy Scout has a built-in group trip planning feature that makes organising golf tours with friends significantly easier. Here's how it works:
Build your course list
Add any courses from the map to your trip planner. See estimated drive times between consecutive stops.
Invite your group
Generate a shareable link. Your group joins the trip and can see the full itinerary.
Vote on courses
Group members can vote courses up or down. The highest-voted choices rise to the top of the list.
See the route
View total drive time, distance between courses and the optimal order to play them.