Ten Takeaways on Golf Travel H ere are some of the key ideas PGA Professionals and travel experts shared for this story about the state of golf travel: 1 Golf continues to drive leisure travel as a safe, outdoor form of leisure and activity. 2 Business travel is returning more slowly , leading resorts to rely more upon leisure travel for the foreseeable future. 3 PGA Professionals are uniquely positioned to drive value through travel , both at resort facilities and by traveling with golfers. 4 Planning ahead for golf vacations is more important than ever, especially for larger groups. 5 7 9 High demand and a backlog of rescheduled golf trips has led to scarce availability at many destinations. 6 PGA Professionals are being creative to provide travel options in this environment, including offering more driving trips and domestic itineraries. Golfers feel safe at their home courses, and with planning and diligence, PGA Professionals can extend that secure feeling to road trips. 8 Resort facilities are coping with the same difficulties other businesses are facing, from labor shortages to supply chain issues, but PGA Professionals are working to maintain a high-level guest experience. Golf trips don’t need to break the bank. PGA Professionals have a number of options for planning affordable trips (see page 68 for more details, plus expanded digital content on PGAmagazine.com) . 10 PGA Professionals taking members on overseas trips can benefit from using a tour operator for their expertise in navigating the shifting safety protocols for international travel. For example, the coronavirus pandemic is still ongoing. This means some destinations are off-limits or difficult to reach for travelers, while incoming golfers from key feeder markets like Canada and Asia are just starting to return to U.S. destinations. The uncertainty about safety guide-lines, vaccination rules and COVID testing makes planning trips an ongoing process that can change right up to – or during – a golf getaway. There are also coronavirus-related travel trends that are affecting the bottom line at many resorts, such as a dramatic drop in corporate golf events and business travel. Companies have cut back on using events at golf resorts for sales meetings, incentive trips and conferences, and the impact of losing these lucrative events can be felt at many resorts. Until Zoom calls are replaced by people getting on a plane for business travel – with golf clubs – this will be an ongoing area of concern for golf resorts, creating pressure to fill more tee times and hotel beds with local leisure travelers. And while a number of resorts just finished a very busy summer season, the great demand for golf as a safe outdoor leisure activity has created a log-jam for reservations at many destinations. With scores of trips postponed over the past 18 months, a number of resorts are nearly sold out for 2022 and are already booking for 2023 trips. For golfers, that means more advance planning is needed – and more creativity for spur-of-the-moment getaways. There is, however, a proven solution to these complications: The golf travel expertise of PGA Pro-66 | November 2021 | www.pgamagazine.com (password: PGAmag007)