Travel hacking is more than points and miles it is also about getting the best deal on anything related to your trip. This includes the accommodation, excursions, and any activities you enjoy such as golf. I previously wrote about how I hacked the high life by traveling in a large group. That allowed me to hire a private chef, rent a 5-star vacation home on the water, and enjoy the finer things in life for a fraction of the cost. These are all things miles and points can’t buy. The same can be applied to playing a world class golf course anywhere in the world you just need to know where to look.
Golf is a passion of mine and I have played some of the top courses in the United States. From Pinehurst No. 2 to Pebble Beach I have seen some amazing golf courses. Playing golf outside of your home country brings on a new set of challenges. You have to work with you travel budget, bringing clubs, and finding the top courses. That is why I am developing a site devoted to reviewing top courses. I am starting with Mexico because it is easy to get to and has some of the best in the world. We are planning to launch next year and more information can be found at bestgolfmexico.com.
When I was in Playa del Carmen I wanted to play some of their top courses but they are not cheap. You can easily expect to pay $250 for 18 holes of golf. And if you are gong to hand over $250 for greens fees you want it to be an amazing experience. But you do not need to pay full price or ever waste your money on a course that isn’t the best and here is how I do it. And when you’re in Bangkok, you can also explore some of these golf courses in Bangkok to make the most of your golfing passion. Bangkok offers a variety of golfing experiences that you won’t want to miss out on.
Booking a Tee Time
Every golf course has a home site where you can reserve a tee time but don’t expect any deals. They will want top dollar for every golfer. Luckily there are sites out there that offer deals for golfers and some of the best courses in Mexico.
EZlinks Golf allows you to find the best deals and even name your own price. It is like the Priceline for golf.
Let’s look at Playa Mujeres as an example.
They are advertising the rate at $253 for regular rate and $152 for the twilight rate.
Now head over to EZlinks and see what they are offering.
As you can see the EZlinks rate is $117 which beats both of the advertised rates by a lot. The key here is to check multiple booking sites before making a reservation. Just like Hacking a Flight there are multiple sites showing different rates.
Twilight rates
Sometimes your course may not appear on a site like EZlinks but you still want to play it. Luckily they all offer twilight rates. This is typically rounds offered after 1pm at a lower rate. The drawback might be the heat of the mid-day sun but depending on the month it may be no issue at all. Besides saving upwards of $100 to play after 1pm is a solid deal.
Replays
A reply is when a course offers you to play the same course (or another at their club) for a significantly lower rate. For example, if Playa Mujeres charges $253 to play at 9am and you finish by 1pm they allow you to tee it up again for a much lower rate for the same day. Some courses replays are as low as $75. 36 holes in one day is a lot but I have done this many times and when you have a cart it is a lot of fun.
Bringing clubs vs renting?
This is completely up to you as the golfer. When I travel I usually do not want to take my golf clubs unless the trip is specifically for golf. Rental fees can range from $40-75 USD depending on the course. Airlines charge anywhere from $25-35 USD which isn’t so bad when you consider its roughly the same cost as an extra bag.
If you only plan to play one day of golf renting might be easier if the alternative is no golf at all. But if you plan to play a few rounds paying to bring your clubs will pay itself off in 2-3 rounds of golf. If you are a serious golfer there is probably no question you are bringing your clubs, however, sometimes I simply prefer to leave them at home.
Which Course Should You Play?
This isn’t an easy decision because there are usually many courses to choose from in popular travel destinations. The best thing to do is research the area. Look at photos from the actual golfers and not professional photos on their home site. TripAdvisor actually is pretty good for this. Golfers upload their personal photos and you can see the true condition of the course. This is a good resource for making your course selection on vacation.
Best Golf Mexico
As I mentioned I am developing a new site where I review top golf course in Mexico. The goal is to provide the best courses, how to get on them (if they are private), and accurate reviews from real golfers. I will play as many as I can but I will need your help. Sign-up to be notified when the site goes live. Right now we are collecting interested golfers and next year plan to launch a site dedicated to the best courses in Mexico. You will never waste your money on a course under construction with misleading photos again. Real reviews from real golfers.
