I took a golf trip myself. Here’s Why (and Why You Should Too)

At some point during every golf trip I’ve taken with friends, I’ve been struck by a moment of deep appreciation mixed with utter disbelief.

How did this group of clowns actually do it? How did each of us agree to a plan, find availability, arrive at the same destination, align courses and start times, and share in the experience of doing what we love most?

And, more importantly, How quickly can we make this happen again?

The vaunted Friends Trip – and the vastly underestimated anticipation it generates – is the most exhilarating experience this sport has to offer mere mortals. It’s also a logistical nightmare.

It is therefore no wonder that more and more travel agencies and operators are entering the global golf tourism industry, which is expected to grow $25.7 billion in 2024 to $42.9 billion in 2033.

Those charged with planning trips know that it is ultimately an exercise in diplomacy and coalition building, not consensus. For everyone involved there is a unique perspective on exactly how the journey should go. Every final decision becomes its own dilemma.

Is all the effort worth it? Absolute. But these trips are not the only way to enjoy the euphoria of golf tourism.

Last month, during the week between Christmas and New Year’s, I experienced a version of golf nirvana I never thought possible: While coordinating an impromptu golf trip, everyone planning to go agreed on the destination, the timing, the lodging, the courses, and how the days would be spent, both on and off the links.

That’s because everyone was me. And only me.

First a little context:

— My wife and I are parents of two school-age boys, ages 9 and 6. “Holiday vacation” is a misnomer. The time away from school requires more vigilance than usual, including occasionally intervening when an argument escalates into an episode of fighting The one from National Geographic “Animal Fighting Club.”

— The advertising agency where I work generously closes the last weeks of every year, giving employees a much-needed reset. My wife, a funeral director, was unable to take time off during the unfortunately busiest time of the year.

— The boys’ grandparents – all angels – are retired and willing to host them from time to time when my wife and I want/need to travel.

For weeks leading up to the holidays, I entertained my wife with the possibility of taking even a few days during the holidays to get out of town as a family. Coast of Oregon, the Black Hills of South Dakota, the north shore of Lake Superior here in Minnesota, anywhere. But such a journey was not possible.

Finally, my wife suggested a radical alternative.

“Clearly you really have to go somewhere,” she said seriously. “Why don’t you just go somewhere…alone?”

Planning a golf trip with your friends with less than a few weeks’ notice is a fool’s errand, especially during the holidays. As such, I did not for a moment consider the possibility that one of my friends might also find themselves in a similar situation, free to leave the city for a few days with due care for their responsibilities. I was also assured by my in-laws that they would watch the boys when I went on a trip and offered my wife a mini-vacation of her own.

One benefit of planning a last-minute trip is that you can make a decision with confidence based on the 10-day national weather forecast. Cold and wet weather was expected in many of the predictable destinations I initially thought of, including the Carolinas, Southern California, Arizona and Florida. The Oregon coast was buffeted by gale force winds and gloom. Only one destination offered mild weather (mid-50s) and no threat of rain: Southwest Utah.

(Side note: International travel was never an option. “Last-minute plane tickets” during the holidays – even Mexico or the Caribbean – aren’t really a thing. Although my wife told me to be selfish, my instincts shifted to spend money on golf instead of plane tickets.)

So about a week after my wife suggested the idea, I took a direct flight from Minneapolis to Las Vegas with nothing but a carry-on and my golf clubs in tow. I grabbed a rental car and drove two hours northeast on I-15, traversing the violent beauty of Nevada’s Valley of Fire Basin and winding through Arizona’s Virgin River Gorge before arriving at the Sand Hollow Resort in St. George, an oasis surrounded by Mars-like desert landscape and Navajo sandstone formations that are more than 180 million years old.

Over the next three days—unaware of the possibility that I would eventually commit my experiences to writing—I maximized every advantage a solo golf trip offers. And it turned out that it was even more glorious than I could have imagined.

What follows is not an argument in return for traveling with friends, but rather the case for solo golf trips for people with limited options, unpredictable schedules and the desire to make their own choices when they travel. Here are just a few reasons why you should strongly consider getting one for yourself.

You control the clock

I’ll be the type of golfer who routinely shows up more than an hour early for a tee time, especially if it’s a new course. I like to do a full driving range session and then familiarize myself with my short game around the greens and bunkers. Too often, this is the most stressful aspect of the friends’ golf trip: making sure everyone gets to the first tee on time, let alone a proper warm-up.

I also love a bucket of balls after the round – a polarizing move that I’ve been harassed for more than a few times. (I understand. Why would a 15-handicap act like Bryson DeChambeau at dusk on a Wednesday before a major, grinding his teeth while fully aware that the cameras are rolling?) In either case, there’s no burden of shepherding the slow pokes into the group, nor is there any pressure to rush to the clubhouse bar when there’s a hitch you’re trying to correct.

Golf doesn’t have to be an afterthought

In addition to golfing, St. George is a top destination for outdoor recreation, including mountain biking, rock climbing, canyoneering and UTV riding. Or so I read.

Of course, I could have made time to visit a nearby trailhead to enjoy a majestic sunset hike, or drive 30 minutes to visit a corner of Zion National Park, or at least hike into downtown St. George to sample the food scene. Instead, my daily agenda consisted of golf and only golf — and more Chipotle burrito bowls than I care to reveal publicly.

Singles have superpowers

Scheduling a start time for arrival day is a high-stakes gamble that cross-country travel plans will not include delays. It is a particularly aggressive play during a holiday travel period.

Luckily, I arrived in St. George around the middle of the day (as planned) and was able to secure a last-minute tee time to play the back nine of The Ledges in St. George as a single. Chances are we could have played anywhere if I needed 2-3 tee times for a larger traveling group – assuming they even wanted to add more golf to the agenda.

No explanation needed

It’s one thing to add golf to the trip. It can be even more controversial to cut back when that little voice tells you that a little less golf wouldn’t be a problem. You don’t have to walk the line between a packed schedule and too much free time, or consider how others feel about a change in plans. If you need to cancel a tee time for any reason, no excuse is necessary.

The people you meet may surprise you

I get it: playing with unknown partners can be tricky and in many ways makes it more challenging to play well. Golf is hard enough without the social element. But this is the part where I tell you that perhaps one of the highlights of a solo golf trip is the people you meet along the way.

Although I was able to complete two rounds of nine holes on my own, during my round at The Champion Course at Sand Hollow I was paired with a pair of Torontonians, Anthony and Antonio. The middle-aged men had been lifelong friends for 35 years and embarked on a much more ambitious golf journey: 10 courses across three states.

After a round of friendly banter and more than a few golf balls in canyons and cacti, Antonio politely shared a dozen photos and videos he took with the Ray-Ban Meta AI sunglasses he was wearing. They are memories that, at that moment, soothed the sting of a scorecard laden with double bogeys.

Despite all the good times and knowledge they offer, the trips with friends are and remain the ultimate golf experience. But a solo golf trip offers something different and just as valuable at this stage of life: freedom. Freedom from logistics, from compromises, from waiting for the notoriously late friend in the group for whom a start time can never be made late enough.

Perhaps the best way to experience the game you love is to play it in a new place.

Only.

Andrew Miller is a freelance journalist and full-time senior vice president of earned creative and media relations at Colle McVoy, a Minneapolis-based creative agency.