A Good Deal More

Take your mind off the crummy economy for a minute -- there, that's much better, isn't it? -- and consider this: By just about any measure, right now is an outstanding time to take a golf trip. Resorts are hungrier than ever for your business, which means discounts and other special offers are plentiful. If you choose to go overseas, you get the double bonus of a dollar that has grown far stronger in the past year and airfares that have tumbled to five-year lows. If that doesn't make you want to take your clubs on the road, we're not sure what will.

The least expensive way, in most cases, is to plan a trip on your own. (See "Scotland For Less") But the fact is, that's tough work, and the logistics of a golf getaway can test even the most determined do-it-yourselfer -- especially when you're going overseas. A good tour operator can be a huge help, not just in organizing your journey but in making sure your money is well spent.

The trick is, you've got to pick the right tour operator. Dick Matullo learned this lesson several years ago when he and three friends enlisted a company to arrange a trip to Ireland. They were scheduled to fly on Sept. 12, 2001. The terrorist attacks put an end to that plan, of course. But Matullo's tour operator refused to refund his $3,000 deposit. "When [September 11] happened, everyone was getting their money back from tour operators," says Matullo, who runs an advertising business in Atlanta. "But our guy hemmed and hawed. He finally said he could give us credit to go in a couple of weeks. We said, 'We're businessmen. We can't go in a couple of weeks. This was when we planned to go!'" The golfers talked to a lawyer about suing, though they decided it wasn't worth the expense and hassle.

So how do you find tour operators who will make your trip go smoothly -- and won't cause more headaches than they solve? Following is a simple four-step plan to help you find the right company for your trip. It's based on interviews with reputable golf-tour operators, government tourism officials and paying customers, as well as the experiences of Golf Digest writers and editors.

Warming up
Dozens of golf-tour operators serve the most popular destinations these days, but you needn't knock yourself out trying to contact them all. Having three or four of them work up proposed itineraries should be plenty. This will give you a variety of options and a chance to compare prices -- as well as the people you'll be dealing with at several firms.

Everyone agrees referrals are the best way to select the companies you're going to contact. If you have friends who were happy with tour operators they used, start with those names. But don't stop there. You need to ask some specific questions about their trips, because there's no telling whether their expectations were the same as yours. For example:

&bull Did the tour operator suggest any courses? Were they good?
&bull Were you happy with your tee times? (Better, more established tour operators can often get you better times.)
&bull What were the hotel rooms like?
&bull Was the itinerary good? How was it getting from Point A to Point B?
&bull If you used a driver, what was he like? Did he heed all your requests?
&bull Were you directed to good restaurants and other off-course activities?
&bull If something went wrong, how did it get fixed?
&bull Did you feel the trip was a good value for your money?
&bull And perhaps the most important question of them all: Did everything on the trip live up to your expectations?

If you don't have many friends who've used tour operators, government tourism offices can be good resources. Tourism Ireland has a help desk (800-223-6470) and can offer names of approved tour operators. For the full list, go to discoverireland.com and click on "Plan Your Visit," then "Tour Operators." Scotland keeps its list of affiliated companies at golf.visitscotland.com/operators Says David Brice, president of Golf International, a New York-based tour operator: "No tourist board wants to be mixed in with somebody going belly up."

It's also worth reaching out to two industry groups, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (iagto.com) and the North American Golf Tour Operators' Alliance (nagtoa.com). Choosing a company that belongs to one of these groups is not a guarantee of, well, anything. Yet they offer a minimal seal of approval, and their websites are a good place to find contact info for their members.

Many in golf travel suggest using only tour operators based in your home country. The argument is that if you have a serious complaint about your trip, you'll have a much easier time addressing it though your home country's legal system. That might be true -- though it seems odd to ignore all international tour operators. They are in a position to know their markets better than anybody. Besides, as Dick Matullo found out with his ill-fated trip in 2001, there might be no such thing as an "easy" resolution to these kinds of problems anyway. Your best bet: picking companies known to be reputable, regardless of where they're based.

Making contact
Once you've chosen three or four tour operators, call them to see what they can do for you. Listen carefully, and you will learn a ton about these companies in your first interactions with them.

Beyond the obvious stuff -- are they courteous on the phone? Can they get you a proposed itinerary in a couple of days? -- pay special attention to their knowledge of your destination. A good tour operator should "ask for your wish list of courses and then start giving you some input on them," says Brice of Golf International. "It's not like a waitress taking orders. There should be some give and take."