Best Golf Tour Operators

One day—eventually—there will be overseas golf trips again. If you’d like help organizing one, you might want to reach out to a tour operator now, because it looks like 2022 is going to be extremely busy.

These five firms are an excellent place to start. The pandemic has been rough on them, as it has on most travel businesses, but they’re still standing and ready to help you build the trip of a lifetime.

Perry Golf is rooted in trips to Scotland but it also offers a wide menu of cruises in partnership with the Azamara line, including trips through the British Isles, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Kalos Golf is almost entirely cruise-based, with smaller ships than many—about 100 passengers—and an eye for luxury.

Haversham & Baker Expeditions emphasizes small group travel to Britain, Ireland and Europe, using private buses and exclusive-use accommodations. Carr Golf and Celtic Golf are outstanding for Irish trips. In non-pandemic times, the former hosts multiple father-son and father-daughter tournaments each year and the latter has built a nice business out of pairing golf travel with big international events such as the Solheim Cup.

The truth is, any of these firms would be great help in planning a golf trip anywhere. Our advice: Contact them all to see what they’ve got and what they charge. And again, we wouldn’t delay. Because of the coronavirus, there’s a ton of pent-up demand. On top of that, the Open Championship will be held at St. Andrews in ’22, attracting all the more golfers while limiting the supply of tee times.