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It's just like the hamburger commercial; Have it your own way! Your annual golf outing serves to be the best possible vacation. Make it your own way. Forget "the package" and design your own special, personalized group get away.

In my last article, I have an overview of how you can put together a terrific group golf vacation. In this article, I will go into much more detail concerning the organization and preparation. I have been setting up the ideal gathering for our group for 18 years. There are refinements every year and we think we have arrived at the optimum outing.

You will be driving this bus, so get the ball rolling. Do a little research and pick a location. This location should have plenty of vacation rental homes and a good selection of golf courses. You do not want to play the same course every day. You should be able to do most or all of your research online to find out about rental house and golf course specifics, including costs.

Get the word out to the troops. I like to send out a humorous email to introduce the event and then follow up with more emails and phone calls. I recommend you send out an email to everyone you think might be remotely interested about five months in advance. Some will not be able to make it due to family, work, interest, etc. You should hope to wind up with a group size around eight. Anywhere from six to twelve is great. Five people is the worst group size due to tee times. More than twelve is too hard to organize or find lodging in the same house.

Pick out a window of time. We usually grab the last week in February to get the northern gents out of the snow and still stay in the low rate season for the southern golf courses. As an example of an introductory email, you could send something like this:

"It has come to my attention through the minions who surround me and perform my every whim that there may be those among you desiring driving sleet, incomprehensible wind chill, unplayable lies, unreachable par 3's, impossible odds, foot-wedging opponents, gross bending of the USGA rules, hairy greens, thick frost, lightening fast down-hills, moguls, knee deep rough, more sand and water than water front property, Velcro removal during back swings, exploding coughs during precision chips, un-winnable stroke streams complete with unyielding stroke givers and takers, 179-degree dog legs, and brutal rangers in leather and chains.

If this is the type of outing you've been dreaming about, keep dreaming. I can not make it happen. But picture this:

-A luxurious house with a separate bed for everyone.

-18 to 36 holes of golf per day on pristine courses.

-A gourmet meal every night.

-All the comforts, food and drink of home.

-Evening entertainment.

-Sensational camaraderie.

I am looking at an arrival date of (date) and departure date of (date). We will be gathering in (city, state). For a group of eight of us, and assuming we average 27 holes per day, your cost should be around $ XXX for the housing, food, drink, golf and rental cars. (Note: Our cost per man for food and drink for seven days was $ 160 in 2005.) Please reply before (date) by answering:

What is the percentage chance you can come for these dates? What is the percentage chance you could make other dates? What dates would you prefer? Other recommendations: "

You have now set the stage. For those you do not hear back from, get on the phone and hash it out. Through all of your responses, you will come up with the consensus of length of vacation and dates through give and take.

Over the next four months you will be:

-Getting firm commitments from your group members

-Arriving at a firmer consensus on golf venue

-Receiving food and drink orders to allow you to make the shopping list

-Reserving the vacation house and rental cars

-Getting tee times

I like to periodically whet everyone's appetite and keep the excitation level up. Setting up a website especially for your group is a great way to do this. It is just a little thing I whipped up using MS Publisher. An easier way for you to do this would be to get a free Blog set up for this purpose. I recommend blogger dot com.

Over the years, we have realized two key things about lodging. The first is that it makes a huge difference in camaraderie when the whole group stays under the same roof. The second is the value in everyone having a separate bed (you know how guys are). The only way to achieve this is to pick a location where there are a bunch of rental homes in order for you to pick one that allows this. (Plug for Isle of Palms, SC: you can find what you need there.)

It may not seem to you like time is of the essence, but work schedules, vacation allotments, spousal plans, ticket costs, and your preparation needs demand that you DO get this ball rolling. Once you have sent your introductory email and done your phone calling, several of your planned guests will have trouble pulling the trigger. Work with them as you can, but I have found that you will need your firm group established two months ahead of time (give or take one guy or so.) A fine point for you: Ask for a nominal deposit from each of the troops .

Over time, I know that the cost of our vacation, outside of airfare, will be around $ 900. In one of my follow up emails, I simply ask the players to send around half of that to me. It emphasizes commitment.

In selecting the location of your rental home, consider the driving time to the golf courses you will be playing. We have found that twenty minutes travel time is great, thirty minutes is OK, but forty minutes is too long. The longer drives are certainly bearable, but if you are planning a winter vacation, you will have to have a fairly early tee time in the morning to allow lunch and another 18 in the afternoon. After telling tales later into the evening, beating the sun to the course, heading home and preparing the discomfort, it gets to be a long day.

This takes us to the minus-two-months time frame.

In Part Three of this series, we will get into getting great golf rates, shopping lists, and easy administration.

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Source by Randall Ulbricht

Chris Ryan shows you just how versatile a hybrid club can be by showing you 3 different uses for it out on the golf course. ▻Subscribe to Chris Ryan Golf for …

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See the top five shots from the final round of The 147th Open at Carnoustie. Download Golf Channel App and watch from anywhere! iTunes: …

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Six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo teaches Anna Whiteley how to pitch with greater attack and confidence.

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British Columbia is home to over 300 golf courses – so how to you narrow down the list and choose where to play? Read on to learn about some BC's record-breaking or just plain interesting golf courses – perhaps not the best list for planning BC Golf vacations, but some great options to consider, nonetheless.

Highest Elevation: The Golf Course at Sun Peaks Resort

Located 1,200 meters above Sea Level, The Golf Course at Sun Peaks Resort is one not to be missed on your BC golf vacation. On top of the spectacular panoramic mountain views, you'll love how the thin air lets your ball travel further and how the elevation offers a cool retreat from the Okanagan, BC summer heat.

Most Prestigious (Expensive) Golf Course: Capilano Golf & Country Club

Located in one of Canada's wealthiest postal codes, this West Vancouver members-only club is one of Stanley Thompson's architectural masterpieces. Play 18 holes, framed by rugged mountain landscapes and sparkling waters, follow by an ultra-exclusive clubhouse lunch and you've got a great day on the links, daaaahling .

Most Delicious Golf Course: The Harvest Golf Club

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but what does it do for your golf game? Find out at East Kelowna's Harvest Golf Club where their motto is "Pick as you Play" This course boasts abundant fruit trees bearing apples, peaches, pears, cherries and apricots which golfers are encouraged to enjoy while they play. Does not this sound like a lovely way to spend a BC summer day?

Best Golf Hole: Greywolf Golf Club

Par 3 Hole 6, better know as "Cliffhanger" at Panorama's Greywolf Golf Club challenges golfers to carefully drive across an alpine valley to the green, 172 yards away. Voted Best Par 3 Hole by Score Golf's Golfers Choice Awards, Best Golf Hole in BC by the Vancouver Sun and One of Canada's Ten Best Holes by The Globe and Mail, this is definitely one golf experience.

Most Challenging Greens: Predator Ridge

BC Golf vacations should not be without a few challenges. With this in mind, check out Predator Ridge – a beautiful 27-hole golf complex, just outside of Vernon, well-known (or feared) for its tricky greens. Golf Canada Contributor, Chris Baldwin shares:

"Every green you do not three-putt at Predator Ridge is cause for a Tiger Woods fist-pump – heck, maybe even one of those LPGA-winner leaps into a lake."

Most Scenic Golf Course: Furry Creek

The prettiest golf course with the funniest name (ok, in my opinion), Furry Creek can be found between Vancouver and Whistler, just off the sea-to-sky highway. Framed by fjord-like vistas, steep mountains rising from the water's edge and off-shore islands with dense vegetation it's no wonder it continues to earn accolades as BC's most landscaped and beautifully landscaped golf course.

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Source by Clay Haeber