Stories & guides
Journal
Course reviews, destination guides, and travel stories from specialists who have been there.
The Cyprus Argument
Four hours from London. Cliff-top golf that puts the Algarve in context. Why is nobody talking about Aphrodite Hills?
5 min read · cyprus
Agadir vs Marrakech: The Golf Debate
Marrakech gets the attention. Agadir gets the rounds. Here's why smart golfers are choosing the wrong city.
5 min · morocco
Playing Real Scotland
Beyond Gleneagles and St Andrews — the Highland courses that shaped the game, and why British golfers are the last to know about them
6 min · scotland
When Portugal's Full
Why Turkey's Belek region is quietly becoming the smart golfer's spring alternative
5 min · turkey
Why we created Hosted Tours
Eight golfers. One specialist who has played every course. Fixed dates. Limited spaces. This is a different way to travel.
5 min · Hosted Tours
Leopard Creek: why it changes you
There are courses you play and courses that stay with you. Leopard Creek is the second kind. Nigel Burch has been 34 times. Here is why.
8 min · South Africa
The last morning feeling
Every great golf trip ends the same way. You pack slowly. You take one more look at the view. You think: I should have booked longer.
6 min · Travel
What your handicap actually tells us about where to send you
A 6 handicapper and a 22 handicapper want completely different things from the same destination. Most travel companies don't know how to tell the difference.
7 min · Planning
Cruise golf: how we organise tee times at every port of call
You book the cruise. We handle everything else. Tee times, transfers, club hire — delivered to your cabin before you board.
6 min · Cruise Golf
Japan golf etiquette: what British golfers get wrong (and how to get it right)
The caddie bow. The clubhouse shoes. The post-round bath ritual. Everything you need to know before you book.
7 min · Japan
The Canary Islands' best kept golf secret: Buenavista del Norte
The only Seve Ballesteros design in the Canaries. On the north-west tip of Tenerife. Most golfers who fly there don't know it exists.
6 min · Canary Islands
Golf society trip to Portugal: the complete budget planner for 12 players
Flight cost. Hotel per night. Green fees by course. Transfer split. What £1,800pp, £2,400pp, and £3,200pp buys a group of 12 in the Algarve.
8 min · Golf Society
Golf technology by 2030: the six developments that will change how you play
AI coaching in your ear. Biometric clubs. Real-time green-reading from satellites. Some of it is here already. The rest is 36 months away.
8 min · Golf Tech
What 14 years in golf travel actually taught me
The courses that changed how I think. The mistakes clients make. The single piece of advice I give every new enquiry.
9 min · Opinion
Monte Rei Golf & Country Club: the best course in Portugal that nobody plays enough
Jack Nicklaus's only Iberian design. 45 minutes east of Faro. On any given weekday you'll have it virtually to yourself.
7 min · Portugal
Why Belek is the world's best-value golf destination
More PGA-grade courses per mile than Scotland, all-inclusive luxury from £420pp per night, and sunshine from April to October.
7 min · Turkey
Shot Scope V5 vs Garmin Approach vs Hole19: which GPS platform is right for you?
Three different approaches to golf GPS and performance tracking. Dedicated watch, multi-sport watch, or app? The head-to-head from 60 rounds of testing.
8 min · Golf Tech
Pebble Beach: how to book it, what it costs, and what to expect
The most famous golf course in North America. The booking process nobody explains clearly. And the 18th green moment that catches every first-timer off guard.
9 min · USA
Mauritius golf: what nobody tells you
The courses are extraordinary. But it's the twenty minutes between the 18th green and the first drink that most people forget to plan.
5 min · Mauritius
The electric trolley in 2025: from lead-acid to lithium, from dial controls to app
How the humble push trolley became a GPS-guided, app-controlled, 36-hole machine. The full history and the current best buys.
7 min · Golf Tech
Verdura Resort: a review of Sicily's finest golf hotel
Three Rocco Forte courses. A Sicilian headland. The most thoughtfully designed golf resort in Europe that nobody outside Italy knows about.
8 min · Sicily
Bali golf guide: Nirwana, New Kuta, and the par-3 that stops grown men in their tracks
A Balinese temple. A cliff edge. The Indian Ocean below. The most photographed par-3 in Asia and why it still surprises me every time.
7 min · Bali
Five Algarve courses nobody talks about
San Lorenzo gets all the headlines. Here are the five courses that the people who actually live there play.
6 min · Portugal
Golf tech in 2025: the five things genuinely worth buying, and the five things that aren't
After two years of testing, this is the honest short list. The tech that improved our games versus the tech that gathered dust.
7 min · Golf Tech
Full Swing KIT: the simulator Tiger Woods invested in, reviewed honestly
£3,500. Tiger Woods' name on the box. One of the most accurate indoor golf simulators under £5,000. Does the tech match the marketing?
7 min · Golf Tech
Old Head of Kinsale: a review of Ireland's most dramatic golf course
A promontory 100 metres above the Atlantic. Thirteen holes with sea on three sides. The green fee that makes people pause — and then pay it.
7 min · Ireland
Putting technology: Blast Motion, the SAM PuttLab, and whether any of it actually works
The stroke that accounts for 40% of your shots. The technology designed to fix it. The honest verdict from 18 months of data-driven putting practice.
8 min · Golf Tech
Golf in Mauritius: the Constance Belle Mare guide
The Links course. The Indian Ocean. The 7th hole with the lagoon behind it. Why Mauritius is not just a beach holiday with a golf course attached.
7 min · Mauritius
Dubai golf holiday: the Earth Course and beyond
December to February, Dubai delivers world-class golf at 26°C. The Earth Course, Yas Links, and a trip that does not require you to fake enthusiasm about the destination.
7 min · Dubai
Whoop, Apple Watch, and the serious golfer's case for tracking recovery, not just distance
Sleep score, HRV, readiness. The data that predicts whether you'll play well tomorrow — before you've hit a shot.
8 min · Golf Tech
Belek vs the Algarve: which delivers better value for serious golfers?
Head-to-head on courses, hotels, green fees, weather, and logistics. The answer surprises most people who haven't been to Turkey.
8 min · Turkey
Valderrama: a personal review of the greatest course in continental Europe
The Ryder Cup. The WGC. The members who preserved it. And the par-4 4th that I've been thinking about for six years.
8 min · Spain
AI caddies: can course management data replace the caddie who has walked this course for thirty years?
Shot Scope, Arccos Course View, and Garmin's CourseView+ all offer AI-driven club suggestions. Here's where they help, where they fail, and what they'll never replace.
7 min · Golf Tech
How to organise a golf society trip abroad: the complete guide
12 players. 5 flights. 7 hotels. 4 courses. One tee time that can't move. Here's how to do it without it becoming a full-time job.
10 min · Golf Society
Golf ball technology: what the 2025 ball actually does that your 2015 ball didn't
Multi-layer construction, speed-boosting cores, urethane covers. A decade of development, translated into what it means for your score.
8 min · Golf Tech
Nine Bridges, Jeju Island: the most surprising course I've ever played
A South Korean private members' club that ranks in the world's top 20. I was not prepared for it. You won't be either.
7 min · South Korea
Why October is the best month for golf in the Algarve
Empty courses. Post-summer rainfall restoring pace and colour. Green fees down 25%. 24°C and no wind. The Algarve's finest secret.
5 min · Portugal
Golf on a cruise: how we actually make it work across five ports
The ship docks. A golf car meets you at the gangway. You're on the first tee forty minutes later. Here's the logistics behind what looks like magic.
9 min · Cruise
Swing analysis apps: are they actually useful, or just expensive toys?
V1 Golf, Hudl Technique, Swing Profile, and Coach's Eye. What each does, what each costs, and whether any of them can substitute for a real lesson.
8 min · Golf Tech
South Africa: Cape Town to the Garden Route to Leopard Creek
Three regions, four days of driving through some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, and six courses that range from very good to genuinely unmissable.
11 min · South Africa
Portugal vs Spain for golf: which should you choose?
The definitive head-to-head from someone who has played both extensively. The answer is not what most people expect.
8 min · Portugal
South Korea: why Nine Bridges changed how I think about parkland golf
A week in Jeju Island and Seoul that left the group debating whether it might be the best golf trip they've ever taken. They weren't wrong.
10 min · South Korea
TopTracer Range: the best thing to happen to practice golf in a decade
Ball tracking. Game modes. Course targets. Why the driving range is now the most technologically interesting place in golf — and why I changed how I practice.
7 min · Golf Tech
Is Japan worth it for a golf holiday? Yes. Here's exactly why.
Immaculate conditions, extraordinary hospitality, courses with genuine character. The 12-hour flight is the only thing stopping most people. Don't let it.
9 min · Japan
East Africa + Indian Ocean: the circuit that changes what you think golf travel is
Nairobi to the Serengeti to Zanzibar — with golf threaded through it. Why this is the most ambitious itinerary we offer, and the one clients talk about for years.
14 min · Kenya
Dubai, Oman, Mauritius: the grand Gulf circuit and why it works
Three countries. Three completely different worlds. One itinerary that flows better than it has any right to — and why February is the only month to run it.
11 min · Dubai
Vietnam golf holiday: the complete guide
Da Nang has three world-class courses within 25 minutes of each other. Why is nobody talking about this?
9 min · Vietnam
Smart clubs: what Cobra Connect's sensor data actually tells you about your game
Sensors in every grip. Automatic distance tracking. Usage stats per club. The honest verdict on whether embedded tech changes how you play.
8 min · Golf Tech
Japan in two weeks, done properly
Tokyo, Hakone, Kyoto, Hiroshima — and the six courses that connect them into a single journey that makes no concessions on culture or on scoring.
13 min · Japan
The home golf simulator: a complete setup guide from £1,500 to £15,000
Net, mat, launch monitor, software. The configurations that actually work in a spare room, a garage, or a dedicated space. Prices, pitfalls, and what we'd build at each budget.
12 min · Golf Tech
Da Nang to Hua Hin: fourteen days, two countries, one itinerary that just works
We've run this route four times now. Here's everything — the courses, the transfers, the things that surprised us, and why January is the only month to do it.
12 min · Vietnam
Carnoustie vs Turnberry: which should you play first?
Two of Scotland's greatest courses, completely different in character. The answer depends entirely on what kind of golfer you are.
7 min · Scotland
Three Canary Islands, six rounds, eight days: the island-hopping circuit that works
Tenerife to Gran Canaria to Lanzarote — inter-island flights are cheap, the courses are better than you've been told, and the whole thing costs less than Portugal.
8 min · Canary Islands
Bushnell Tour V6 vs Garmin Laser Z82: the rangefinder comparison every golfer needs
Slope-adjusted distance, vibration confirmation, magnetic mount. At £350–400, which laser rangefinder is worth your money in 2025?
7 min · Golf Tech
Morocco then Portugal: two worlds, one week, an itinerary nobody runs but everyone should
Three rounds at Agadir and Marrakech, then three in the Algarve. The contrast alone is worth the trip.
9 min · Morocco
The technology I carry on every golf trip — and what I leave at home
GPS watch, rangefinder, Arccos or not? After fourteen years of travelling with clients, here's what makes the bag and what doesn't.
6 min · Golf Tech
Launch monitor showdown: Trackman, Flightscope Mevo+, and the Garmin Approach R10
The £25,000 tour standard, the £1,799 serious amateur option, and the £499 home unit. Which one is worth the money for a golfer who is not on tour?
10 min · Golf Tech
The Algarve–Andalucía crossing: Portugal into Spain in one seamless week
Quinta do Lago to Valderrama via Sotogrande — and why this eight-day route gives you the best of both countries without the return journey feeling like a retreat.
10 min · Portugal
Barbados to St Lucia: the Caribbean golf island hop that most people miss
Two islands, four rounds, ten nights — and why the inter-island dynamic makes this better than staying put in either one.
8 min · Caribbean
The Scotland links circuit: five courses that will change how you think about golf
Old Course, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Kingsbarns, Crail. The sequence that every serious golfer should play once — and most play twice.
8 min · Scotland
Golf GPS watches in 2025: ranked by someone who has worn four of them
Garmin Approach S70, Bushnell Ion Elite, Shot Scope V5, Apple Watch Ultra 2. Distance, mapping, battery, and which one you should actually buy.
8 min · Golf Tech
How much does a golf holiday in Portugal cost? The real numbers.
The honest breakdown: flights, hotels, green fees, transfers. No hidden extras. What £1,800, £2,800, and £4,500pp actually gets you.
7 min · Portugal
The Scotland–Ireland links circuit: how to connect them into a single journey
Old Course to Ballybunion via Royal Dornoch, Lahinch, and Waterville — the logic, the logistics, and why driving matters more than flying.
12 min · Scotland
Arccos Caddie: does AI actually improve your game? An honest review after two years of data
2,400 tracked shots. 180 rounds. A handicap that dropped 2.4. The honest verdict on golf's most popular shot-tracking system.
10 min · Golf Tech
How to get a tee time on the Old Course at St Andrews — the complete guide
The ballot. The singles queue. The private route that actually works. Everything a British golfer needs to know before booking flights.
10 min · Scotland
The autonomous golf bag revolution: self-propelling caddies that actually work
Motocaddy M7 GPS, Stewart Golf Q Follow, MGI Zip Navigator X5. Three bags that follow you around the course. One honest verdict.
9 min · Golf Tech
Best time to visit South Africa for golf — the honest answer
October, November, and January. Here's exactly why, with the month-by-month breakdown that nobody publishes honestly.
6 min · South Africa
Golf and safari: how to combine them without compromise
The two best things you can do in southern Africa, on the same trip, without either one suffering. Here's exactly how we structure it.
8 min · South Africa
Leopard Creek: the greatest golf course in Africa
Crocodiles in the water hazards. Elephants on the boundary fence. Mozambique three miles east. I've played 600 courses. This is different.
9 min · South Africa
2022: Japan back, Morocco live, and the year we crossed 400 client trips
400 trips. 16 countries. Japan after three years. Morocco for the first time. And the corporate group that brought 22 people to Belek and asked us to do it again immediately.
6 min · Year in Review
Japan reopens: the first Dormie group back after three years
October 2022. Kawana Hotel. Eight clients who had been rebooked twice. The mountain was clear. The caddies hadn't forgotten us.
8 min · Japan
Ten things I know after ten years of doing this
Not advice. Not a manifesto. Just ten things that are true about planning a golf trip that I didn't know in 2012 and that I now tell every client who asks.
8 min · James Kinloch
2021: the year our clients stopped putting it off
362 trips. 14 countries. The biggest South Africa year we'd ever had. And the question every client asked: when can I go again?
6 min · Year in Review
Trip report: Vietnam 2021 — the first Da Nang group back after the pandemic
Six clients. The dry season in full swing. A Montgomerie Links that hadn't been played by tourists in eighteen months. It was in remarkable condition.
7 min · Vietnam
Golf travel returns: what changed after eighteen months away and what didn't
Course conditions. Pricing. The pent-up demand we didn't fully predict. And the client who'd been waiting two years to play Leopard Creek.
7 min · Golf Travel
2020: a year of no trips and a year of preparing for every trip
We sent zero clients on holiday. We researched 23 new itineraries, rebuilt our approach to proposals, and had 847 conversations with clients about where they'd go first.
6 min · Year in Review
What we did during lockdown — and the list we made of every trip we'd been putting off
Eighteen months. No trips. A lot of time to think about which journeys actually matter and why the clients who'd already been to South Africa all said the same thing.
7 min · Dormie
2019: the year Vietnam changed everything
Da Nang in February. A phone call from the Montgomerie Links 14th hole. And why we now think Asia is the most exciting region in golf travel.
7 min · Year in Review
Trip report: Japan 2019 — Kawana, Hirono, and the morning the fog cleared over Fuji
Our second Japan group. Eight golfers who had been sceptical about the flight. What they said on the last evening in Tokyo.
8 min · Japan
2018: the year we played 41 courses across 14 countries
Our busiest year to date. Japan for the first time. Mauritius in its best February. And the phone call from the Mara River at 6am.
7 min · Year in Review
Trip report: South Africa 2018 — Leopard Creek, Fancourt, and a group of twelve who had never been to Africa
Twelve golfers. Most of them on their first trip to Africa. What happened when the elephant walked across the boundary wire on the 15th.
9 min · South Africa
Why we started Dormie — and what we were trying to fix
After eight years booking golf trips for other companies, I sat down and wrote a list of everything I'd been doing wrong on their behalf. Dormie was the answer.
8 min · James Kinloch