Every golfer loves the idea of packing up their clubs and heading to the course. Connecting with friends while hitting a small white ball is the stuff dreams are made of. And even on the days where you don’t have the best score ... well, you know how the saying goes.

Your golf experience can take you down the road to a familiar clubhouse,

or if you’re feeling adventurous, it’s time to take your game across the pond. Here are the 4 reasons why an international golf vacation makes the perfect getaway.

1. Find your new favorite course. While the United States has many courses which are considered the best in the world according to GOLF Magazine, only eight are available to the public. Compare that to twenty-seven listed in Ireland and Great Britain all of which are open to travelers. You will be scratching courses off your bucket list in no time.

2. Make memories with family and friends. It might be a long-awaited

trip with your dad to Royal Dornoch in Scotland or a bachelor party with a round at Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic. No matter where you go, you’ll be spending a lot of time together both on and off the links. If COVID has taught us anything, it is that time spent with the ones we love is precious.

3. Learn the history of the game ... where it started. America has a long history with the game of golf, but it can’t compete with what’s found in Scotland. The Open Championship had been played for more than thirty years before the first 18-hole golf course was built in the United States. In Scotland, you’ll be able to walk in the footsteps of Old Tom Morris when you play at Prestwick or the Old Course at St. Andrews.

4. Challenge yourself. Your home course is comfortable. You know the lay of the land and how fast the green is. While playing this course consistently may help you become better at the basics, you aren’t actually growing. The only way to do that is to get out of your comfort zone. Take the first

hole at Ashburnham in Wales, which is an unusually tough par three.