|
 |
Welcome to our 6th Newsletter Issued on Monday, February 10th, 2025 |
| | Hey there, passionate golf travelers, friends and colleagues,
January has blown by in a flurry of activity, leaving us a little breathless but incredibly excited for what’s to come! From bustling conference halls where we connected with industry leaders representating emerging European golfing destinations, to a surge of bookings that have our calendars overflowing, this month has been a whirlwind. We’ve been busy crafting dream itineraries and answering several trip requests, all while catching the first whispers of spring in the air.
Get ready for a jam-packed newsletter where we recap all the highlights, share some exciting updates, and maybe even inspire your next getaway! |
| ✈️ Highlights on the new European Travel Requirements ✈️ |
|
Get ready for some important updates if you’re planning a golf trip to Europe in 2025! While Europe’s charm remains timeless, travel requirements are getting a 21st-century makeover. Both the UK and the European Union are introducing new electronic travel authorization systems, meaning a little extra prep work before you can indulge in those croissants or explore those ancient castles.
ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) for the United Kingdom (UK), England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. As of January 8, 2025, all US-citizens need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to enter the United Kingdom (UK), including babies and children, whatever the nature of your trip. The easiest way to apply is to download the UK ETA App on your phone through the Apple Store or Google Play. The procedure takes 20 minutes and there 3 steps to complete the application: The confirmation usually arrives within the next 72 hours after submission.
ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System ) for all the European Union countries. Not to be outdone, the European Union is introducing its own travel authorization system, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), sometime in mid-2025. Rest assured, we will monitor closely the ongoing situation and inform our clients about the launch date. This means that travelers from visa-exempt countries, including US citizens, will need to apply for an ETIAS before venturing into most European countries. This waiver will be linked with your passport and will be valid for up to three years until the passport expires, which comes first. If your get a new passport, you need to get a new ETIAS travel authorization. The cost of the waiver will be 7 Euro per person; some travellers may be exempt. We advice our clients to apply for the ETIAS as soon as your trip is booked to guarantee the obtention and avoid delays. Click here to access the ETIAS registration portal.
Don’t Get Caught Off Guard! These new requirements are designed to enhance security and streamline travel, but it’s crucial to be prepared. Keep an eye out for official announcements and detailed guidelines from the UK and EU authorities. We’ll also be sure to keep you updated as more information becomes available.
Stay tuned for more details in our upcoming newsletters, where we’ll break down everything you need to know about these new travel requirements. |
| ⛳️ Our attendance to the PGA Show in Orlando, Jan 21-23 🇺🇸 |
| What a great way to start 2025! Our team attended the much anticipated PGA Show in Orlando from January 21 to January 23. Even the freezing temperatures and the worst weather in history couldn’t keep us away from the greatest annual event in our industry. Many leaders reflected on the “phenomenal scale of this year’s show – the largest one since 2009 with 1,100 brands participating and 33,000 industry professionals there”. We were delighted to spend time within the Irish and the Scottish teams there and reconnect with some friends.
Surprisingly enough, many other European destinations came to the show & we were able to meet with partners from England, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain as well. We met with great folks from The Belfry, Portmarnock Resort and Jameson Golf Links Hotel, the Galgorm, Mayrange Hospitality Group, Verdura Resort, Castiglion del Bosco, Costa Navarino, Dundonald Links and many more. |
|  |
|  |  | We also met with our now friend Marcus from MediaDrive based in the UK, as well as Callum Forbes from IGTM, representatives from PGA Germany, Ben from ProTag, Tim from Jonas Software, Campbell from Eagle Golf Productions and we even shared Friendly French Kisses (who knew this was a thing) with our new friend, Graham Curry from Handicaddie – Sean Bleyl himself would be proud! 🤙🏻 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | 🍻 Our latest golf trip creation & available sample itinerary in Germany 🇩🇪 |
| We are celebrating the confirmation of our first golf trip to Germany where our group of 9 passionate golfers will play golf and attend the Opening Ceremony of OktoberFest in Munich, from September 16 to September 22, 2025.
After reviewing their itinerary with representatives from the PGA of Germany, we have decided on 3 top golf courses in Bavaria for this group, as such: ⛳️ Wittelsbacher GC, located 1 hour from Munich International Airport, ⛳️ Schwanhof GC, a little over an hour from Nuremberg, ⛳️ and München Riedhof GC, about 40 minutes South West of Munich city center.
Aside from these 3 courses, we’ve also expanded our portfolio to 2 other potential venues for future trips in the area; Habsberg GC and Golf Valley (both course descriptions available on demand).
Here is the recap of their trip with the possibility to view and download the full itinerary below. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |  | | Available itineraries for viewing are Belgium, France, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, and Scotland and we create new itineraries on demand. Next in our agenda, the creation of sample itineraries in Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Greece and more.
Feel free to reach out to us to receive a high-quality custom-made itinerary… we make magic happen! |
| | Exciting new connections 🤩 |
| Catching-up with Leading Courses of the World Content Manager, Stijn Greveling 🇳🇱 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Stijn is such a fantastic human-being….It is hard not to like him, in total honesty. We were grateful to learn about the functionnality of The Leading Courses of the World and the European courses blog posts they write in-house. While many will put Top100GolfCourses and the Leading Courses of the World websites in the same basket, the later not only rate the quality of the golf courses but also the facilities at the club. Stijn insisted on how each review is verified after submission before being officially added to their site. We look forward to collaborate with Stijn in the near future. |
|  | Chatting with Tony Guitierrez from Costa Verde Golf, in Spain 🇪🇸 |
| We were delighted to chat with golf travel superstar Tony from Costa Verde Golf. Located in Santander, Tony is the very best connection for golf trips to the Spanish Basque Country, Cantabria, Navarra, Asturias and Leon, the land of Spanish Legends. Seve Ballesteros, José María Olazábal, Sergio Garcia, and Jon Rahm are originally from Northern Spain and learned how to play golf from the very young age. During our chat, we reconfirmed the top courses, aka Real Sociedad de Golf de Neguri, Real Golf de Pedrenã, and Golf de Santa Marina and defined the unique experiences offered to golfers and non-golfers in this fantastic region. Our team will highlight this destination later during the year in one of our upcoming newsletters. |
| An exciting discussion with Les Bordes Estate new Commercial Director in France 🇫🇷 |
| Among the most prestigious golf courses in Continental Europe, Les Bordes Estate is located in the Sologne region of France, nearby the classified UNESCO World Heritage châteaux in the Loire Valley. Just 1½ hours south of Paris, Les Bordes GC can easily be combined with top quality golf courses around Paris and some other hidden gems, such as Les Aisses GC. The 3 courses at Les Bordes (the Old, the New and the 9-hole Wild Piglet ) are extremelly private in France with a difficult access and many have failed in securing a tee-time there. We are very excited for the new opportunity to partner with such an exclusive club in Europe and look forward to creating outstanding golf vacations in this neck of the woods. Les Bordes is a once-in-a-lifetime golfing experience and we’re happy to share some of the courses’ descriptions we have created for our itineraries. |
|  |  |  |  | | ⛳️ Golf Destination of the month: Tuscany, Italy 🇮🇹 |
|  | | |  | Discover Tuscany on a fabulous golf trip
We were recently fortunate to meet with David Waters, the Director of Golf and Federico Batistella, the Director of Sales of the exclusive Castiglion del Bosco in Tuscany. This reminded us how amazing It is to play golf in this part of Italy while enjoying all the cultural sights and the delicious food and wines to die for. Imagine driving on Tuscany’s famous wine road from Florence to Siena stopping at some of the most charming hilltop villages, tastings wines and olive oils right from the barrels, and witnessing the sunset on the magnificent rolling hills of the Val d’Orcia. A once-in-a-lifetime experience awaits you here.
We could easily plan an epic 10-day golf trip here, starting with a few days in Rome to play Marco Simone GC and then, go straight north to stay and play Argentario Golf & Wellness Resort and visit some of the region hidden gems such as Bolgheri and Maremma. End your trip at the splendid Castiglion del Bosco, in the heart of the Val d’Orcia, near Montalcino, Montepulciano, Cortona, and Sienna. The region is filled with ancient hilltop villages, wineries, great restaurants, and iconic, breathtaking sights. Another fun course to play in the area, the gorgeous Antognolla Golf, near Perugia im Umbria.
Check-out the greatest courses on this sample itinerary and don’t hesitate to contact us to receive a sample itinerary, we’d love to take you there. ⛳️ Marco Simone Golf & Country Club ⛳️ Argentario Golf Resort & Spa ⛳️ Castiglion del Bosco ⛳️ Antognolla Golf |
|  | | CHASEGOLF is a proud member of |
| |  | |
Do you want to share and/or add something to our next Newsletter?
Please send us your comments and let us know at info@chasegolftravel.com |
| Follow us on social media to stay informed about the latest news! |
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
