Planning a golf trip to Ireland or Scotland in 2017

With the 2016 golf season in Ireland and Scotland now getting in to full swing , it seems strange to turn attention to 2017 golf trip planning at this stage. Yet, as many of the top golf courses in Ireland, Scotland and England are already booked out for visiting golfers in 2016, the smart play is to start working on 2017 planning as early as possible.

Old Head Golf Links in Ireland, a perennial favourite among golfers visiting south west Ireland is operating a waitlist for September this year, that's how busy it is at this spectacular links. September is usually very busy due to club tournaments and member/ guest competitions at a number of courses including Waterville Links, Ballybunion and Tralee.
Lahinch Golf Club celebrates it's 125th anniversary in  2017 and will attract increased visitors to this great links. Lahinch also hosts the South of Ireland Championship late July. 

Another factor which will come in to play for 2017 is the decision by Royal County Down Golf Club  in Northern Ireland to stop taking visitor bookings for October. October is usually an important shoulder month for the golf travel sector in Ireland and the knock-on effect is surely to cause September to become even busier as golfers adjust their travel schedules to fit in the world's number 1 golf course.

In England, the north west golf swing including Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham & St. Annes and Royal Birkdale is sure to be in demand in 2017. When planning a trip to play these courses, make sure to factor in that The Open Championship returns to Royal Birkdale in July 2017.