Scotland is the Home of Golf and for so many it is the golfing destination of choice. With such famous historic championship links and golfing towns such as St Andrews, Troon or Dornoch it is no surprise that golfers of all abilities and nationalities seek to experience the unique spirit of Scottish golf.
With the increase of internet bookings for flights, accommodations and even some golf courses there is a temptation to believe that the best value can be achieved by making your own arrangements and bypassing the tour operator.
SIGTOA members will help disprove the myth that booking through a tour operator is too expensive.
Each of the members of the Scottish Inbound Tour Operators’ Association treasure their membership and take pride in their almost ambassadorial role as providers of unrivalled knowledge and experience on all aspects of a golf vacation to all parts of Scotland. How to get here; how to get around; tee time reservations; accommodation restaurant and 19th hole recommendations to suit your parties needs – and indeed best value. To find out what SIGTOA members do for their clients follow the links below.
All members of SIGTOA are based in Scotland and understand the destination and locations as only local travel experts can.
The teams in all of the tour operators offices have decades of experience of welcoming golfers to Scotland and not only are they expert in building great vacations but also in fixing problems when little things go wrong.
Having the back up support of a knowledgeable and professional ground handling team, both before and during your stay, in Scotland is invaluable. From tour organisers and planners, to meeters and greeters at airports, chauffeurs or caddies, concierges or golf professionals – you can be assured that with a SIGTOA member you can bank on the knowledge and experience of a whole team of people on your tour.
SIGTOA members are not operating like web booking engines. We do not exist to churn out identical packages with no flexibiity. We all have clients and customers with individual needs and preferences, not simply digits and online booking reference numbers.
Over the years, we have discovered that visiting golfers are actually human and quite like being looked after by other humans!
SIGTOA members are all very customer focused, spending time getting to know the clients requirements and making well informed recommendations to ensure your golf trip is as good as it possibly can be.
We all offer excellent levels of client care and commitment as standard and we believe that is this personal service that can make the difference between a good holiday and a golf vacation that you will never forget.
Golf tourism has become a global product and Scottish Golf Tour Operators are very aware of the costs of golfing in Scotland and the many alternative destinations that are available to travellers and that ensures that we are working harder than ever to deliver a higher quality, more competitively priced product every time.
SIGTOA members have each developed our own pricing strategies and promote our own unique selling points for our own business but, collectively, having thousands of clients each year playing in Scotland our relationships with the courses, accommodation providers and golf courses allow us to negotiate great rates and often added value services on behalf of the visitor.
You can be assured however that, as the old saying goes, time is money and at SIGTOA we know that our knowledge and experience can and does save our clients a lot of time time and considerable stress and expense of of planning a vacation themselves.
Booking a golf trip with a SIGTOA member may just be the best value deal you’ll ever make!
There are some who revel in the world of independent travel and booking international flights, connecting transfers, confirming excess baggage, arranging the right size of vehicle hire or coach transfers and printing out Google Maps.
But for those who aren’t programmed that way there is always a Scottish Golf Tour Operator to help you through the logistics of getting to and around Scotland.
SIGTOA members handle reservations from golfers and agents the world over so understand the nuances of international hubs, arrival and transfer points and the additional difficulties associated with golf luggage. Some may be able to book incoming flight but most of the time they will advise on best routes.
Your advisor will use their considerable to plan routes, self drive car hire, chauffeur mini vans and full size luxury coach travel. Operators can arrange “meet and greet” at your point of arrival to give you increased piece of mind to ensure you start your holiday in the most relaxed frame of mind possible.
One of the best things about Scotland is the travel. With the number of links courses and wonderful locations of the top courses you will be blessed with incredible scenery at almost every turn.
However it is all too easy to miss a tee time with a miscalculation of travel times between two destinations that look so close. Having a tour operator who understands the routes, the traffic black spots and the accurate travel times can save you more than money, it can save your holiday.
Even a standard golf tour has a lot of elements involved and each one of these need paid for. One of the benefits of booking through a tour operator is a simplified normally single payment to cover all of the constituent parts.
The staff in all of the offices of SIGTOA members know the ins and outs of reserving tee times and rooms at all the clubs and golf hotels across the country. Some need full payment in advance, others a deposit and balances paid six weeks out! You could end up having twenty or more individual payments to make and you still may come across courses or accommodations that don’t accept credit cards.
SIGTOA members make it simple with consistent and logical payment terms for packages and tours to suit your preferred method.
Different members may offer different services but you can expect the following as standard
The members of the Scottish Inbound Golf Tour Operators’ Association are the very best partners in planning, booking and supporting your travel plans to and around Scotland and we’re here to help you right now! Regardless of the duration of your trip or the size of your group there is a tour operator perfect for you in our association.
In 2022 SIGTOA members booked more than 23,0000 rounds of golf for their clients across the country and 2023 (and indeed 2024) is looking even busier. There are no group of operators with more experience and understanding of Scotland than the members of SIGTOA.
All SIGTOA members are “Authorised Providers” of St Andrew’s Old Course tee times meaning that you can be assured of the best access and service levels should your trip be built around the Home of Golf and ALL of our members are Scottish based and are not only dedicated to the highest levels of service but are also fully committed to our Net Zero Golf Travel initiative and SIGTOA mitigate all travellers carbon emissions.
So whatever your preference for the years ahead you can be certain that Scotland will remain as the “Home of Golf” and that our members will show ensure you can play the very best of it!
If you’ve got some ideas relating to your trip why not send us an email with your wish list or even attach your plans and your request will be sent to several of our members who will reply independently to help you choose the Tour Operator that works best for you.
