Luxury Vacation & Golf Tours — Best of AU Golf
Luxury Vacation & Golf Tours — Best of AU Golf
This question comes down to two main points:
1) The Best of Australia provides a service to clients who value our expertise and relationships in Australia.
In exchange for the time and thought we devote to the creation of a detailed and custom itinerary (taking into account unique needs and desires) our clients commit to using our services to secure their reservations (accommodations, rental cars, activities, tee times, airfare, etc.)
2) Value
People are busy with their daily lives. Rather than delving into the details of the Australian holiday our clients set the "strategy" and convey their needs. Our team works through the details and provides sage advice. The result is a more efficient use of our client's spare time and an increase in the probability of a more enjoyable trip.
No. If you have the time to research and book your own trip you can have a good experience in Australia. It's a wonderful country and there are many readily available activities to experience that can be booked off an internet page. You may also leave the country wondering if you could have had an even better time. Keep in mind that the information you read online is not customized for you and is available globally. Thus, your experience may be tailored more toward a common denominator and less authentic than if you had trusted advice.
A trip to Australia may not be insignificant in cost nor time allotted to the trip. Our team's job is to increase your chances of having a better time than if you had planned the trip alone. Our direct relationships with golf course professionals are especially helpful when making sure you have as many bucket-list rounds of golf as you want on your trip.
We strive to deliver an itinerary that is more focused on an authentic Aussie experience, without losing sight of the balance we need to strike to customize budget, time and tastes for each client.
All visitors to Australia require a valid passport. A valid US passport should be valid for at least three months after your departure from Australia. U.S. Passport holders must apply for an ETA - Electronic Travel Authorization visa - prior to arrival in Australia. You must also show proof of an onward/ exit flight.
Some clients will ask our team to include rounds of golf in New Zealand in addition to visiting New Zealand. U.S. Passport holders are automatically given a 3-month travel visa on entry to New Zealand.
Click Here for visa information if you have additional questions.
Our team consists of a mix of people from Kiwis to Americans... but all are well-traveled and visit Australia on a regular basis (at least annually for everyone on our golf team) in order to consistently vet accommodations and maintain direct relationships and experiences. When we craft an itinerary we are doing so from our own first-hand experience.
There are some agencies for which Australia is a small piece of the portfolio, if not just a page on a website. For our team, Australia commands our full attention, it is our primary focus. We multiply our expertise because, at any given point, someone on our staff is either in-country or planning a familiarization/site inspection. This allows us to stay on top of the latest properties, while ensuring that those we recommend remain up to par with the expectations of our clients.
Call or email us! We can list the number of times we've visited the country, played the courses and stayed in the accommodation we're now recommending to you - but the easiest way to vet our services is to bring us your initial thoughts and a budget for your trip.
We will continue to post references on our web pages, Facebook, etc. but we have been in business for over 25 years and would not be a viable entity if we could not deliver.
You don't! With enough time and patience you can book tee times yourself. However, planning golf around a larger trip can be a hassle and requires a lot of specific knowledge in the country. Your time is finite.
Ultimately we feel that our service provides a higher quality trip than what one may do over the internet because online research is likely going to end up sending travelers to places targeted for tourists. The advantage our team has is that we have been in business for over 25 years and talk all the time with proprietors of smaller and more authentic Australian properties. In terms of golf, there are lesser known, but still excellent courses to play during your stay, that are located close to B&Bs, boutique hotels and country homes that we use.
Unlike in the USA, tipping is not commonplace nor is it expected in Australia.
Tipping is reserved for receiving excellent service in a top restaurant and has become in recent years a little more recognized within the service industry. If you feel the need to tip, 10% of the bill is common and much appreciated.
The 24.6 million people who call themselves Australians come from a truly multicultural mix of European, Middle Eastern, Southeast Asian and South Pacific descent. The indigenous peoples, Aborigines, represent roughly 500 different tribes and comprise about 2.4% of the population. A growing blend of Aboriginal custom and tradition exists today, and can be viewed and experienced throughout the country. Australian's proudly call themselves "Aussies," a term that reflects their laid-back and casual attitude.
Feedback from our clients and from personal experience is that Aussies tend to be friendly, helpful, direct and see things in a very practical manner. Many are active in helping in terms of community and country. Aussie Pride is a common trait, and you'll find the locals are quick to tease and engage you in a light-hearted conversation about everything and anything. "Aussie slang" is a short-hand lingo used often, which they love explain to outsiders.
It's amazing that for such an isolated country, Australia has a history of results on the world stage: dominant in many sports, politically stable, environmentally progressive, with world-class wines, music, movies and science.
We strongly urge when you visit Australia to consider the experience as a whole and not to see the country from the window of a hotel that looks like the same room you could have in any other city. It will separate your time and create more lasting memories
Best of Australia has been an Air New Zealand partner for many years due to its quality service and safety record.
As US-based carriers continue to eliminate loyalty benefits, it may make sense even for the most loyal flyers to book with us and Air New Zealand - or their Star Alliance partner, United Airlines - because points can be more easily used for domestic flights, and the service for an international flight is truly the level we expect for travel.
Within Australia, we book with the national airline, Qantas. Qantas also has a proud history of providing world-renowned service to passengers, and offers flights between all major Australian cities.
Australia is a massive country with diverse climates, so the best time to visit for golf depends on where you want to play and what kind of weather you prefer. Here's a breakdown by season:
Shoulder Seasons (March-May & September-November):
High Season (December-February):
Low Season (June-August):
Mistaking Australia for a small island, where everything is in close proximity and easy to navigate, is one of the most common mistakes made by people who DIY their trip. Many visitors end up trying to squeeze too much in, and wind up racing from one end of the country to the other in a mad dash to cross huge stretches of land.
From East Coast to West Coast, Australia is roughly the same size as the United States – the distance from Sydney to Perth covers about as many miles as the drive from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles. Most major cities are spread out along the East Coast, leaving a lot of empty space in the “Red Center” of the country. Planes are the easiest form of transportation from place to place, unless you have a few days to spend in transit from Point A to Point B.
Leverage Best of Australia Golf team to help sort through what you want to see and do while in Australia, and leave the bookings and logistics to us! We are the experts and will provide honest feedback and advice as to your plans. In exchange for this we hope you will honor our time and use our services to book your trip. You will not pay more to use our service, as we provide retail prices and have contracts with partners in Australia.
Businesses are bought and sold in Australia, as they are anywhere. And with an ownership/outfitter change sometimes what was once great is no longer up to standard. Thus, perhaps the most common mistake for those who visit Australia for the first time is blindly repeating the tours and activities of an acquaintance who has been there in the past.
Although you may trust that person implicitly, are they an expert? Do they admit, or even understand, the opportunity cost of better activities? Is their trip the same one you are looking for? Where did they get their recommendation in the first place?
Using trusted people around us is a great way to gain information; however it also has the chance to become a large game of telephone tag. One person's recommendation is transferred down the line and ultimately taken as gospel, without understanding the facts and current situation in the country.
Our team is more than happy to take input, research and feedback in order to incorporate your wishes into the trip. After all, this is your time! However, we also ask that you trust us when the quality of a tour has gone south, or the price is out of alignment to the quality, or an accommodation has not been kept up to our expectations.
In Australia, we have a close relationship with Hertz rental and can arrange for your own vehicle if you'd like to travel at your leisure.
Be advised that Australians drive on the left side of the road, and cities such as Melbourne and Sydney can be a confusing mix of one-way streets, pedestrian crossings and train stops. While in big cities, we can arrange for private transfers, or recommend public transport and walking, to get around. Our preferred accommodations are purposely located within walking distance of main attractions, and most tour companies offer pick-up and drop-off from your accommodation.
Because the distances between major cities are vast - for example, it takes 8+ hours to drive from Melbourne to Sydney - flying is the easiest and most direct way to get around.
That said, anyone planning to spend time in Tasmania may look forward to the chance to drive there, as the island has a small population, quiet two-lane highways and few traffic points. Timing, convenience and your own driving confidence are all taken into account, as our team constructs the best use of your time while in Australia.
The varied terrain and beauty of the country speaks for itself, but in the United States many of us often forget about a time when travel did not consist of the stress associated with modern urban centers (navigating rush hour traffic, the hassle of long TSA lines, etc.)
Long haul flights from the mainland United States may land directly in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane; or, they may stopover in Auckland, before continuing on to your final destination in Australia.
Typical U.S. departure flights run:
These flights will leave late at night and land mid-morning (9:30am - 11:am) + 1 day. Thus, when leaving the United States on a Friday night for example, most passengers will have a meal/ watch a movie and sleep for most of the flight- landing on Sunday morning at 10:30am.
Long haul flights with Air New Zealand are split into 3 classes of service:
While public courses in Australia are more relaxed with their dress code requirements, we typically find that dressing as if planning to play at one of the more exclusive clubs is the best route.
As a visitor to Australia and the golf course, you are asked to maintain a standard of dress in keeping with the character and standing of the Club.
Across most courses metal and ceramic spikes are not permitted. Soft spikes only.
This will differ from course to course, but as a general rule mobile phones are to be taken on the golf course and used in case of an emergency only.
Most clubs will allow phone calls to be made in the locker room or in car park.
Phones should be on silent upon entering the grounds.
Many clients will fly into Sydney for a few days prior to moving down to the Sandbelt in Melbourne. Storing golf clubs at the SYD airport is very easy. It costs $22 per day (updated 2019/20) and there are several locations. For more information you can also email at sydney@baggagestorage.com.au
Baggage Storage Team @ Sydney Airport
Caddies are not found as often on Australia golf courses as they are in the USA. Most of the locations one will have access to a caddie will be within the Melbourne Sandbelt courses and New South Wales (Sydney).
However, if using a caddie please keep in mind it is their job and the gratuity should be appropriate to the level of service and the club itself. For a $500 AUD round of golf perhaps $75 - $100 AUD would be appropriate.
Trollies, or trundlers, are the most common way to take clubs even in the Sandbelt. Electric carts are not allowed on many of the courses without a medical certificate. The exception to this is in the more resort-oriented locations of the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, and to a degree in Sydney as well, where electric carts are more frequently found.
Unlike many other countries, tipping is not a customary practice in New Zealand and Australia. Service charges are often included in the bill for restaurants, hotels, and taxis, making tipping unnecessary. While it won't be expected, if you feel compelled to show your appreciation for exceptional service, a small gesture is always appreciated. However, remember that service providers are paid a fair wage, and tipping is not considered mandatory.
There are two notable exceptions to the no-tipping rule: fly fishing guides and golf caddies. These professionals often rely on tips to supplement their income, and a gratuity of 10-15% is customary for the services of a caddy and it should be in cash.
