Choosing where to go
How to pick a golf trip destination
Picking a golf-trip destination is the group decision of matching a place to the crew’s budget ceiling, travel tolerance, season, and skill mix — then choosing it in a way that de-biases the vote and diffuses the blame off the organizer.
The destination question is where most trips stall — endless ‘where should we go?’ bikeshedding with no resolution. The answer isn’t a louder opinion, it’s a better decision process: put a short list of real options up with honest per-person budgets and let the group approve, not argue.
What the evidence says
“Keep the core playing group small — roughly a foursome-sized decision core — or lean on existing familiarity if it’s big; larger groups report lower perceived value and satisfaction.”
Su, Cheng & Huang (2021), Journal of Travel Research, with perceived value mediating the effect and familiarity offsetting the size penalty. Grade-A.
“Cap the option list short. Two to four candidates decide cleaner than a dozen — working memory holds only a handful of items, and over-long lists get ignored.”
Vetted KB coordination principle (keep the live list short and chunked); grade A/B.
Step by step
- 1
Set the constraints before the wish list
Budget ceiling, how far people will travel, the season, and the skill mix are hard filters. A bucket-list resort that half the crew can’t afford or reach isn’t a real option — screen for feasibility and affordability before anyone falls in love with a place.
- 2
Build a short list of two to four real options
Each option should carry an honest per-person budget built from rough line items (green fees × rounds + lodging ÷ headcount + travel). Keep it short — a dozen options is decision paralysis; a handful is a decision.
- 3
Match the destination to the crew, not the brochure
A pure-buddies place plays differently than one that also has to sell the trip to a spouse or the kids at home. If people are coming along, weight destinations with off-course draws; if it’s golf-first, optimize for rounds-per-dollar. Our destination guides break 18 US trips into Splurge / Balanced / Value tiers for exactly this.
- 4
Decide with approval voting, not ‘pick one’
Have each person check every option they’d be happy with, plus an optional top pick to break ties. The consensus option wins, similar options don’t cannibalize each other, and the organizer gets cover — ‘the group chose it,’ not ‘I chose it.’
The bottom line
The fair default: filter by budget, travel, season and skill first; put up two to four honest-budget options; match the vibe to who’s actually coming; and let approval voting — not the loudest voice — pick the winner.
Frequently asked
How do you get a group to agree on a golf destination?
Give the decision structure. Put two to four real options up, each with an honest per-person budget, and use approval voting — everyone checks every option they’d be happy with. It surfaces the genuine consensus and takes the choice (and the blame) off the organizer.
How many destination options should you put to a vote?
Two to four. A short list decides; a long one causes paralysis and gets ignored, because working memory only holds a handful of items. Cap the candidates and make each one concrete with a budget.
Where can I compare US golf-trip destinations by budget?
FairwayAway’s trip guides break down 18 US destinations into Splurge, Balanced and Value tiers with signature courses and getting-there notes, and the course directory lists 900+ US courses by state so you can pressure-test an option before you vote.
Browse 900+ courses by state
Pressure-test a destination against real courses before the group votes.
Browse the course directoryFairwayAway is a planning and tracking tool — it does not hold, move, or process money, and is not a gambling or financial service.