Here’s a big question for you: does your family like golf? If they don’t, then you need to be very careful about where you take them on what is effectively your golf vacation – or will be, when you all get there and the rest of your clan discover there’s nothing to do except hang out in bars (useless for the kids of course) or watch you ruin another good walk!

So the first thing in your plan has to be a location that works well for everyone. If your family does play golf this gets a lot easier. At least then you can pick a location where there are courses suitable for all abilities, or tuition on hand, or courses that have hours or set times for children’s play. A lot of golf resorts have handicap restrictions: if you turn up somewhere that will prevent your family from playing because their handicap isn’t good enough, you’ve restricted them to the dull holiday outlined in my first paragraph.

Course selection in an ideal world revolves around two basic questions: is there a course you have always wanted to play? And is there a golfing location you’ve always wanted to visit? At first glance you might think the two questions are the same thing. But any avid golfer will know that they aren’t, of course. On the one hand, you could choose a single course, which you’ve been dreaming about for years. On the other, you might opt for somewhere like Quinta de Lagos, in Portugal, which boasts dozens of top class courses all in one place. That way you can stay at a resort hotel and sample a different course every day.

Your choice of golf course could be made for you, if you are happy to let an agent do your booking. In a lot of cases, this makes a lot of sense – because you can book all your tee times as well as your accommodation – and you can take advantage of your tour booker’s knowledge of the courses and area to select the right location for everyone to play.

Compiling your own golf vacation is quite feasible, too – just be prepared to make a lot of phone calls. Another way to do it is to contact a resort hotel directly and ask them to do it for you – a lot of golf resort hotels give you special room rates if you let them book all your play through them, because they receive commission from the golf courses.

If you are flying, don’t forget to check that your chosen airline will accommodate your clubs. Some do and some don’t – which, again, can be where getting a golf travel agent to do the work for you can be invaluable. Though it’s easy enough to phone around until you get the right airline for your requirements. You tend to find that the majority of airlines serving an airport known mainly for its golf course connections will be perfectly fine with your kit.

So you know where you want to go, you know when you want to go and you’ve found either courses that cater for all the family, or a location where there’s plenty for everyone else to do. What’s the one thing you’ve forgotten? To check that everyone’s passport is in date. Make sure you carry out all your vital document checks with plenty of time to go before departure day. You don’t want to stand around in a queue at the passport office all day the day before, waiting for an emergency appointment!

The above article is written and composed be Rosette Summer who is associated with many travel and living communities as their freelance and staff writer. She writes articles in her free time which are related to Golf Holidays, exotic vacation plans etc.