Tom CaseyIt’s been five months since our last newsletter, but I have a good excuse for the delay. I’ve been busy, really busy.
April and part of May were spent in Ireland, Scotland and Wales. During my trip I attended a conference hosted by Tourism Ireland which included 60 appointments with hoteliers, transportation companies and attractions. Visit Scotland had a similar conference which included another 48 appointments.
I rented a car before, in between and after the conferences and tried to see as much of the British Isles as was reasonably possible. My 25-day trip included 21 different hotels and 20 rounds of golf. It sounds fun and it kind of was, but it was also exhausting.
Since starting Old Sod Travel, I’m up to:
- 62 days traveling the British Isles — primarily in Ireland and Scotland.
- I’ve stayed in, toured or visited 92 Hotels and Guesthouses.
- I’ve played, visited or toured 73 golf courses.
- I’ve met an untold number of great people. I’m looking at several stacks of business cards from Ireland and Scotland. There have to be at least 500 cards.
For the year we are on track to book roughly 25 trips for nearly 150 travelers, many of whom will be enjoying rounds of golf at some of Scotland and Ireland’s top courses. Imagine the time it would take for you to plan, book, invoice and pay for 25 family trips to Europe. I’ve been busy!
So what comes next? For starters, a former colleague, Rich Adams, is joining OST to focus on golf sales in the Mid-West. Rich’s presence will accelerate our growth, bringing you even more great ideas about travel to Ireland and the rest of the British Isles.
Future Rounds?
Fall Weather in Ireland
Future Rounds?
The Tom Coyne Open
The author of A Course Called Ireland has asked Old Sod Travel to begin making plans for the first Tom Coyne Open in the fall of 2016. Although we are early in the planning stages, our current plans are to schedule the tournament in September of 2016 with the west course of Ireland being the most likely destination. If you’ve read Tom’s book, you can probably guess what courses are likely to be part of the tournament. Since you are unlikely to go to Ireland for just three days, trip extensions will be offered. We hope to have more details to share in our next newsletter.
A Course Called IrelandDunes in the Fall
By late September and into the first half of October, there are some fantastic opportunities to play some of the best courses in the British Isles. Well into October the weather remains comfortable with high temperatures firmly in the high 50’s. All in all it’s a great time to be thinking about a late season trip to a place that you have probably been talking about for years.
