JULY 2009 - Press Release

Go Golfing, Australia's biggest organiser of events and tours for amateur golfers is a wonderful family business success story. Annually more than 20,000 golfers now look to Go Golfing for anything from a round of golf, to round the world golf tours. But looking back, their very first tour may well have been the last. Go Gofling founder Peter McCarthy reminesces the comedy of errors that riddled their very first tour through the Canadian Rockies.

We partnered another tour company and effectively it was their tour. However as all 20 booked for the tour had come from our promotions, I decided to escort the tour. It started well with a beautiful welcome dinner in Vancouver. On day two, after our bus to golf was 20 minutes late, I called the coach company only to find the bus was waiting at another hotel. Travelling from Whistler to Kelowna we noticed that the highway signs signalled we were getting further and further away from our destination. Bringing it to the attention of our French speaking Canadian driver he unexpectedly did a u-turn on an 8 lane highway. The 6 hour trip took nearly 10 hours. The first 20 questions posed about travel times, flora, fauna, attractions - I couldn't answer one. In desperation I started making up answers that failed in accuracy but pasified their seemingly insatiable quest for knowledge. When we arrived for our second round, 7 of the group discovered they had left a club behind at the previous course. Two left their toietries behind at the first hotel and three forgot their chargers, one with camera still attached. I could have started a courier business retrieving lost items.

In Kelowna I took the group out for dinner and levelled that my knowledge was not up to scratch and anyone, in fact everyone else, would be more qualified to answer their questions. A decision was made that the worst score each day would be assigned tour leader responsibilities the next day. Suffice to say things ran much smoother and with the heat off I concentrated on the entertainment.

I bought an esky, beers and a pack of cards and the bus trips became more eagerly anticipated than the golf. After one late night I coersed all but two to come to a nite club. I concocted a story of looking for a lost soul as means for our octogenarian and spritely 70 year olds to jump the massive queue to access the venue and entered hero status when I convinced a couple of beauties to dance with our elder statesman, again under the guise that their days were numbered.

All 20 on tour were 'single', an occurence not repeated since. A mock wedding was hosted, celebrant and all. Surprisingly all have subsequently toured again with Go Golfing and I am sure part of their motivation was to check we had improved.

Suffice to say that our operations and procedures have vastly improved. Our itineraries are well researched, tour leaders are knowledgable and professional and have continued our commitment to fostering camaraderie and fun on tour.

Go Golfing's annual tour to the Canadian Rockies continues to sell out each year. Their tours take golfers to some of the most breathtaking destinations and stunning courses around the world. New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, China, South Africa, Egypt, South America, Las Vegas and the US Masters at Augusta National are all on their annual schedule. Closer to home the Gold Coast, Hunter Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Tasmania are most popular and packages to the Australian Masters featuring Tiger Woods are selling like hot cakes.

For more information on Go Golfing's tours and events for amateur golfers call 1300 55 28 55 or visit www.gogolfing.net.au