I’m giddy with excitement.
At the start of the year, I made this commitment to write a weekly column and today is no different, apart from the fact my clubs are in the flight bag by the front door ready for my 4:45am pick up tomorrow – yet here I am, like the hero writing this on a Sunday evening instead of getting to bed early.
A few bits of house keeping to get out the way first.
We played some golf this past week. Three times, in fact – and the golf was pretty solid too. +4 in each round over three different courses. The highlight was probably on Wednesday afternoon when for the first time in 2026, I was able to remove my jumper and play in just a polo – for those that follow me on Instagram you would have seen the reel. It really was a blissful moment.
New irons also arrived, the Cobra 3DP Tour, and they have gone straight into the bag ready to fly away tomorrow morning without being hit since my fitting, which is maybe a risky strategy? But four rounds in three days will be a fantastic way to bed them in. But the mini driver, which, to be honest, I am probably most excited about, is still on route so won’t be making the trip.
We have a nice mixture of people on the trip, eight of us going to Spain to play at Isla Canela, the idea was finding somewhere not too far from an airport (we actually fly into Faro) and with a couple of courses on-site. Simple job.
I like these trips when there is a mixture of abilities and personalities – two pros, two single figure players, a couple around 10, and two a bit higher. But it’s the personalities that had me thinking this week – and most specifically the diverse types of people we get on golf trips and I bet, we all know one if not more of these types of people…
The Golf Pervert
I’ll go first. I’m the golf pervert. Nothing else matters to me. I’m here for fairways, greens, birdies, and that’s about it. Food/drink, accommodation and location (as long as it’s sunnier) is of little importance to me, in fact, if there was a way of playing seven rounds in three days, I’d be game. 100%.
The Golfer That Knows Nothing
Then, without naming names (half of these guys will probably read this) there’s the guy that knows literally nothing, he’s booked his flight, paid his money, but if you asked him right now what courses he is playing or what hotel he is staying at, he doesn’t have a clue. Not that I think this is a bad thing, as generally extremely easy to deal with are these types of people, you always get a simple yes or no answer and in the run up to the trip, he asks little to no questions. Simply happy to be there and happy to be a part of it all.
The Person Who Asks All The Questions
On the other end of the spectrum, we all know that guy that hates being involved in any type of organisation. In fact, if it were left to him to arrange and book the trip you wouldn’t be going anywhere. Maybe has lots of ideas, but never actually does anything with them. This type of character is also incredibly quiet in the WhatsApp group. Then all of a sudden, BANG, out of nowhere, two or three days before the trip (and even though all the details have been suitably provided by yours truly), you hear from them: “What’s the hotel called?” “What course are we playing Monday?” “Did you know that course needs a 15 minute shuttle?” “What are the food options?” “Is there a pool?” “Is there a gym?” I could go on. We love this guy. We wouldn’t have a trip without him but maybe blocking his number the week before you travel is the best tactic…
The Weather Expert
Weather guy. My god. The weather guy.
Dropping in screenshots of the long-range weather forecast every day for two weeks before you go. “Weather’s not looking good lads!”” 14 days before travelling is excruciating. Every other day. If I were as bad at my job as the weather forecasters then I wouldn’t be in it for very long. The day before, have a check. But that’s about it.
The Drinker
Then we have the drinker. Not being a massive drinker myself, I find this guy quite amusing but also worry about his wellbeing for the next three days. How many of the rounds is he going to actually make? Already planned the 6am beer at the Wetherspoons at the airport, G&T on the plane at 8am, this guy is going to be blurry eyed before he even steps foot off the plane, God only knows what’s going to happen to him over the next three days…
Mr Relaxed
How about Mr Relaxed? Doesn’t really care what’s going on, leaves everything until the last minute. In fact, this guy called me this morning to tell me he will probably pack when he wakes up at 3am and will still be looking for his clubs at 3:50am as he is about to leave. Who can even live like that? Not me!
All this is obviously light-hearted stuff though. I love each and every one of these guys very much and the funky mix and blend of people is, for me, what really makes a golf trip memorable.
That, and of course, a shed load of birdies.
Matt Holbrook is a long-serving Golfshake ambassador known for his course features, opinion pieces, and product reviews. A dedicated golfer from Suffolk, he is an active member of Stowmarket and Felixstowe Ferry Golf Clubs and frequently travels to play in open competitions. With hundreds of rounds logged through Golfshake, Matt is committed to continuous improvement and enjoys sharing insights from his experiences on and off the course.