Morris on the trip with friends

A golf weekend with friends, done properly

The good golf weekends are the ones with one organiser, two rounds, games agreed in advance and nobody owing anybody money on Sunday night. Here is the shape of it, for a four, for eight, and for a stag do where half the group has never held a club.

Short answer: one organiser, the stay next to the courses, morning tee times, two rounds in two days, a team competition across the trip plus one game per round, handicaps agreed on the first tee, points not money, and the hardest course on day one when legs are fresh. The planner below gives you the days, the checklist, the packing list and the games for your group size.

By Morris, by Badgie Golf · Updated 9 October 2026

Destination

Arrival

Departure

Players

Level of the group

Green fee you expect (per player and round, optional)

Two rounds a day

Itinerary

Put in the arrival and departure dates to get the itinerary.

Checklist

8 weeks before
- Fix the dates and the group: who is in, who pays what, one person books.
- Shortlist courses in the destination and check each one's official website for green fees in your dates and whether they ask for a handicap.
- Book flights or decide who drives; book the stay near the courses, not the airport.
4 weeks before
- Book the tee times, mornings first, and keep the confirmations.
- Hire car or transfers; buggies if anyone needs one.
- Agree the games and the units for the week (points, not fortunes) and the handicaps you will play off.
1 week before
- Confirm the tee times by phone or email; check the dress code of each course.
- Check the weather and pack accordingly; charge the rangefinder.
- Share the itinerary with the group: one message with dates, courses, times and the hotel.
The day before
- Clubs in the travel cover, heads padded; count the balls and gloves.
- Papers: confirmations, handicap number, insurance, licence.
- Early night. The first round is always the one with the longest memory.
On the trip
- First tee: the games, the units, the handicaps, said out loud once.
- Hydrate, sunscreen, and a snack on the back nine; the third day is where rounds fall apart.
- Keep the scorecards: the trip report writes itself from them.

Packing list

Golf

Clubs in a travel cover with the heads padded (or hire a set: ask the course)
Twice the balls you think, a dozen tees, a glove and a spare
Shoes, broken in; a second pair if rain is likely
Rangefinder or GPS watch, charged, and its cable
Your handicap certificate or federation number: many courses ask for it

Clothes

One golf outfit per round plus one, and check the course's dress code (collars, no denim at some)
A waterproof jacket and a light layer: mornings are cold even in the south
Cap or visor, sunglasses
Something for dinner that is not golf clothes

Body

Sunscreen and lip balm
Plasters for the blister you will get on day two
Painkillers and anything you take
Water bottle; a snack for the back nine

Papers and money

Tee-time confirmations with the booking name and the course's phone
Card plus some cash for caddies, buggies and the halfway house
Travel insurance that covers the clubs
Driving licence if there is a hire car; who drives after dinner

Games for your group

Morris plans it with real courses on WhatsApp

The shape of a weekend

1
Friday evening
Arrive, check in, dinner, the draw for teams and the games explained once. Handicaps written down. Early night; the first tee time is the one that sets the trip.
2
Saturday
The main course, morning tee times, the team competition starts. Lunch at the course. Afternoon free or a 9-hole loop for the keen. Dinner with the leaderboard on the table.
3
Sunday
The second course, a touch easier, shotgun start if you are eight or more so everyone finishes together. Prizes before the drive home: best net, best gross, longest drive, the shot of the weekend and the worst one.

Games by group size

Group	Across the trip	Per round
4 friends	Stableford league, two rounds added	Wolf (every tee a decision) or a Nassau in pairs
8 friends	Two teams of four, Ryder Cup style: four-ball Saturday, singles Sunday	Net Skins within each four-ball
12 or more	Teams drawn by handicap, Stableford totals	A scramble on the last day so everybody counts
A stag do with beginners	One team competition where the beginners' holes count double	Scramble both days; a Texas scramble makes everyone drive

Each game has a free scorer with a link to share: Wolf, Nassau, Skins, scramble and Stableford.

The five rules of a good trip

1
One organiser, one message
Dates, courses, times, hotel, who drives, in one message everyone keeps. The group chat is for jokes.
2
Handicaps on the first tee, not the last
Each player's Playing Handicap for the tee you play, from the calculator, said out loud once. Net games only work when the numbers are accepted.
3
Points, not fortunes
A unit the worst player can lose with a smile. The trip's purpose is the next trip.
4
The hard course first
Day one has the legs and the attention; day three has neither. Put the easiest course last.
5
Pace
Eight friends can take five hours if nobody watches it. Ready golf, buggies if the course is long, and the agreement that the group behind matters more than the putt for a half.

A stag do that is also a golf trip

The groom plays, so the golf comes first and the night comes second, in that order on both days. A scramble makes the two friends who have never played useful; buggies keep the pace; a prize for the worst shot keeps everyone laughing at the right person. Book a course that welcomes groups (ask; the website says), tell them the size honestly, and tip the starter. The packing list has the extra line for this trip; the trip ideas page has where to go.

Sources

USGA — Rules of Handicapping, Appendix C: Handicap Allowances — Allowances for four-ball, Stableford and scramble, so mixed groups play fair. Read 9 October 2026.
The R&A — Rules of Golf, Rule 1.2: Standards of Player Conduct — Consideration for others and pace: the rule a group of eight needs most. Read 9 October 2026.

Weekend questions

How do you plan a golf weekend with friends?

Two rounds, one night, one organiser. Fix the dates and the group, book the stay next to the courses, book morning tee times, agree the games and the handicaps before you travel, and put one person in charge of the money. The planner below lays out the days and the checklist.

What is the best format for a golf buddies trip?

A team competition over the trip for the bragging rights (a Ryder Cup style of pairs, or a Stableford league), plus a game per round for fun: Wolf for a four, net Skins for mixed handicaps, a scramble on the last day. Points, not money, unless everyone is comfortable.

How do you organise a golf bachelor party?

Like a golf weekend with one extra rule: the groom plays, the golf comes first and the night comes after. One round a day, a scramble so the non-golfers count, buggies, a shotgun start if the group is big, and a prize table that rewards the worst shot as much as the best.

How do you handle mixed handicaps in a group?

Play net. Agree each player's Playing Handicap on the first tee from their Index and the tee you play; net Stableford, net Skins and a scramble with the Appendix C team handicap let a 28 and a 6 compete. Our handicap calculator does the conversion.

What should a golf trip cost?

What the group decides: the green fees for your dates (on the courses' websites), the stay, transport and food. The planner multiplies your own green-fee estimate by rounds and players; nobody here invents a price. Morris reads the courses' real prices on WhatsApp.

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