Cruises got game — of golf, that is

By Lynn and Cele Seldon

For the AJC

Playing a round of golf during a cruise used to be as hard to arrange as getting a tee time with Tiger Woods.

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Crystal Cruises Onboard instruction with pro instructors aboard Crystal Symphony.

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Until the mid-1990s, golf and cruise travel weren’t really up to par. Most lines and ships didn’t offer specific packages or onboard amenities, forcing golfers who wanted to combine a cruise with golf to make their own plans. Time, language, and cultural differences often led to bad course choices, missed tee times and worse (like literally missing the boat after a round of golf).

But that’s all changed, thanks to cruise lines and specialty companies that saw the interest in golf on board and ashore. Whether one wants to play a few rounds during a cruise, get in 18 or even 36 holes every port day, or simply attend a tournament, there has never been a better time to cruise to some great golf almost anywhere in the world.

Today, cruise lines, shore excursion operators and specialty tour companies take care of all the logistics. Onboard golf-oriented offerings have also improved, with golf gear sales and rentals, professional instruction, golf simulators and much more now available to cruising linksters. Plus, nongolfers have a floating resort to enjoy while their cruise partner is playing golf.

“Golf is becoming much more important to cruise lines and their passengers,” said Gerry Cahill, Carnival Cruise Lines’ president and CEO. “Carnival’s program has grown from a few hundred tee times annually when we introduced it in 1999 to more than 14,000 a year.”

A cruise and a golf vacation are a perfect combination. Some of the advantages include: unpacking just once; visiting many destinations that have golf courses; experiencing a variety of cultures on and off the links; an essentially all-inclusive price; and expert arrangements of all details related to golf and the rest of a cruise.

“Cruises attract travelers with many interests, including golfers,” said Lanie Fagan, director of communications for the Cruise Lines International Association. “Not only do many ships have state-of-the-art simulators featuring some of the most famous golf courses in the world, many cruise itineraries enable guests to play on some of the finest courses in Europe, Asia and the Americas.”

Atlanta resident Cliff Kirtland is certainly a fan of golf-driven cruises — and PerryGolf, a respected golf tour operator founded in Atlanta back in 1984. His last cruise with the company was in 2004 on board the 122-passenger Clipper Adventurer, playing several famed Scottish courses and then attending the final two rounds of the British Open at Royal Troon.

“There’s a great atmosphere and a feeling of camaraderie on board the ship when all passengers share a similar interest, as we did with golf,” Kirtland said.

Cruising to great golf

Virtually every cruise line now offers some sort of golf program, ranging from simply arranging tee times to full-fledged golf cruises, packages and programs. The following overview simply skims the surface of opportunities for hackers hitting the high seas.

● Founded by Scottish natives Gordon and Colin Dalgleish, longtime golf tour operator PerryGolf features many unique small ship cruises for golfers that can include rounds on famed layouts, tournament attendance and world-class cruising. For instance, their 2010 Ryder Cup Tour in Wales includes: five nights of luxury accommodations aboard the 226-passenger Le Diamant; three meals daily; taxes, shipboard gratuities and port charges; and tickets to three rounds of the Ryder Cup (the ship will be anchored just five miles from the course). Rates range from $4,795 to $10,495 per person, with the option of adding three rounds of golf in Scotland and Ireland.

Kirtland is considering PerryGolf’s 2010 “British Open by Land & Sea,” which includes the British Open at St. Andrews, luxurious accommodations at the Fairmont St. Andrews for the tournament, and classic golf in Scotland with the 12-passenger mega-yacht Harmony II serving as a floating golf cart. PerryGolf, 800-344-5257, www.perrygolf.com.

● As mentioned, the “Fun Ships” of Carnival Cruise Lines welcome golfers on board in a big way. Through a partnership with specialist Elite Golf Cruises and outlined on www.carnivalgolf.com, offerings on all 22 of Carnival’s varied ships include shipboard lessons at a covered and lighted practice range (including V1 teaching computers), and all-inclusive golf excursions to courses throughout the Caribbean, Mexico, the Bahamas, Canada, Hawaii, Bermuda and Europe. The outings include a golf pro escort, priority tee times, round-trip transportation, and cart and greens fees (rental clubs and shoes are available). Onboard pros, world-class outings, complimentary clinics, and Nike Golf rentals, demos and custom club sales are all typical of the programs put together by Elite Golf Cruises, which also works with Princess, P&O and Silversea (they’ll soon be on board Norwegian Cruise Line as well). Carnival Cruise Lines, 800-CARNIVAL, www.carnival.com.

● Fred. Olsen Cruises is particularly well-known in Europe, so offering Old World golf is a hole-in-one for passengers. For instance, there are more than 40 “Flagship Golf” cruises each year that highlight golf as far north as Helsinki, Finland, and as far south as the Canary Islands. The island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands is Europe’s busiest winter port and Fred. Olsen offers an outing to the beautiful seaside Buenavista layout. Flagship Golf add-ons currently cost about $580 per golfer and include four rounds of golf in various ports, transportation and other fees, free onboard practice facilities, five sessions with a resident PGA pro; onboard social gatherings with fellow golfers, and fun competitions. Fred. Olsen Cruises. 800-843-0602, www.fredolsen cruises.com.

● Upscale Silversea Cruises features unique “Silver Links” theme cruises on select voyages that feature escorted golf excursions to famed layouts, onboard instruction with PGA-classed golf professionals (including digital coaching) and much more. For example, a nine-day Caribbean voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to Barbados aboard the Silver Shadow features optional golf at Casa de Campo’s Teeth of the Dog, Bridgetown’s Sandy Lane and more (cruise fares start at $3,657 per person, with golf and nongroup instruction extra). Silversea Cruises, 800-774-9996, www.silversea.com.

● Equally upscale Crystal Cruises frequently features golf-themed cruises. A recent “High Teas & Golf Tees” offered an 11-day cruise that featured some of the greatest courses on earth (like Gleneagles and Royal Belfast), PGA golf pro instruction, TaylorMade demo equipment, golf-oriented events and more. Typical of this type of “Experiences of Discovery” sailing, fares started at $5,800 per person (not including optional golf excursions), with a $1,000 per person shipboard spending credit good toward virtually anything (including golf outings). On any Crystal sailing, both of the line’s ships include: driving range and practice cage; putting green; TaylorMade equipment; Crystal concierge-arranged golf excursions; and PGA pros on most itineraries. Crystal Cruises, 888-722-0021, www.crystalcruises.com.

● Golfers lucky enough to enjoy a trans-Atlantic cruise with Cunard Line can stay sharp at sea by heading to “The Fairways” on board the luxurious Queen Mary 2. There are time-based fees for the simulators, but golf net usage is free. Clubs for both the simulators and nets are provided, so there’s no need to pack the clubs (most clubs also provide rental clubs). Surprisingly, rates for a six-night trans-Atlantic crossing with Cunard start for as little as $1,295 per person! When the Queen Mary 2 is in the Caribbean, golf at classic tropical layouts such as Royal St. Kitts is available. Cunard Line, 800-7CUNARD, www.cunardline.com.

● With Costa Cruises, the golf simulator aboard the Costa Luminosa is typical of the possibilities with simulators at sea. Passengers can choose to “play” more than three dozen different renowned courses, including Pebble Beach and St. Andrews. Real clubs and balls are used, with sensors and high-speed video cameras calculating angle, speed, direction and distance. Instruction and a putting green are also on board. Costa Cruises, 800-33COSTA, www.costacruises.com.