Florida visitors go rental

Golfers visiting Florida’s prime golfing destination of Orlando have taken to renting out golf clubs in a big way, according to ClubstoHire.com, the company that pioneered club rental across Europe.

The Dublin-based company has seen sales in Orlando increase by 15 per cent since launching its service in July last year. “Orlando is by far the busiest of our locations Stateside and has seen consistently strong traffic since we opened, with excellent take up from the UK market in particular,” said CEO Tony Judge, who sees a bright future for the ClubstoHire operation based on performance over the past 11 months.

“We’ve invested heavily on supplying golfers with the latest technology and newest products available on the market, with the added bonus being cheaper than renting locally, or paying excessive airline charges,” he added. “Renting a set at a club in Florida will cost $50 upwards, with higher end courses charging $80 per round. We charge just $80 for the week, so it makes financial sense as well as not having the hassle and cost of transporting a set for the whole trip,” he added.

Renting clubs for a golf trip is quickly becoming the norm for UK holidaymakers, with winter sports being set as a benchmark for what is possible in the rental business. “It’s nowhere near comparable to the ski sector yet, but the golf rental market is booming,” said Judge, who oversees a business renting out an average of 1,500 sets each week and 400 sets a day at peak times.

Moving into the world’s biggest golf market follows successful openings of similar operations in Africa (Cape Town & Marrakesh) and Asia (Bangkok & Pattaya, Thailand) during the last two years, as increasing numbers of golfers travel to long haul destinations to play in warmer conditions.

ClubstoHire supplied nearly 70,000 sets of clubs to golfers across 26 locations in 10 countries worldwide last year, including the latest sets from leading manufacturers TaylorMade, Callaway, Mizuno and Wilson Staff.

The golf club rental market has come from nowhere over the last two years, and has been one of the success stories in an otherwise difficult market. It’s a great way to try out new kit, and save money and hassle. It’s the way to go.

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