Double Bachelor Golf Trip 2027

What decides it more than the city

The calendar. A Tuesday or Wednesday arrival in mid May or the second to fourth week of June, avoiding Memorial Day (May 31), Father's Day (June 20) and July 1 to 6, cuts Vegas lodging nearly in half ($102 vs $185 per guy per night) and saves $90 or more on airfare everywhere. That gap is bigger than the gap between any two destinations.

Honest budget note: $1,500 is doable with a midweek block and one prepaid club night. $1,000 is not doable anywhere on this list except a stripped down Orlando house or an Atlanta guy driving to Myrtle Beach. Food and drinks are modeled at $140 a day; a bachelor group usually spends $200, which alone adds $180 to a 3 night trip.

Why Hawaii is out

Honolulu round trips run about $1,100 to $1,300 from Detroit and $830 to $1,200 from Atlanta and Dallas in June and July, plus 9 to 12 hours each way. That is 70 to 100 percent of a $1,500 budget before a single hotel night, round of golf or meal.

Also dropped

San Diego: perfect weather and cheap golf but California lodging ($312 to $493 a night at Mission Bay resorts plus $46 to $56 fees and $38 to $79 parking) lands at $1,775 to $2,180 for 3 nights. Lake Tahoe: no Detroit nonstop ($629 in June, 6.5 hours each way), rentals capped at 10 people, Edgewood is $325 to $450. About $2,040 for 3 nights.

How much does each thing matter?

0 means ignore it, 5 means it decides the trip.

Trip settings

Lodging per guy per night

• Vegas, Park MGM midweek: $102 (weekend $185)
• Vegas, Flamingo midweek: $75
• Orlando, 10BR pool home: $74 to $93 (18 to 20 guys)
• Orlando, Omni ChampionsGate: about $140
• Myrtle Beach, condo package: $100 incl 3 rounds
• Scottsdale, Talking Stick: $104
• Scottsdale, Grand Hyatt or Kierland: $188
• San Diego, Mission Bay resort: $200 to $300
• Tahoe, Harrah's July: $180

Hidden fees to budget for

• Vegas resort fees $44 to $62 per room per night, plus $20 a day parking at MGM and Caesars properties
• Scottsdale resort fees $25 (Talking Stick) to $90 (Arizona Grand)
• Orlando Omni $48 plus tax; Rosen Shingle Creek has none
• Myrtle Beach oceanfront resorts $34 to $47
• San Diego $46 to $56 plus $38 to $79 parking
• Golf cart fees ($15 to $48) where not included, rental clubs $50 to $75 a round
• Nightclub tables add 40 to 50 percent tax and gratuity

Levers that move the number most

• Midweek vs weekend in Vegas: $250 to $350 per person over 3 nights
• Food and drinks: $140 vs $200 a day is $180 over 3 nights
• Club night: one table night is $160 to $240 a head
• Flight timing: booking Feb to Mar for May saves $90 plus; Frontier basic from DTW to LAS dips to $119 to $144
• Bring your own clubs: saves $100 to $150 over two rounds
• Late June dates: unlock Caledonia summer rates and the $109 We-Ko-Pa tier

Airport to lodging

• Vegas: taxi flat zones $21 to $29, UberXL similar; walk the Strip after that
• Orlando: ChampionsGate is 30 to 35 min from MCO; two 12 passenger vans or 4 to 5 mid-size rentals
• Myrtle Beach: 3 to 5 minivans, rental cars effectively mandatory
• Scottsdale: PHX to Old Town rideshare $16 to $30; base at Talking Stick, SUVs only for golf mornings
• San Diego: UberXL $40 to $55 to the bay or Gaslamp
• Tahoe: Airporter shuttle $59.50 round trip, plus 4 to 5 rental SUVs for golf

Booking tips for 20 guys

• Nobody needs to be on the same flight, but post one "anchor" arrival window so the first van or tee time works
• Everyone books a main cabin changeable fare on his own card; travel insurance is not worth it on a domestic trip
• Detroit guys heading to Myrtle Beach must book the moment dates lock; the one daily nonstop fills
• Frontier and Spirit basic fares look cheap but add $60 to $120 for a bag and a seat; compare the all-in number
• June is the most or second most expensive month on 11 of 18 routes checked; May is cheapest to fly

Rooms (everyone books their own)

1. Lock dates by early January 2027.
2. Call the hotel and ask for group sales. Request a courtesy block of 10 to 12 rooms, no attrition, individual pay. That holds rooms under a group code with no deposit until a cutoff about 30 days out.
3. Decline any contract with an attrition clause (usually 80 percent fill required) unless headcount is certain.
4. Post the booking link, group code and cutoff date in the group chat. 20 guys at 2 per room is 10 rooms, which clears the threshold; singles push it to 12 to 14, still courtesy territory.
5. Tell everyone to also price the public and promo rate. In Vegas the block rate is often higher than the public rate. Everyone books the cancellable rate on his own card.
6. Guys sort out roommates themselves in the chat. You only book the grooms' room.

Tee times for 4 to 5 foursomes

1. As soon as dates lock, email the head pro or group coordinator at each course asking for 4 or 5 consecutive tee times for 16 to 20 players.
2. Most courses treat 12 to 16 plus as a group outing: a signed agreement and a deposit, in exchange for holds beyond the public booking window (public times usually open 60 to 90 days out).
3. Ask for the first tee times of the morning at 8 to 10 minute intervals, especially in Vegas and Scottsdale where you want to be done by 11 am.
4. Set a final headcount deadline 7 to 14 days out and collect golf money per player, not per head, so non-golfers do not subsidize.
5. In Myrtle Beach, skip all of this: a package provider (Golf Trek, Myrtle Beach Golf Trips, Caledonia Golf Vacations) holds tee times, lodging and shuttles for a $100 per guest deposit, balance due 30 days out.
6. Paiute handles 13 plus as a group with tee signs; Torrey Pines takes 16 plus requests beyond 90 days.

Money: covering the grooms

• Each guy pays his own flight and room, so rooms never enter the pool.
• The pool covers only: both grooms' flights and rooms (at the standard double rate, not a suite), group transport, golf and charter deposits, group dinners, and a small slush fund.
• Split equally among the 15 to 18 non-grooms. Golf is billed per player.
• Collect a nonrefundable $200 to $300 deposit per person the day dates lock. This funds the grooms' flights and the golf and transport deposits.
• Second call for the estimated remainder two weeks out, true-up within a week after the trip.
• State in writing that deposits are nonrefundable after a set date so a dropout does not raise everyone else's share.
• Track it in a Splitwise group (custom splits; free tier caps daily entries, so one month of Pro) or Venmo Groups, move money by Zelle or Venmo, and keep a Google Sheet the whole chat can see.
• Check your Venmo and Zelle limits before collecting $5,000 plus in a week.

Transport by destination

• Vegas: walk the Strip and UberXL for short hops (seats 6, so 4 cars per move at $100 to $180 per group move). Book one 20 to 28 passenger bus for golf mornings and one night out at $99 to $200 an hour with 2 hour minimums, about $40 to $55 a head for a 4 hour block.
• Orlando: two 12 passenger vans or 4 to 5 mid-size rentals, or no vehicles at all if golfing on site at Omni, Reunion or ChampionsGate. Downtown bar nights are $50 plus each way by rideshare.
• Myrtle Beach: 3 to 5 minivans along Highway 17 for golf (ask the packager about shuttles), rideshare for Broadway and the MarshWalk.
• Scottsdale: base at Talking Stick, 2 to 3 SUVs or one shuttle for We-Ko-Pa and north Scottsdale mornings, a party bus for Old Town nights.
• San Diego: 2 to 3 large SUVs for North County golf, rideshare for the Gaslamp.
• Tahoe: Airporter $59.50 round trip plus 4 to 5 rental SUVs reserved early.
• National charter averages are $120 to $150 an hour plus 15 to 20 percent gratuity and sometimes a 20 to 30 percent service charge.