Most of us can survive with limited golf equipment. The bare minimum in your collection should be a driver, a 3 wood, 3 to 9 irons, a sand wedge and a putter. Add to that tees, golf balls, golf shoes and a golf bag. Additionally your equipment could include a 5 and 7 wood, a golfing umbrella, a pitching wedge and some rain gear.

If your stroke level is still between say 85 and 120 you probably don’t need to splash out quite so much. At this stage of your development you can aim for golf clubs of a reasonable price from a discount golf equipment store. Even at this level it will probably be worth buying new as opposed to used as you never really know the history of the clubs and any unseen twist in the putter from its previous use can seriously impact on your putting abilities.

When you successes start and you can complete an 18 hole round of golf in 70 stokes or less then the time has probably come to upgrade your equipment because you are now a serious player and other golfers will take you seriously as well.

Golf is a sport where the look is part of the charm of the game. How fantastic it is to turn up to play golf on a sunny morning in your best golf clothes and shoes, with your bag all shiny and feeling happy with the world. To then meet your golfing friends at the course, all of them having made similar efforts to you and looking and feeling life is wonderful. The quality of your kit shines through and you can be proud of your achievements at buying the best you can afford.

Choose a set of clubs at a good price for around the £250 to £350 mark. If you already know what you’re after why not check online discount golf equipment stores for the best bargains. Again buy new golf equipment but try to stick to known brands as they have been tried and tested by other golfers before you.

Luxury hotels for golfers can be found the world over and for those who are golf addicts a round of golf adds a pleasant dimension to any hotel stay. Here are some of the most prestigious golf courses on three different continents, each with their own luxury hotels for golfers right on site.

Luxury Golf Hotels in Europe
For those looking for five-star hotels with golf courses in Europe, your journey has to take you to Scotland, where the game was first played around 600 years ago on the Old Course at St Andrews. In the same area is the “Palace in the Glen”, Gleneagles, known as one of the top luxury hotels for golfers in Scotland with its three top championship golf courses including the famous King’s Course, the more secluded Queen’s Course and the PGA Centenary Course – the proposed venue for the 2014 Ryder Cup.

Luxury Golf Hotels in North America
The Phoenician in Scottsdale, AZ is hard to beat as one of the top luxury hotels in the USA with Five Diamond accommodation and every possible amenity. The 27-hole Championship golf course challenges guests to many happy hours of extraordinary play in this green oasis surrounded by the rugged Sonoran desert landscape.

During the winter months, many avid golfers head out to Hawaii to one of the superb luxury hotels for golfers. The Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at historic Ka’upulehu has a splendid Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, and playing in the sunshine is a given. For non-golfing partners there is a newly expanded spa and a superb beachfront location.

Luxury Golf Hotels in Asia
Golfers visiting Tokyo will find luxury hotels galore but due to the lack of space, none have their own golf courses. Golf is so prestigious in Japan that membership can cost around $3 million, and then only if you are Japanese of the highest social standing. The good news for golfers is that the par-72 Kazusa Monarch Country Club does welcome non-Japanese visitors to its Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. The green fees are in the region of Y15,000 to Y23,000 (US$160-250) but they do include a caddy and complimentary drinks.

Luxury hotels in Tokyo are easier to find. The Grand Hyatt has splendid views of Tokyo city and is close to the Ginza shopping district, or choose the quieter rural retreat of the Niki-Club, set amidst the forest of Tochigi-Ken. All luxury hotels in Tokyo offer superb standards of service which the Asians do so beautifully.

Alex Brey co-founded Luxique, and has had a passion for travel for more than 20 years. So much so, he convinced others to join him in his pursuit to create a travel documentary highlighting some of the globe’s finest destinations. During an almost three year process, he got to stay in some outstanding luxury hotels, soak up some vibrant cultures and enjoy some of the world’s finest cuisines. He realized that the decision-making process for planning the perfect trip – from choosing the destination to getting the right hotel room – was something that could be improved. And so came the birth of Luxique, the website that caters for the discerning traveler.