Pioneer Golf — Local services in Austin

This was the first time we have used a Golf Trip Coordinating Team and our experience with Pioneer was first class. We went as a foursome and decided on going with a customized Southwest Ireland Trip consisting of 5 courses in 7 days.

Our first contact with the Pioneer Team was with Lauren Van Gervin who patiently helped us navigate and price out several options in Scotland and Ireland. Initially we were leaning to Scotland as we all were interested in playing St. Andrews, especially in 2022, when the Open was scheduled before our planned trip. Ultimately we were lured by the charm and beauty of Southwest Ireland ... and we were concerned about potential logistics issues associated with when and if we would be able to play St. Andrews. We did not regret for a minute going with Ireland, the courses were amazing, the scenery gorgeous our interactions with the Irish people really made the trip.

Lauren had great first hand knowledge of most of the options we were considering and she was awesome in making suggestions and turning around scenarios, usually within 24 hours or less. Planning phase could not have been better.

Execution, especially with our last minute tweaks and requests was equally on point. In this phase we started with Nicole, and ultimately our point person was Kari Hughes. Kari was awesome and handled quite a few last minute tweaks and questions on everything from Golf Course details to logistics.

From the moment we landed in Shannon Airport to the time we departed everyting went perfectly. There were no details missed, and we had no need to contact Kari while we were there because everything was laid out so well ... although Karie did assure us that if we needed anything we could contact her 24 hours a day.

Our accommodations at McSweeney Arms in Kilarney were perfect for us, great location to the Courses and a great location within Kilarney and charming hosts .... Needless to say, the Southwest Seaside Golf Courses were spectacular! We played Ballybunion, Tralee, Dooks, Old Head and Killarney Golf & Fishing Club. If we had it to do again we would definitely return to Ballybunion, Tralee and Dooks. Old Head was spectacular, seeing it once was amazing. The locals highly recommended Waterville so we definitely would play there next time, replacing the Killarney Course. Don't get me wrong, Killarney Golf & Fishing Club was a beautiful place but I would highly suggest playing only the seaside links courses. They are spectacular and there is nothing like them in the world,

So, hats off to Pioneer for coordinating our Trip of a Lifetime! Every person we had contact with was professional, knowledgeable...

We'd like to thank everyone at Pioneer Golf who was involved in setting up this trip and making everything happen for their time, energy and efforts. I do not believe that we could have had a much better experience.

From the initial inquiry - last November - Johnny was superb at listening to our thoughts and taking time to talk through with us the type of trip we might have. His forethought and planning was appreciated; he listened and communicated well with myself and my son, who had some specific desires regarding courses he wanted to see. Given that this was early December of 2023, to pull everything together for an April 2024 trip was remarkable and a testament to the efforts of the people of Pioneer Golf.

At the time we had the trip nailed down, the process of getting the payments made, trip insurance, etc., was all easily done and by working with Pioneer Golf the administrative aspect of the trip was easily handled. In the run-up to departure, the staff were appropriately solicitous; they reached out when they needed information, provided gentle reminders when we forgot to communicate back, and showed a level of communication and customer service that was first-rate. Sami in particular functioned as the administrative coordinator and she was excellent.

I cannot possibly express my appreciation and thanks to the entire staff of Pioneer Golf for providing us with by far the most outstanding golf experience of our lives. From the beginning they were in communication with us, the communications were clear, and they were most helpful. During the trip was when I really felt the benefit of the professionalism of Pioneer Golf. We had continual communication as promised and at appropriate levels, when we had a couple of questions the response was rapid, and when we arrived at each facility the individuals there were expecting our visit and had everything ready for us. Literally all I had to worry about was my golf game and choosing where to have dinner in the evening. It was relaxing, memorable, challenging golf, great experiences, and this was due in large part to the people of Pioneer Golf. You truly gave us a "trip of a lifetime" experience, one we shall never forget. I cannot possibly thank you all enough and you can be certain that I will be recommending Pioneer Golf to any friends considering a golf...

From The Collier Group

At the start of our search for companies to make our St. Andrews trip happen, we reviewed and looked at many different options. From the start Pioneer Golf stood out to us because of the incredibly fast response time, wonderful communication, along with a stellar price. With the headquarters being 20 minutes down the road, we decided to go meet with our point of contact Mr. Murphy, and man were we blown away. Not only did we get to sit down and look through our whole trip, but we got to meet everyone in the office from sales associates, to the trip planning team, to the owner of the company. Moving forward we officially booked our trip and began the incredibly long process of waiting to take off. In the months and weeks leading up to our trip Pioneer stayed in constant communication with us and answered all of our questions no matter how dumb they might have been, and I promise we probably asked too many. The attention to detail that this company has is absolutely unmatched, in every aspect of planning and execution. When we arrived in St. Andrews we were met by an amazing driver, that we had for the entire trip, and I’m not sure if there is a better tour guide in the entire country of Scotland. The courses we got to play, in order, were: The Old Course at St. Andrews (ballot), Crail Golfing Society (balcomie course), Jubilee Course at St. Andrews, New Course at St. Andrews, The Old Course at St. Andrews (ballot), Carnoustie Golf Links (Championship Course), and can we say everything exceeded expectations! Despite the rain and the cold for the first few days, all of the courses were absolutely incredible, and getting the opportunity to play the old course twice was a dream. Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and we have to come back to real life back in Austin. Writing this review I’m trying to find the words to describe just how incredible our experience was from start to finish, but nothing comes close to doing it justice. To everyone at pioneer, thank you for creating an experience of a lifetime for me and my dad. Thank you for treating us as a member of the family, and not just another customer. Lastly, Thank you for giving us memories that we will both carry for the rest of our lives, and we cant wait to book with pioneer again when it comes time for our...