All-in-One Golf Travel Services

 

Valderrama, a championship course in Spain
On the golf course, Scott Samele steers clear of trouble.

It's on the 19th hole where the mischief begins.

Since 1996, Samele has led a group of 12 likeminded buddies on an annual golf getaway to Reno, Nev., a long-weekend excursion that starts out on the links and ends up in places that Samele's Sunday pastor might frown upon: blackjack tables, bars, dance clubs.

Samele and his crew are golf's version of a harmless dirty dozen, a band of 30-somethings of varied backgrounds, some married, some single, all advanced in their careers.

Their common goal is a quest for good, clean fun.

"We've all hit that age where maybe we can't dunk a basketball or play football in the park without pulling a hamstring," says Samele, 39. "But we can still get out on the golf course and be competitive. And afterward, we can hang out and just be guys."

Over the years, the extravaganza gathered so much momentum, and attracted so much interest from men his age, that Samele thought there might be a market in organizing the same sort of trip for others. So this past summer, he launched the Scottsdale Swing from his hometown, the desert golf hub of Scottsdale, Ariz.

The result is an unusual male-centric service, a company specializing in custom golf vacations for guys. Samele has connections with many of the area's finest courses, which means he hooks up clients with tee times at top spots like We-Ko-Pa and Talking Stick. But just as it is with his buddy trips to Reno, the excursions aren't limited to the links.

When a customer calls or clicks on his Web site, Samele susses out the situation with a slew of questions about the traveling group: Are you serious players, or weekend slashers? What's your preference, steak or sushi? Salsa or samba? Spa treatments or front-row strip-club seats?

"I need to know how much golf you want to play and what kind of courses you'd like to play," Samele says. "But I also want to know: How much trouble do you want to get into?"

The trouble, of course, isn't Samele's only business. While he can land VIP passes to naughty Scottsdale night spots like Skin Cabaret, he also makes more innocent arrangements, from airport limo pick-up to reservations at swanky local steakhouses. Want a box of fine cigars or box seats to an Arizona Diamondbacks game? Consider it done. Samele handles everything except for flights.

Though the deals he brokers are usually cheaper than anything a customer could find on his own, Samele says his service is more about saving time than money. He caters to clients who don't mind spending a few extra bucks to spare themselves the headache of vacation planning, and to guarantee that everything will be done right.

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