To Drive or Not to Drive

I signed up for the GolfLink website to read an article on Steve Stricker's golf swing and I received a free copy via e-mail of "Planning the Ultimate Golf Vacation" by David M. Baum, et al. I cannot include a copy of the e-book in this post because there are copyright warnings and notices that specifically include website postings and say that the maximum penalty for violations is $150,000! You can go to the website and get a copy yourself, but you have to sign up.

I searched for "St. Andrews" and there was an insert "To Drive or not to Drive" on page 26. Smooth was advocating having a driver for "World Of XXVII - Europe" and I was questioning the additional cost. After reading this article, I will not question Smooth again. The author made the following excellent points:

• European rental cars are very small, like Fiats. I can just see the Big Man, Crimson Tide, the Natural and me squeezing into a Fiat! Of course, Turtle and the Mouth will have their own car.
• Gas is really expensive in Europe.
• European rental cars are often manual transmissions with the stick shift on the left! (I am not sure which foot you use for the clutch, brake and accelerator.)
• You drive on the left side of the road and the roads are oftentimes very narrow.
• Europe has some of the strictest drunk driving laws.

On the other hand, the author says that for an additional $150 to $300 per person for a week, you can have a luxury motor coach or minivan with a local driver and you never have to worry about directions. The driver acts as concierge, arranging caddies, lunches, departure times and providing other local advice. You have your own traveling 19th hole without concern about driving while drinking and you don't have to worry about returning your rental car on time!