An Experienced Golf Travel Company
Playfair Golf Travel’s mission is to share our pioneer golfing and traveling spirit by enabling other enthusiasts to enjoy the wealth of iconic golf and sporting history in destinations worldwide.
Many companies claim that their business is in their DNA, but few mean it as literally as Playfair Golf Travel.
The Grand Match, painted in 1847 by Charles Lees (featured above), shows the putt of Major Hugh Playfair, four-greats uncle of Playfair Golf Travel's Golf Expert, Edward Playfair. Colonel William Playfair also features as a spectator. Prints of this famous painting are found in more clubhouses around the world than any other golfing picture.
Our Playfair family forebears have been traveling and golfing for over 200 years founding several clubs all over the world, including Scotland (Scotscraig Golf Club, 1818, and the Union Club, St Andrews, 1835, which merged with The Royal & Ancient Golf Club), India (Royal Calcutta Golf Club, 1829, the oldest golf club in the world outside of the British Isles), Australia (Royal Melbourne Golf Club, 1891, consistently ranked as one of the top courses on the planet) and Japan (Kobe Golf Club, 1903, the first golf course in the country).
Meet Our Team
Playfair Golf Travel is a natural evolution from a combined 50 years of experience of its founders in golf tours and the travel business. We have a passion for enabling golf enthusiasts to enjoy the historic links of the British Isles and beyond, walking in the footsteps of the greats of the game where the sport first evolved over 600 years ago. We are excited for our clients to enjoy the remarkable experience of playing on the finest golf courses on earth!
Carrie Playfair
Founding Principal and Golf Travel Advisor
Carrie is a veteran of the travel industry and has expanded her widespread travel experience through two extended global circumnavigations visiting dozens of countries throughout most continents. Born and raised in the United States, she lived in the United Kingdom for nearly a decade, gaining dual citizenship as well as unrivaled experience of the country from an American perspective and organizing many trips for US visitors. Carrie has been guiding tourists around St. Andrews and other prime golfing locations for 20 years.
Edward Playfair
Founding Golf Expert
Edward first organized golf trips in the 1990s as Secretary (manager) of the St Andrews University Golf Club, the world’s oldest university golf club. Since then, he has arranged and led a number of highly successful tours of leading Scottish golf courses for US-based golfers. Though Edward holds three citizenships and currently lives in the United States, he was born in Australia and raised in the United Kingdom with deep family roots in St Andrews (where his ancestor Sir Hugh Lyon Playfair is credited with saving the Old Course, building the prominent Royal and Ancient Clubhouse, and rejuvenating the ancient town in the mid-1800s). Edward has in-depth knowledge of traditional British links courses from playing them extensively for over 30 years and as a published and recognized golf historian. He is a former appraiser and auctioneer of golfing antiques and memorabilia for Sotheby’s and a former consultant historian to Coca Cola’s sponsorship of The Masters.
