Kiawah Island and Doonbeg Named Golf Resorts of the Year

The International Association of Golf Tour Operators recently declared Kiawah Island Golf Resort the North American Golf Resort of the Year and Doonbeg the European Golf Resort of the Year.

The IAGTO Awards were established in 2000 to reward and recognize those exceptional resorts in the world of golf travel. IAGTO’s 300-plus golf tour operators, representing 49 different countries, cast their votes prior to the awards dinner. Each operator was asked to nominate what they consider to be the best performing golf resorts enjoyed by their golf-travel clients that year. There are more than 1,000 golf resorts in the U.S. alone and an estimated 2,000 worldwide. The golf resort in each of the three categories—Europe, North America, and the Rest of the World—with the most number of votes receives the 2010 Golf Resort of the Year accolades. 

Operators were asked to rank the resorts using the following criteria:

• Customer satisfaction
• Quality of golf course/s and accommodations
• Value for price
• Accessibility to tee times
• Speed of communication and quality of service of the golf resort sales, marketing, reservations, administration, and management staff

The awards were presented at the IAGTO Awards gala dinner held in Malaga, Spain on November 19. About the honor, Joe Russell, general manager of Doonbeg, said that the resort staff was delighted to win such a prestigious award. “We rely on the Golf Tour Operators to provide us with a great deal of business and the award is acknowledgement that we are providing the kind of service that they and their clients require. In accepting the award, I do so on behalf of all of the staff at Doonbeg. We pride ourselves on our attention to detail and the service we give and I believe this award is an endorsement of both.”

Kiawah Island Golf Resort joins a roster of acclaimed international golf resorts that have received the distinction in previous years. Some past winners in the category include: Pebble Beach Resorts in Carmel, California; the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; and the Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami, Florida.

Previous winners of the European Golf Resort of the Year include Turnberry (Scotland), Druid’s Glen (Ireland), Praia D’El Rey (Portugal), Dona Filipa & San Lorenzo (Portugal), and Carton House (Ireland). 

For more information about Kiawah Island Golf Resort and Doonbeg Golf Club, visit www.KiawahResort.com and www.DoonbegGolfClub.com.