Grasshopper Golf Tours Llc

What Grasshopper Golf Tours Llc does

Grasshopper Golf Tours LLC is a privately held, Lexington, Kentucky-based travel agency founded in 1981 by John Bitner that designs and books fully customized international golf trips for affluent individual golfers and private groups of four to sixteen players. The company serves clients across the United States who travel to premier golf destinations — primarily Scotland, Ireland, and England, with additional coverage of Spain, Portugal, France, the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand — and has arranged travel for more than 20,000 golfers over its forty-plus year history. Its core offering combines secured access to sought-after courses (such as St. Andrews, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, and Sunningdale) with end-to-end logistics including accommodations, transportation, dining, and routing, all priced individually per trip.

The business operates without proprietary technology, AI tooling, or a digital booking platform; trip design is conducted through a consultative, human-expert process initiated by phone or email inquiry and finalized through collaborative itinerary building with the leadership team. Revenue is generated via service fees and markups embedded in custom-quoted trip pricing — there is no subscription model, tiered pricing, or self-serve channel. Grasshopper has no external funding, holding company, or subsidiaries; it is structured as a Kentucky LLC owned and operated by Matt Harrison and Ben Davis, who assumed leadership after founder John Bitner's retirement. Ben Davis joined in April 2019, bringing experience in sports management and the equine industry.

The company's go-to-market relies almost entirely on word-of-mouth referrals and repeat clientele, supported by a content-oriented website describing destinations, the planning process, and customer testimonials. Customer relationships span decades in multiple cases (one client has booked annually since 1995), and the client mix includes both private individuals and select enterprise users such as association leadership. Distribution is direct-to-consumer globally, with no resellers, partners, or marketplace listings.

Name

Grasshopper Golf Tours Llc

Legal name

Grasshopper Golf Tours, LLC

Website

https://grasshoppergolf.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grasshopper Golf Tours LLC is a Lexington, Kentucky-based custom golf travel agency founded in 1981 that designs bespoke international golf trips — covering courses, lodging, and logistics — for affluent individual golfers and private groups, primarily to Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Adventure & Expedition Custom Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Adventure & Expedition Experiences (Custom Hikes, Safaris, Backcountry) (THAJALAG)

Keywords

• Custom golf tours
• Golf travel packages
• Golf trip planning
• Links golf tours
• Golf vacation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Golf Trip Planning Services: The company earns revenue by charging for the planning and organization of custom golf travel experiences. Services include itinerary design, course bookings, accommodations, transportation, and logistics coordination. Revenue appears to come from service fees embedded in trip pricing, as no subscription or licensing model is described.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Grasshopper Golf Tours LLC designs and delivers fully customized golf travel experiences for individual golfers and private groups. Each itinerary is tailored to client preferences and includes exclusive access to sought-after courses (e.g., St. Andrews, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush), accommodations, ground transportation, dining, and sightseeing. The company handles all logistics from consultation through trip completion, serving clients traveling to Scotland, Ireland, England, Spain, Portugal, Australia, New Zealand, France, the Netherlands, and South Africa.

Product overview

Grasshopper Golf Tours LLC operates as a custom golf travel agency offering a single unified service rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Their core offering is personalized golf trip planning services, which encompass exclusive course access, fully custom itineraries, local destination expertise, and seamless logistics management. The company specializes in regional golf tour packages covering Scotland, Ireland, England, Spain & Portugal, and Australia & New Zealand, each destination featuring curated access to championship and iconic golf courses. Every trip is individually tailored to client preferences, combining golf with accommodations, transportation, dining, and sightseeing experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Golf Trip Planning Service Fully customized golf travel planning service that designs personalized itineraries including course selection, accommodations, transportation, dining, and sightseeing experiences for individual golfers and private groups.
• Scotland Golf Tours Golf travel packages to Scotland featuring historic links courses in regions including The Highlands, Aberdeenshire, St. Andrews & Fife, Ayrshire, Edinburgh & East Lothian, and Perthshire.
• Ireland Golf Tours Golf travel experiences in Ireland including Dublin, Northern Ireland (Royal County Down, Royal Portrush), Northwest Ireland, and Southwest Ireland (Ballybunion, Lahinch, Old Head).
• England Golf Tours Golf travel to England covering Northwest (Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool), Southwest England & Southern Wales, and London & Southeast England regions including Sunningdale and Royal St. George's.
• Spain & Portugal Golf Tours
• Australia & New Zealand Golf Tours

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 golfers have traveled with Grasshopper Golf Tours since 1981
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Golfbreaks: One of the largest golf tour operators globally, offering international golf trips including Scotland, Ireland, and Spain. Directly comparable to Grasshopper in custom golf itinerary planning, though at significantly larger scale.
• Your Golf Travel: Digital-first golf tour operator offering customizable golf packages to UK, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal. Directly comparable on destination coverage and target customer, with a more tech-enabled booking model.
• Premier Golf: International golf tour operator focused on premium links courses in Scotland, Ireland, and beyond. Comparable in custom itinerary orientation and destination portfolio.
• PerryGolf: Long-established US-based custom international golf travel specialist offering bespoke itineraries to Scotland, Ireland, and other links destinations. Closest functional analog to Grasshopper's bespoke service model.
• Celtic Golf (International Golf Travel): Custom golf travel specialist focusing on Scotland, Ireland, and England. Directly comparable in service offering, destination expertise, and consultative sales approach.
• Haversham & Baker: Boutique US-based golf travel company specializing in bespoke international golf trips. Closely matches Grasshopper's premium, consultative positioning and destination mix.
• Executive Golf & Leisure: Specialist golf travel agency offering bespoke international golf trips to UK and Ireland. Comparable business model and target customer base.

Emerging players

• The Golf Travel Guys: Boutique golf trip planning service with similar destination focus on Scotland and Ireland. Comparable offering but smaller scale and more digitally-led customer acquisition.

Regional players

• Golf Scotland: Specialist Scotland golf tour operator with custom packages and tee time access. Comparable niche focus on premium Scottish links courses, with local supplier relationships similar to Grasshopper's.
• Scotland Golf Tours: Regional golf tour operator specializing in Scotland-only itineraries. Comparable in course access and bespoke service, but lacks Grasshopper's multi-country breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grasshopper-golf-tours

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grasshopper Golf Tours Llc