Inside the Lockhart Travel Club

After receiving an email promoting their 2026 offerings, we wanted to learn more about the inner workings of the Lockhart Travel Club.

And so, we recently interviewed Matt Kaul, chief growth officer, at Top 100 Golf Courses, to learn more about their sister company, Lockhart Travel Club.

They advertise it as, “the world’s most exclusive golf travel club, where discerning golfers explore the world’s finest courses with like-minded members from distinguished clubs.”

Wait until you learn about the club within the club.

QZS: There seems like there’s a lot of opportunities now for people to join these remote clubs. Does Lockhart cater more toward the luxury traveler who wants to golf, or is this for the serious golfer who’s going to get on a plane and try to play somewhere new?

Matt: Yeah, very much the latter. Our Lockhart adventures are very golf-centric. I think there’s some room for après-golf. I actually saw a video yesterday of the crew in New Zealand doing a speedboat ride, which was pretty cool.
But the trips themselves are really golf-forward, golf-first.

So to join Lockhart, you would have to have a pretty insatiable desire to put yourself out there and go on a trip with folks you’re meeting for the first time—but for the reason of going to visit all these spectacular places in the world that we do. And I think you quickly find that you’re surrounded by like-minded people who are after the same thing, and fast friendships tend to happen on the trips, which is really cool.

But they’re very much a golf trip, and that’s from the short two, three, four-day trips that we run to the seven to ten-day trips that we run as well.

QZS: The website mentions that the group sizes are small to ensure personal attention. Does that mean you definitely applying to go by yourself? Can you go with a friend?

Matt: Yes, and that’s where we differentiate from some of the other mobile clubs, however you want to phrase it. Our trip sizes are rather small. Six to twelve golfers is our sweet spot.

I know on the New Zealand trip we’re on right now, we have some gentlemen—15 on that—so that’s one of our larger events. And we’re looking to do some bigger events next year too, like the Long Island event might be 30 to 40 people. But that would be different for us.

Typically—and it’s mainly because of access here in the United States. Just getting a group out to a top-25 course, let alone two or three, is becoming a larger challenge by the day. You read about it in virtually every publication: the trend is against group visits and more toward member play, at least in our country.

It’s the direct opposite overseas, which I think is great. I hope we, as a golf country, trend that direction. But we keep trip sizes small so we can give members the personal attention required. The group size is manageable, there aren’t too many personalities to keep happy, and—more than anything—it’s an access thing.

QZS: On the website, and even one of the testimonials, the courses were kind of vague. When do participants find out where they’re playing?

Matt: We tend to advertise the events at least six months in advance. We released our 2026 provisional calendar around the end of summer. So we’ve already started to get sign-ups for larger marquee events—Brazil, Japan, Long Island, etc.

We mainly try to give folks time to plan, get airfare—we don’t handle airfare except rarely, like for New Zealand group rates. Members typically make their own arrangements.

But sometimes opportunities pop up. We’ll email the membership and say, “Hey, we have room to host a group at Cabot Citrus Farms next month. Anyone interested?” Members can use Lockhart to entertain friends or family outside the main club calendar. We’ve seen that happen more this year, and we already have 10 trips planned outside the main framework for next year.

QZS: Do these trips have jam packed itineraries, or do members have free time to explore?

Matt: Generally, not a huge appetite for 36 holes in the group. The average Lockhart member age is around 53–55. Sometimes we’ll have one or two optional 36-hole days, but usually it’s golf as the focus, then some kind of group activity. And if someone wants downtime to check email, call home, or explore alone, that’s very normal.

We usually have planned meals, golf, maybe cocktails after. We try to stay on-site when possible; if not, we stay at a five-star hotel nearby. Transportation is covered—members never have to drive.

QZS: One thing you see on message boards is the idea of hosting. People are accepted to remote clubs based on being able to host other members at a their high level private. How important is the quality of someone’s home club when applying?

Matt: The only prerequisite to join Lockhart is being a member of a club. When we host Lockhart trips, sometimes they’re member-hosted, so we’ll lean on a Lockhart member who belongs there, or someone from my or David’s network.

In the U.S., demand trends make access a challenge. If someone applies and they’re a member at a top-100 club, I’m not saying they go to the top of the list, because there are great people everywhere—but from a hosting perspective, sure, if someone from National Golf Links applies, I’d love to have them.

But, we don’t pressure anyone to host. It’s separate. It’s just that members are often happy to share their home clubs.

QZS: How would you describe the quality of the golfers? Does handicap matter when applying?

Matt: No, we attract a more sophisticated golfer by nature, but athleticism or limitations don’t determine sophistication. We’re looking for the right person, not the best golfer.

We have a member who played at Houston right after Fred Couples, and members who struggle to break 100 at a top-100 course. The average handicap is around 10–12. Plenty of good players, but it’s not a “players’ club.”

Personality fit matters far more.

QZS: After obtaining membership, how are you selected for a trip? Is it first come first serve or are you receiving enough interest that you have to conduct a lottery for the trips?

Matt: The trips are first come first serve, however, there is some democracy around the “bigger ticket” trips on first call. Perhaps, in time, and as the club grows, some key events will move to a lottery system. 

Occasionally, if a trip doesn’t “sell out”, a member can invite a friend and as I mentioned, members can lean on the Concierge to plan buddy/couples/solo trips outside of the Lockhart calendar. 

QZS: What’s your preferred destination for the next wave of trips?

Matt: I’ll share the 2026 calendar—it’s incredible. Personally, the new courses in Aiken are high on my list. We have a tentative fall trip planned. There’s so much happening in that region.

We don’t have a Sand Valley trip next year, and I’d like to change that—service is great, people love the Lido. I’d also like to get back to Lofoten once Cabot finalizes their hotel up there.

QZS: How long is the lead time for organizing overseas trips?

Matt: Fortunately, we have four or five trips every year that are staples—Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, plus a proper Heathland trip.

We know these well. Maybe we spice up the itinerary with a restoration or new course.

We put out the 2026 calendar around the end of September. That covers us through next September. So logistically, we’re working more than a year in advance sometimes—maybe anywhere from six to fourteen months.

QZS: What’s something on (or not on) the website that you want members or potential members to know?

Matt: We have a very special “club within the club.” If someone wants to play the world top-100 on our list in four to five years, we have a program guaranteeing 95 of them.

There are a few we can’t guarantee because access is unpredictable—like San Francisco Golf Club—but 95 of 100, yes.

It requires flexibility, capital, and willingness to move when opportunities arise. If I call and say, “You’re playing Pine Valley next week,” you have to get to Camden, New Jersey.

We offer five spots per year. We’ve sold two since launching this summer. It’s not publicly advertised—it’s a true consultative program David handles personally.

If you’re a big-time goal-setter, it’s an incredible opportunity.

QZS: That sounds awesome. That would take a lot of logistical legwork out of the process for someone newer to golf or without connections.

Matt: Absolutely.

Or, someone living somewhere far from a golf-dense region. If you lived in Thailand with plenty of capital, you’d still need 30 U.S. courses for the world top-100. That’s a whole summer. It takes a special person—but if you’re into it, it’s unbelievable.

Thanks to Matt for joining us. For more Lockhart insight, watch this video interview with David Denis, Top 100 CEO, from last December.

Visit the Lockhart website here.

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