After thirty years in IT, it was time to move on. Not with burnout or reluctance — simply ready. The kind of ready where you wake up one morning and realize you no longer want to think about roadmaps, sprints, and quarterly figures. I had worked hard, it had been good, and now it was time for something else. What that "something else" exactly was, I didn't know yet.
I already knew golf — a little. A colleague had once dragged me to a trial lesson years ago, and after that I occasionally hit balls at the driving range. But it was only when I truly had time that the game began to capture me. Not just the technical aspects, though that too. But the rhythm. Those four hours outside, the silence before a shot, the conversation in between. Golf gave structure to days that suddenly no longer had it naturally.
I started taking lessons, played more and more often, and soon noticed I wasn't the only one. At the club, there were more men — and women — my age walking around who had the same story. Stopped working, children moved out, finally time. Golf became the new anchor.
Meanwhile, something else was changing too. The house in de Kempen — beautiful, spacious, garden all around — was becoming too much. Too much garden, too much maintenance, too much space for two people. We had wonderful years there, but it felt like a coat that no longer fit. So we sold the house and moved to an apartment in Antwerpen. More compact, more central, easier. And honestly: more pleasant.
But then comes November. And December. And January. België is beautiful, but let's be honest: golfing in winter here is an ordeal. Wet fairways, frozen greens, three layers of clothing and still shivering on the tee. I noticed that every year around October I was already starting to count. Six more weeks of decent weather. Four more. Two more. And then? Wait for March.
“I didn't want to leave België. I just wanted to occasionally escape the grey winter.”
Now of course I could have simply done what many retirees do: buy an apartment on the Costa del Sol or the Algarve and sit there all winter. Become a snowbird. But that felt like the other extreme. I didn't want to be away for months. I didn't want to give up my life in Antwerpen — the city, the friends, the restaurants, the theater. I just wanted to get away occasionally. A week here, ten days there. A bit of sun, a bit of golf, a bit of recharging. And then back again.
What I did want: familiar places. Courses you like to return to, hotels where they know your name, restaurants where the owner greets you. I wanted company — but not the same people every day. A group of like-minded people, people my age and background, with whom you play a round, drink a glass of wine, and then do your own thing again. Good courses, good food, sun on your face. Relaxation without boredom.
And above all: no hassle. I have the budget, I have the time — but I don't feel like comparing flights, booking green fees, arranging transfers, and searching for a hotel that doesn't disappoint. I just want to arrive somewhere and have everything arranged. Someone who does it for me, and does it well. With attention.
When I said this out loud to a friend at the club, it turned out he thought exactly the same. And his wife too. And the two couples they always played with. It wasn't a unique wish — it was something many people wanted, but nobody did anything about.
So I decided to organize it myself. Not as a travel agency, not as a tour operator — but as someone who knows exactly what this group wants, because I belong to it myself. Small groups. Familiar destinations. A regular golf pro who comes along. Everything taken care of, from green fees to dinners. Not the group feeling of a bus tour, but the atmosphere of a private club traveling.
“Not as a travel agency, but as someone who knows exactly what this group wants — because I belong to it myself.”
This is how Silver Swing was born. The name? It refers to the south — where the sun shines, the g sounds soft, and life feels a bit lighter. It's not a business in the traditional sense. It's an invitation. To everyone who recognizes what I just described: the love for golf, the wish to escape in winter, the desire for quality and convenience, and the conviction that it's more fun together than alone.
Welcome. I hope to see you on the fairway soon.