ABOUT US

Pioneer World Travel was founded in 1971 by Noel Buttery, an Englishman who had settled in Austin, TX in the early 1960s. Drawing on his experience in the travel industry, Noel built a company specializing in group sightseeing trips to Europe.

During this time, he was joined by Peter Hazelton, a young Scotsman who became Pioneer’s representative in Europe and often accompanied American groups traveling abroad. The two became close friends, and in 1981, when Noel retired, Peter purchased the business. Peter, along with his wife and two sons, moved back to Austin, from where he operated hundreds of tours over the following decades.

In 1996, Peter shifted the company’s focus to golf - the game he grew up playing in his home country. By 2000, he sold off the non-golf portions of the business to dedicate Pioneer fully to golf travel. A few years later, in 2005, Peter’s son Mark, then living in France, returned home for Christmas. During that holiday, father and son decided to join forces, ushering in the next era of Pioneer Golf.

Today Pioneer Golf sends more North American golfers to Scotland and Ireland than all but one of the 150+ companies in this industry. Our growth has been fueled by exceptional service, outstanding value, and an extraordinary repeat and referral rate. Most importantly, it’s driven by a dedicated team that loves getting to know our clients, takes pride in exceeding expectations, and truly enjoys the work we do. We love what we do and have fun doing it!