Our Team

Julie Franklin – Managing Director

My travel career spans 40 years beginning in retail travel then moving to airlines & business travel before finding a sector that combined my love for golf with a position at Longmere Golf Holidays.

I guess travel was my first love – it certainly wasn’t what my mum and dad wanted me to do as a career, but from the age of 18 I was taking escorted trips, and by the time I was 20, I was contracting in Italy and travelling extensively.

How did I get into golf? I was actually looking for a job that I could fit round being a young mum! I ended up finding a job with a local golf travel company, ….and that, as they say, was that! I soon grew to love the game and the people, and now my daughter is in her thirties…….

I got to work at board level with a couple of companies, before major industry and life changes in 2009 presented me with the opportunity to set up Holidays4Golfers.

I’m sometimes tempted to think that in the last 14 years we’ve pretty much “seen it all” with the recession, the fall in the pound, Brexit. the Monarch collapse and of course more recently the Covid 19 pandemic ….. travel is the gift that keeps on giving!!! …. but I do LOVE this business and all of the clients that have laughed and cried with us for the entire journey and our partners overseas who have helped us make the impossible possible on numerous occasions.

I have been privileged to work with and meet some of the nicest and amazing people you could wish to meet.

Claire Morley – General Manager

I’ve been part of the Holidays 4 Golfers team for nearly 13 years now and it’s certainly been a challenging, yet rewarding experience. I studied Travel and Tourism at college and have always had a passion for travel.

I have to admit that I knew next to nothing about the game of golf, but I’m eager to learn new things in an industry that is always evolving.

I enjoy planning comprehensive golfing trips and bespoke sporting itineraries for some of my regular clients. I have developed a great knowledge of the game of golf and its great to have opportunity to coordinate some of our golfing events overseas.

More recently I have taken on the role as the General Manager and now travel with a number of the larger groups making sure that everything goes to plan.

Gabrielle Elstone – Accounts Manager

I came to Holidays 4 Golfers straight from college in October 2019 and took an apprenticeship as a Business Administrator, supporting the accounts team. After 18 months, and the final year studying through the pandemic I managed to finish with great results and within the top 6 in the North West.

Whilst working at Holidays 4 Golfers, I found my passion in accounts, and I am now studying for my AAT exams in accountancy.

I am thankful to be part of the team at Holidays 4 Golfers, and look forward to the years to come!

Emma Hayton – Administration Executive

I started working for Holidays4Golfers in January 2025 and take care of the office admin as well as giving Julie and Claire a helping hand with their day to day admin tasks.

I worked in a children’s day nursery for 7 years as a Room Senior Manager and now co-own an Event Childcare business called E&C Event Nannies that offers services such as Event Nanny, Mobile Creche and also at home babysitting. I am fully qualified in childcare, first aid trained, DBS cleared and also have 8+ years of childcare experience.

I look forward to continue to learn new skills within the Holidays4Golfers team and arranging your next golf holiday!  

Steve Halliwell – Reservations Manager; Longhaul Department

After a long career in Sales & Marketing, I finally followed my passion and moved into golf tourism in 1995, (yes, nearly 30 years ago!). I started by selling golf holidays in North & South Carolina. but his quickly expanded across the United States and beyond.

Julie and I first started working together over 25 years ago, and it has been amazing to see the changes that have taken place in this time.

And happiness for me is a 5 iron in my hand – or perhaps a cigar box guitar…..but that’s another story altogether!

Mark Earnshaw – Company Director

I have to confess, that golf was not a big part of my life until I was approached to put together an online golf channel for a golf travel company. That was what led to meeting Julie, and well, as they say, – that changed everything!

Since then I’ve done what I can in terms of business support and media work (my Google photos account now has over 5,000 pictures of golfers in various states of elation or distress) from the pictures I’ve taken at our tournaments.

And although you would hardly say I am a total convert to the game, I am somewhat golf curious – the mental side of the game is closely related to a lot of the work I do outside of Holidays4Golfers in my communications consultancy work.

One thing I can say for sure, is that we have the most amazing team of people working with us now who’s passion for going the extra mile for customers is a pleasure to witness.

Nikki Schmidt – Tournament Administrator

My travel career spans 30 years beginning in retail travel then moving to airlines & business travel before finding a sector that combined my love for golf with a position at Longmere Golf Holidays. This was where I first met Julie Franklin, the MD of Holidays 4 Golfers.

I spent 9 years working at Mancini Celebrity Events during which time I’ve been involved with large events, in particular their flagship Footballers Golf Classic in La Manga & Sparks charity trip to Portugal.

Last year I retired from Golf Travel however I now work behind the scenes and oversee the tournament scoring on all of the Holidays 4 Golfers competitions.