The Palatinate Story

            From banker to bunker to winning post

The Palatinate Story began in July 2005 when 23-year old banker Ross Marshall and 24-year old management consultant Andrew Harding put everything they had, plus two £10,000 credit card loans, into marketing their vision for an internet-driven, discounted golfing breaks business.

And the rest is the ubiquitous www.yourgolftravel.com. Today, their vision has morphed into the largest golf travel company in the World, with a turnover of over £70 million and 200,000 golfing clients being sent to over 3,500 golf clubs and resorts in 22 countries. YGT boasts Darren Clarke former Open Champion and Ryder Cup Captain as one of it’s global brand ambassadors alongside former world number one and Ryder Cup player Lee Westwood as well as British number one and Solheim Cup player Charley Hull.

In 2008, Ross and Andrew teamed up with Abi Wright to create www.spabreaks.com. Like Your Golf Travel, the Spabreaks enterprise soon featured in the Sunday Times’ Fast Track 100. By 2016, 200,000 spa goers were enjoying breaks at over 750 spas all over Europe and the UK - with an annual forecasted turnover over in excess of £27 million in 2017.  Notably, they ensured access was always available for those with various forms of cancer, people that had previously been denied inclusion due to their specific care needs. In 2017 Spabreaks.com signed their first brand ambassador Denise Van Outen.

In 2014, once again the winning post was in sight when, following an agreement with The Jockey Club, the duo founded www.racingbreaks.com. This innovative leisure idea is revolutionising the way people book their horseracing trips. It offers top local course events from Epsom to Aintree, Ascot to Doncaster, as well as international racing festivals in Hong Kong, Dubai, Melbourne and Tokyo. With Frankie Dettori and Jim Crowley as brand ambassadors, the Racingbreaks.com product includes visits to some of the best stables in the UK and talks by eminent trainers and jockeys.

Darren Burn teamed up with Ross and Andrew to launch the rapidly growing and successful LGBT tour specialist operator www.OutofOffice.com which launched in 2015. Shortly after that Lee Bibring joined the seemingly ever growing brand of specialist leisure operators to launch the cycling travel business Love Velo www.lovevelo.co.uk.

So today, in less than a decade, The Palatinate Group’s umbrella has opened to embrace and promote the aims and benefits of five exceptional travel and leisure ideas.