It is more difficult to obtain an Old Course tee time through the ballot in the months of July, August, and September. Lastly, it is possible to walk-on to the Old Course. You merely advise the starter that you wish to do so, and he’ll fit you in if and when an opportunity arises.
It also happens to be a truly public course, owned by the local townspeople through a centuries old Act of Parliament. While this means that anyone can play The Old Course at St. Andrews, securing a tee time at The Home of Golf is not as simple as phoning the pro shop. Here’s what every golfer needs to know when planning a golf trip to St. Andrews.
Old Course tee times will be available through the 48 hour Ballot and our Authorised Providers (see below) may also have packages available. Experience everything the Home of Golf has to offer with our fantastic Winter Package.
Single golfers with suitable handicaps who wish to play the Old Course without an existing tee time should check in at the Old Pavilion on the day of play and the staff will do their best to join them with a two or three-ball group.
Under current Covid guidelines, the singles queue is not permitted. However, single golfers are able to book tee times on all courses with the exception of the Old Course where a minimum of 2 golfers per ballot entry is still required.
Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 1 h 20 min to complete. This trail is great for trail running and walking. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Old Course at St Andrews is the ruling house of golf worldwide.
The only day that the public are free to walk the course is a Sunday, provided there is no golf taking place. The course is closed to normal play on a Sunday but sometimes there may be a competition or event.
No, you can't walk the course but there are pathways that cross it at various points so you could see some of it. You don't need to book a tour on Sunday, you can stroll about at your own pace. 2.
There are strict handicap restrictions for golfers wishing to play the Old Course. The handicap limit is 36 for both men and ladies. All golfers must provide a current handicap card or certificate at the time of play. Also, there are no pre-bookable tee times for Saturdays and the Old Course is closed on Sundays.
Andrews. Caddies there – as they are at most courses – are independent contractors, earning their standard fee of 55 pounds ($69) plus gratuity, usually another 20 to 25 pounds ($25-$30). That's roughly $100 for a four-hour round, or $25 an hour.
The 17th on the Old Course is considered to be one of the most difficult holes in all of golf. On a course labelled the “Home of Golf” there are always going to be tests that push your golfing ability to the limit. The Road Hole is for sure the toughest test.
You don't need to play golf (better if you can!) to enjoy a visit to the Old Course. You can just walk around the roadways on both sides of the 18th or sit on the stairs near the tee box of the 1st hole and watch golfers driving off the 1st (on you right) and others coming up to the green on the 18th (on your left).
Yes you can. However, please be aware of the uneven terrain. Yes, re-admission will be permitted.
There are roughly 300 members of Augusta National, and being invited by one of them is the quickest way to get a round in at the famous course. Members are allowed to bring a guest on the course for a relatively small fee of $40.
36 or belowThe Old Course at St. Andrews requires all golfers to have a handicap of 36 or below. Muirfield and Royal Portrush Golf Club are a little more restrictive, both requiring an 18 or better to play the course (24 for females at Royal Portrush).
It will amaze many, but with a bit of planning and a bit of luck playing St Andrews is actually very easy. You just need to be organised. Have a good a look at the website as pretty much all the information is well laid out there. The easiest way to book is by application.
The hallowed Old Course lies on public ground, but there's no other place a golfer feels more privileged to play. The course isn't the most technically challenging, but teeing off in front of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club is as nerve-racking as it gets. Read “The Investment of St. Andrews.”
As a golfer, there are places that we all want to play, Augusta, Pebble Beach, Wing Foot etcetera, but the holy grail of golfers everywhere is The Old Course at St. Andrews. Sherrie and I recently took a trip to Scotland that lasted for two weeks. We had some great adventures and historic stops in Scotland.
Sorry to interrupt, its me, Sherrie… but Kevin forgot to give some important information.
The day before we went to St. Andrews, we met a couple who had just been there. For St. Andrews golf reservations, I was previously informed that you could usually show up and get in line around 5:30 am and wait until they opened to see what St. Andrews tee times had canceled and were available.
Your first time at The Old Course St. Andrews, get the caddy, spend the money, don’t think that you have seen it on tv so many times that you are an expert on the course, you are not, and they are. This is a links course that is relatively flat but has several blind shots that the caddies know, and you don’t.
The last hole might my most memorable hole for that morning. First, I was able to get my picture taken at the famous bridge at the St. Andrews Golf course.
If you are a golfer and get the opportunity play the Old Course, you will not regret it no matter the score. Don’t be discouraged if you do not have a reservation, it is possible to golf, as I learned. Everyone there is really nice and willing to help you with every detail.
Compromising while traveling with your partner can be a good thing. While Kevin was golfing I was enjoying my day at the spa, nice and relaxing. See, both of us doing something we want to do, compromising works No worries, Kevin worked hard and accomplished the goal of golfing at Scotlands historic Old Course with no reservation.
How to Get to Play The Old Course at St. Andrews. The Old Course at St. Andrews is arguably the most popular bucket-list course on any golfer’s list of must-play links. This is not only because of its famed difficulty, or the long list of incredible players and stars who have crossed the Swilcan Bridge, or the list of important tournaments ...
Getting to play The Old Course is a special treat, especially for anyone making a point of traveling to Scotland to play. But booking a round isn’t as straightforward as it is at many clubs throughout the world. There are several ways to get to play the Old Course, although few are guaranteed.
Walking On to The Old Course. As a final way to get on to the Old Course, it’s possible to walk on the day of golf as a single golfer. To do so, check in at the Old Pavilion the day you wish to play, and the staff may be able to add you onto a threesome or twosome.
St Andrews has 3 golf clubs, which are independent and have no affiliation to the public courses managed by the Links Trust. The R&A Clubhouse at the 1st Tee. The Royal and Ancient Club (R&A) dates from 1754. St Andrews New Clubhouse. The New Club is located alongside the 18th fairway.
On a typical cold and blustery day for the coastal town of St Andrews, we enjoyed a pleasant stroll on what I consider is the most famous golf course in the World, the St Andrews Old Course. You may wonder how we can just walk onto a golf course for a stroll, well it’s actually rather easy. The Old Course is one of 7 public golf courses operated by St Andrews Links Trust. To protect this grand old course from excessive wear and tear, no golfing is permitted on Sundays, and provided no tournament is taking place the public is free to walk the entire course.
This is the view from the 18th Tee, which is that afforded to the many golfers that have won or lost tournaments on the Old Course. The 18th hole is 354 yards with most professional golfers, when I was growing up, driving well short of the green or the adjacent “Valley of Death”.
The Old Course is one of 7 public golf courses operated by St Andrews Links Trust. To protect this grand old course from excessive wear and tear, no golfing is permitted on Sundays, and provided no tournament is taking place the public is free to walk the entire course.
First tee time in April is around 07:00hrs during the first half of the month, then 06:40 in the second half. It’s then 06:30 May through the latter part of August, then 07:00 in September and 08:00 in October. Make sure to check the daily ballot draw sheet for the first tee time on the actual date you wish to play.
You will have 48 hours ‘heads-up’ to make alternative arrangements if you are unlucky. Your last chance saloon is to take the ‘walk-up’ option. The ‘walk-up’ option offers the realistic opportunity of getting to play the Old Course since….
In both years, Saturday and Thursday stand out as the best days of the week for single slots. They are the days with on average the fewest actual player slots allocated (within advance, reserved and ballot tee times), thus offering the most single golfer slots unallocated and available. In 2019, that’s an average 24.3 single slots (ex Dark time slots) each Saturday , and 21.8 on Thursday. In 2018, it’s an average 20.0 each Saturday , and 19.0 on Thursday.
Of which around 25 single slots per day were left open for walk-ups. The greater number of single slots in 2019 than 2018 (4,809 v 3,677) is due in part to the greater number of days when ballot times were available (154 v 145).
Furthermore, on those 7 ballot-available days in September 2019, there were on average around 28 tee times each day which were Reserved or Advance times yielding almost no singles slots. Likewise for the 13 days in September 2018, there were around 25 tee times each day which yielded almost no single slots.
The Old Pavilion staff arrive to open up at 06:00hrs in the Summer months (May through August) when you can get access to some hot drinks, toilets, wi-fi etc. In other months, staff will arrive around 30 minutes prior to the first tee time.
The ‘walk-up’ option is NOT restricted to single golfers. Groups of 2 or more golfers may also queue up to get on, although they may well be split up to fill the available slots. All potential players must join the queue. You cannot nominate just one golfer to queue on behalf of your whole group.
1. “Advance Reservations” (other names: Private or Direct Application Process, Advanced Application)
Essentially, there are two paths for securing a tee time at The Old Course. The end result of “The Guaranteed Route” is that you will end up with a tee time that is absolutely guaranteed. If booking before September 7 of the year prior to play, the graphic below illustrates that a guaranteed time at the hefty premium is reserved for you.
There are several factors involved that impact the odds of getting a tee time through the Advanced Application, Daily Ballot or Standby Line. The odds depend heavily on things such as the group size, the month of travel and the number of days a group spends in St. Andrews.
Entries can be made via the St. Andrews app or by phone and require a minimum of two players. Singles Queue – Each day, The Old Course fills a number of open slots via the Singles Queue. These spots are filled by the Starter when The Old Pavilion opens at 6am, and are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
These tee times typically become available in April the year prior to play and are usually completely sold within a matter of days. Translation: Plan early. Direct Application – The Links Trust accepts applications for tee times in the September prior to the next year’s season.
Ballot – Nearly half of all Old Course tee times are awarded by lottery, known officially as the Old Course Ballot. The ballot is drawn 48 hours prior to the date of play, and must be entered by 2pm each day. So, for example, a group hoping to play on Wednesday would need to enter the ballot by 2pm on the Monday before.
In addition, the postponement of the 150th Open Championship means there will also be fewer tee times available for The Old Course in 2022. At risk of sounding like a broken record, any golfer hoping to play The Old Course over the next two years needs to plan early.
While this means that anyone can play The Old Course at St. Andrews, securing a tee time at The Home of Golf is not as simple as phoning the pro shop. Here’s what every golfer needs to know when planning a golf trip to St. Andrews. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.
The full effect on guaranteed tee times is still being measured, but thanks to thousands of postponed St. Andrews golf trips, there’s certain to be fewer times to go around in 2021 and 2022. In addition, the postponement of the 150th Open Championship means there will also be fewer tee times available for The Old Course in 2022. At risk of sounding like a broken record, any golfer hoping to play The Old Course over the next two years needs to plan early.
Almost half of the tee times on the Old Course, St Andrews are allocated in the ballot and anyone can enter 48 hours before the day of play as long as your group is two or more.
Remember, remember the month of September! If you know that you want to play the Old Course next year, mid-September is the cut-off date to apply for advanced reservations through the St Andrews Links Trust.