Scotland golf: How to get a tee time at the Old Course at St. Andrews

The world's most famous links is open to all but can be a tough tee time to secure. Here are all the ways to do it.
The Old Course at St. Andrews hosted the 150th Open in 2022.

Editor's Note: Originally published October 1, 2017.

If you've ever put a tee in the ground, you've no doubt thought about what it would be like to play a round in the birthplace of golf: St. Andrews, Scotland.

A common misconception of the famed Old Course at St. Andrews is that it's an exclusive, private club like Augusta National. That couldn't be further from the truth.

While it's true that green fees at St. Andrews -- and all of Scotland -- have skyrocketed in recent years, the Old Course remains open to the public on most days. For a round, it costs about the same as your normal PGA Tour venue open to the public. Depending on the exchange rate, the peak green fee for 2024 is £320, or roughly $408, in the high season from mid-April to mid-October. During the winter season, it falls to a low of £150 from November 1-March 31.

St. Andrews, Fife
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How to make a tee time on the Old Course at St. Andrews

There are five main ways to play the Old Course, which vary in convenience and price.

1. Guaranteed Old Course tee times through a package provider

The easiest option - and the most expensive - is to book a golf package that includes a guaranteed tee time. While the packages used to be almost solely provided by the Old Course Experience, the Links Trust has since spread out the times to about 90 "Authorised Providers," from golf packagers to local hotels and B&Bs. Every one of these providers displays a specific logo designating them as such on their websites and social media platforms; if you want a guaranteed Old Course tee time, you need to work with one of these entities, and you should expect to pay a premium.

2. Private Advanced Tee Time Ballot

The best way to get a guaranteed tee time at the posted green fee rate for that season is to write or email the St. Andrews Links Trust (www.StAndrews.org.uk). Each fall, the Trust holds an open period to accept group-booking requests, called the Private Advanced Tee Time ballot. The more golfers you have in your group, the tougher it will be to accommodate everyone, but historically this has been close to a surefire way for smaller groups that can commit to a date well in advance. Tour operators can help you submit these requests if you'd like to use one for your trip.

3. The Winter Package

During a couple of weeks in June, golfers planning to visit in the off-season may book a trio of guaranteed tee times that includes one round on The Old Course and two rounds on other Links Trust courses, for the November-to-March timeframe the following year. Groups ranging in size from two to 16 golfers can request this package. Keep in mind that wintertime daylight hours are short, and most rounds will require players to hit off of small portable mats in order to protect the courses' delicate fescue turf. But this is a way to experience The Old Course - plus other Links Trust courses - at a more reasonable cost on a guaranteed basis.

4. The Old Course Ballot (twosomes, threesomes, foursomes)

You don't have to plan well in advance -- or shell out more money as part of a golf package -- if you're willing to gamble a little. The Old Course holds a tee-sheet ballot every day the course is open to the public, and golfers (minimum of two, maximum of four) can enter this drawing, which closes at 2 pm each day and is announced two days prior to play (e.g. Wednesday tee times are announced Monday afternoon, etc.; remember that The Old Course is closed to play on Sundays). If you have a group of more than four, be prepared to split up or risk some of you not getting a time. You can enter the ballot at the Links Trust website. Results are posted at 4:30 p.m. every day.

So if you stay three or four days in St. Andrews, plan on entering the lottery for every day you are there, but book some "safety" tee times at nearby courses. These clubs know about the Old's ballot policy, and just about all of them are happy to give you a rain check should you earn a ballot spot the day you're supposed to play their course (just mention your plans to do so when booking with the course). Many clubs now offer online tee times as well so you can make last-minute arrangements.

5. The Old Course Singles Daily Draw

In the past, the last-resort option for single golfers wanting to play The Old Course at St. Andrews was to walk on. You would head to the starter's shed at the crack of dawn and give your name to the starter, who would put you on the list and pair you with any incomplete groups. Former GolfChannel.com Senior Writer Will Gray successfully attempted this method and wrote a detailed column on the experience, along with additional details about the wait list.

As of March 2024, however, this tradition has been ended in favor of a new Singles Daily Draw system. The day before you hope to play, you need to enter your name and other information at either The Old Course's first-tee pavilion or the St. Andrews Links Clubhouse between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. At 5 pm, a random drawing is held to dole out singles tee times for the following day on The Old Course. If your number comes up, you're in.

Some nostalgic golfers are understandably disappointed to see the zero-dark-thirty tee time method fall by the wayside, but the Links Trust had dealt with swelling crowds in recent years, even in wet and bone-chilling weather, and settled on this new method as a more equitable solution.

2 Min Read
March 6, 2024
The days of camping out in the wee small hours of the morning, hoping for one of golf's most coveted tee times, are over.

4 other logistical notes about playing the Old Course at St. Andrews

1. You will need a handicap certificate to play the Old Course, so be sure to register for one with the USGA or your local club in advance of your trip. Maximum allowed handicaps are 24 for men and 36 for women.

2. The Old Course closes for golf and turns into a public park every Sunday with the exception of days it hosts a tournament like the Dunhill Links or Open Championship. So even if you don't have the money to play the course or couldn't score a tee time in the ballot, you can still walk the entire golf course. You can even bring a Frisbee, a picnic or a dog along.

3. The golf course is open year-round (weather permitting), but golf in the winter months requires the use of mats in the fairways in order to protect the turf.

4. While the Old Course Hotel comes into play on the famous Road Hole, it's not the "official" hotel of the Old Course and its access to tee times isn't much better than any other hotel in town. When Herb Kohler bought the hotel, he also bought the Dukes Course about a mile outside of town. It's a scenic and challenging heathland course that offers wonderful views of the town skyline (not to mention golf carts).

5. The Old Course can be played in reverse, typically only once or twice a year. In 2024, however, the Links Trust designated a full six-day period, from March 28 through April 2, during which the Old Course would be played in revese. The spots for this unique experience filled up swiftly in December of 2023. If the opportunity comes around again for the 2025 season, we will update this article accordingly.

3 Min Read
November 30, 2023
For six days in early spring, The Old Course at St. Andrews will open its "reverse" routing, offering a completely different experience at one of the world's great golf courses.

Great golf throughout St. Andrews and Fife

It sounds sacrilegious to say it, but your group could play a week of golf around St. Andrews without playing the Old Course and it would still be arguably one of the best itineraries in Scotland. Seven miles east of town, the spectacular and modern Kingsbarns Golf Links is a top-100 course worldwide. There are six other courses in the town operated by the Links Trust besides the Old Course, the best being the New Course and Jubilee Course, both true links playing on the same soil as the Old.

Other more classic links include Crail's Balcomie Links, located to the east. Modern courses lack the history but dazzle with views like the Fairmont St. Andrews Torrance Course and Kittocks Course. The Castle Course is one of the newest golf courses in Scotland and features the best vantage point of the town skyline to go with a rugged David McLay Kidd design atop bluffs. Opened in 2019, Dumbarnie Links offers a more modern experience similar to Kingsbarns.

Expand your radius a little more and you're just an hour from Gleneagles and East Lothian's storied must-plays links like North Berwick, Muirfield and Gullane.

8 Min Read
July 13, 2018
St. Andrews is one of the most coveted golf destinations in the world, but it can be enjoyed on a budget, too. Brandon Tucker offers value tips to the Home of Golf.

Brandon Tucker is the Sr. Managing Editor for GolfPass and was the founding editor of Golf Advisor in 2014, he was the managing editor for Golf Channel Digital's Courses & Travel. To date, his golf travels have taken him to over two dozen countries and nearly 600 golf courses worldwide. While he's played some of the most prestigious courses in the world, Tucker's favorite way to play the game is on a great muni in under three hours. Follow Brandon on Twitter at @BrandonTucker and on Instagram at @btuck34.
Tim Gavrich is a Senior Writer for GolfPass. Follow him on Twitter @TimGavrich and on Instagram @TimGavrich.
23 Comments

Is anyone know when is the best time to plan a golf trip to Scotland? and have a bester chance to play the Old course? Man 24 HCP is just around my HCP cut line.
Thanks.

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Hi!!! I'll be in Scotland from 1st to 17th of april 2020. Is it a good time to show up as a single golfer without a tee time? Any advice on wich day of tve week is better to do that?

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Will be in St Andrew area with my family. Wife and two adult sons. Dates Sept 16/17th. Possible four spots but would look at any spots available. We are coming off river cruise so have to rent clubs.

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Looking to play Old Course on August
26 or 27th, planning to try as a single but throwing out possibility of joining someone or finding another single wanting to join in the ballot since you have to have minimum 2 players

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We have 4 coming over to play 1 round there before playong Carnoustie and then heading to Ireland. Do we have to stay at St Andrews facility to make a tee time? Also can we even book a foursome for 1 round in advance?

Your best bet in getting the guaranteed foursome is writing the trust during the application window in the fall. It'll be harder to get a foursome in the ballot but possible. You don't need local accommodations, but many local accommodations do have some guaranteed tee times to sell, so it may be worth your while.

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Does the old course rent clubs

Yes you can rent clubs from any of the Links Trust clubhouses for 35 pounds/round 45/day

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Does it help to have a PGA professional with you?

For preferential booking? Not that I'm aware of.

We will be on the Princess Cruise ship to the British Isles and in Edinburgh on July 24th 2020. since our port stop is only for 12 hours what would be the best way to get a tee time for the Old course since our dates are not flexible? This golf destination is on his bucket list so really trying to work this out for him. I understand if we book in advance we have to play 2 rounds paid in advance but is it possible to play 2 rounds back to back during that time period? Does it have to be the same person’s name on the reservation? What is the best way to get there from the cruise terminal? Thanks so much!

Janis,
Hi. This is going to be hard to pull off. For starters, July is the month of the Open Championship; no matter where it is, demand to play The Old Course is at its highest. Also, many dates in July are “busy dates” and as such have restricted play or possibly even no play. Those dates for 2020 won’t be posted until sometime in July of this year. Second, all applications for advance tee times on the Old Course must be submitted on-line sometime between midi August and mid-September. Check standrews.com for updates and specific policy instructions. Note that a handicap certificate is required.

While it is possible to meet the 2-round requirement by doing both rounds on the same day, the other big limitation will be the distance of the port in Edinburgh from St. Andrews. I just called the St. Andrews booking line and was told it’s a 1.5 hour drive from Edinburgh to St. Andrews. So, your plan might be feasible, but it will be tough to pull off and you’ll need a lot of luck. Your application will have to be selected as a winner in the on-line lottery.

Otherwise, as a single he can show up on that day and the starter will try to get him on, but other people will have been queueing up in the wee hours for such a chance.
The only other option is to try to get on through an Authorized Provider. You’ll have to google to find them, but they are golf package providers. You should talk to a St. Andrews rep to get their advice. Call 011-44-1334-466718. I hope that helps.

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Has the price gone up that much? I got a twosome when I asked the caddy master after flying in from Finland and it was 85 pounds a person. What a glorious day. Got to play the other courses of St Andrews on a 75 pound all you can play 5 day deal. Wow

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How does the Castle Course compare with these others?

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Scotland golf: How to get a tee time at the Old Course at St. Andrews