Ten Opens, the Postage Stamp and visitor days three times a week.
Royal Troon’s Old Course runs along the Ayrshire coast south of Troon, with the Isle of Arran across the water and Glasgow Prestwick Airport just beyond the far boundary. It has hosted The Open ten times, most recently in 2024, when Xander Schauffele won. The course is best known for the 8th, the Postage Stamp, the shortest hole on the Open rota. Visitors can play on three days a week during the season.
Visitors are welcome from mid-April to October on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Online booking showed only limited 2026 availability, with remaining times released by phone (+44 (0)1292 311555) or email. Bookings for 2027 are being taken by email only. A valid handicap certificate is required, with limits of 20 for men and 30 for women, and the club may ask to see it. Golfers with a handicap of 5 or below can play from the white tees with prior approval. A round on the Old Course can be combined with the shorter Portland course for a 36-hole day.
Old Course visitor green fee, 2026 season (mid-April to October). PGA members £310. 2027 rates not yet published. Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
The club was founded in 1878. The Old Course follows the classic out-and-back routing: the front nine heads south along the beach, usually with the wind behind, and the back nine turns into it. That makes the homeward half among the toughest on the rota. The 8th, the Postage Stamp, is only about 123 yards, played to a narrow green ringed by deep bunkers. The 11th, the Railway, runs beside the Glasgow–Ayr line through gorse, with out-of-bounds close on the right. Bunkering is deep and frequent, and the back nine has few easy pars.
Royal Troon’s visitor days are fixed, so plan the rest of an Ayrshire trip around a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday. The Old Course plays its hardest into the wind on the back nine, so a slightly higher tee box than usual is often the better choice. Combining it with the Portland gives a full day without driving anywhere.
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is about five miles south, ten minutes by car. Glasgow Airport is about 35 miles, roughly 40 minutes. Troon station, with direct trains from Glasgow Central in about 40 minutes, is a short taxi or 20-minute walk from the clubhouse.
Nearby: 1. Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club (3 km) · 2. Prestwick Golf Club (4 km) · 3. Dundonald Links (6 km) · 4. Western Gailes Golf Club (7 km) · 5. Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) (26 km) · 6. Machrihanish Dunes (67 km) · Compare all Ayrshire tee times
The Marine Troon hotel overlooks the 18th fairway and the firth. Lochgreen House, a country house hotel on the edge of town, is a five-minute drive. Troon has guest houses close to the seafront, and Ayr, ten minutes south, offers a wider range of hotels. Turnberry is 35 minutes south for those who want a resort base.
Prestwick, where The Open began in 1860, is five minutes south. Western Gailes and Dundonald Links are 15 minutes north, and Turnberry about 35 minutes south. Off the course, ferries from Ardrossan, 20 minutes away, reach the Isle of Arran in under an hour, and Burns Cottage and the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum in Alloway are around 20 minutes by car.
These packages have a confirmed round at Royal Troon Golf Club (Old Course) in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 5 rounds including an Old Course ballot attempt
Rounds: Turnberry Ailsa · Royal Troon Old Course · Muirfield · Carnoustie Championship
Stay: 2 nights in Troon, 2 in North Berwick, 3 in St Andrews
Four Open venues confirmed and a ballot try at a fifth, crossing Scotland west to east in one week.
10 nights B&B, 8 rounds
Rounds: Western Gailes · Prestwick · Royal Troon · Dunbar · Crail Balcomie · Carnoustie · Kingsbarns · North Berwick
Stay: Ayrshire, East Lothian and Fife, including Rusacks St Andrews
Eight links in ten nights, mixing Open venues with Prestwick and Western Gailes, which many first trips miss.
Prices are Golfbreaks’ published per-person guide prices in US dollars, checked November 2026; your quote depends on dates and group size. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How we work
The visitor season runs from mid-April to October, matching the club’s summer course. Outside that window, Royal Troon has taken part in a Scottish Golf winter tee-time ballot for members of Scottish clubs. The Ayrshire coast is mild, and the Firth of Clyde shelters it from the worst North Sea weather.
Explore golf by monthYes. Royal Troon welcomes visitors from mid-April to October on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. You need a handicap certificate within the club’s limits and a confirmed tee time, booked online, by phone or by email.
The limits are 20 for men and 30 for women, and the club may ask to see a certificate. Golfers playing off 5 or lower can request permission to play from the white tees.
The 8th hole measures about 123 yards, making it the shortest hole on the Open rota. Its small green is surrounded by deep bunkers, and it has produced both holes-in-one and high scores in Open play.
The club is taking 2027 bookings by email only. Include your preferred visitor day (Monday, Tuesday or Thursday), group size and whether you want a caddie or a combined round on the Portland.
Last checked 4 October 2026. This is an independent planning guide, not a first-hand review or a booking service. Check live availability, access, fees and travel details with the operator before booking. Airport suggestions are starting points for route planning.
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