Shared greens, the Swilcan Bridge, and the town where golf feels at home.
At St Andrews, the golf course and the town belong to each other. The Old Course is the centre of the story, but a good Fife trip leaves room for other links, a walk along the shore and an evening with no particular plan.
Most visitors get on through the ballot, drawn 48 hours before play. Enter online, by phone (+44 1334 466666) or in person at The Old Pavilion or a Links clubhouse before 2pm two days ahead, with two to four named players, home clubs and handicaps. Results appear after 4.30pm. The Old Course is closed on Sundays, so there is no Friday ballot. Single golfers use the Singles Daily Draw: enter in person between 9am and 5pm the day before, at The Old Pavilion, the Links Clubhouse or the Craigtoun Clubhouse, where a photo is taken on a tablet. Places come from a waiting list, and the old overnight queue is gone. To guarantee a time in advance, apply for the Links Trust’s Swilcan Package (an Old Course round plus one other course) or book through an Authorised Provider’s package. Maximum handicap is 36 for men and women.
Old Course visitor green fee, shoulder season 1–20 April 2026; high season (21 April–18 October) £355, 19–31 October £250, and £180 from November to March with fairway mats. High season rises to £380 in 2027. Prices change by season and booking route, so confirm the current rate with the operator. Official rates ↗
Laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895, the New Course runs beside the Old and shares its terrain and its links character with fewer crowds. It is the most common fallback when the ballot fails and books in advance like any other course on the Links.
Running closest to the West Sands, the Jubilee is the most exposed of the town links and a stern test in wind. It sits alongside the Old and New, so you can play it on the day and still be in place for the next ballot result.
Set on cliffs east of the town, the Castle offers big contours and sea views over St Andrews Bay. It is a separate drive from the main Links but has its own clubhouse and restaurant, and it books online in advance.
Craigtoun, the Trust’s eighth course, is heathland a short drive inland. The Eden and Strathtyrum are shorter, gentler links beside the Old, and Balgove is a nine-hole course for families and beginners. Any of them keeps your clubs warm while you wait for the ballot.
Golf has been played over this ground for some 600 years, and the Old Course remains a public links owned for the town. Its quirks are the point. Seven greens are shared by two holes, so you aim at a white or red flag on a putting surface the size of a field. Bunkers such as Hell, on the 14th, and the Road Hole bunker on the 17th sit where you cannot see them. The course is played out and back, and the wind usually helps one way and hurts the other. The 1st and 18th share one of the widest fairways in golf, and the walk home crosses the Swilcan Bridge. Expect firm ground, long putts from off the green, and a starter who checks your handicap before you hit.
Give yourself at least three or four days in town and enter the ballot for every one; flexibility on time of day improves your odds. Book your other rounds in advance so the trip works even if the Old Course does not. A current handicap card, certificate or app record is needed on the 1st tee; letters from a club professional are not accepted. Check in at least 20 minutes before your time, and remember a successful ballot cannot be paid with credit from another course’s prepaid fee.
Edinburgh Airport is about 50 miles away, roughly an hour and a quarter by car. By train, Leuchars station on the Edinburgh–Aberdeen line is around 5 miles from town, with frequent buses and taxis. Once in St Andrews the Old, New, Jubilee and Eden start within a few minutes’ walk of each other.
Nearby: 1. The Castle Course, St Andrews Links (3 km) · 2. Kingsbarns Golf Links (10 km) · 3. Crail Golfing Society (15 km) · 4. Dumbarnie Links (16 km) · 5. The Golf House Club, Elie (17 km) · 6. Lundin Golf Club (17 km) · Compare all St Andrews & Fife tee times
The Old Course Hotel overlooks the 17th, the Road Hole, and Rusacks St Andrews faces the 18th fairway. Both are expensive and fill early in summer. Fairmont St Andrews, on the cliffs south of town, has its own two courses. A town-centre guesthouse or flat is often the better value, and staying within walking distance makes ballot-result evenings and early starts far easier.
Kingsbarns, about 15 minutes south-east along the coast, is the most requested pairing, with a summer 2026 green fee reported at £486. Carnoustie is about 45 minutes north across the Tay. Crail’s Balcomie links and Elie are gentler, charming East Neuk rounds. Off the course, the British Golf Museum sits behind the R&A clubhouse, the cathedral ruins and harbour are a short walk, and the West Sands are perfect for an evening stroll.
These packages have a confirmed round at The Old Course in the itinerary, with the other courses, nights and hotels listed so you can compare like with like.
7 nights B&B, 4 rounds plus an Old Course ballot attempt
Rounds: Kingsbarns · Carnoustie Championship · Gullane No. 1 · North Berwick West Links
Stay: 4 nights in St Andrews, 3 in North Berwick
Four nights in St Andrews gives you four chances in the Old Course ballot, with Kingsbarns and Carnoustie confirmed either way.
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.
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
Peak demand runs from late April to mid-October. In winter the Old Course is played from fairway mats and costs less. The caddie season runs from 1 April to 31 October. Check the Links Trust’s busy-dates list, as tournaments such as the Alfred Dunhill Links close the course.
Explore golf by monthEither enter the daily ballot two days before you want to play, use the Singles Daily Draw if you are on your own, or buy a guaranteed package through the Links Trust’s Swilcan Package or an Authorised Provider. There is no ordinary advance tee time for individuals in high season.
The maximum is 36 for both men and women. You must show an official handicap card, record or certificate from a club affiliated to a golf union or association to the starter before play.
No. The Old Course is closed to golf on Sundays and becomes a public park where people walk the links. That is also why there is no ballot drawn on a Friday.
You can re-enter the next day, try the Singles Daily Draw if one player is willing to go alone, or play one of the other Links Trust courses. The New and Jubilee start beside the Old, so you stay in the heart of things.
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.
How we research our guidesPhoto credits and licencesA modern links shaped by hand above the Fife shore, six miles from St Andrews.
Eight Opens, the Barry Burn and a finish that has humbled the best in the game.
Plateau greens and long northern evenings where Donald Ross learned the game.
