Most golfers who ask me about St Andrews have one question underneath all the others: can I actually get onto the Old Course? The honest answer is yes, often, but rarely on a date you choose months ahead unless you plan for it. Here is how I explain the costs and the booking routes to guests before we fix anything.
Getting there from Edinburgh
St Andrews is about 52 miles from Edinburgh. I drive guests over the Queensferry Crossing, up the M90 and across Fife on the A91. Allow between an hour and a quarter and an hour and a half each way, and more at rush hour or on a summer Friday.
The drive time matters. If you stay in Edinburgh and play a 7am ballot time, you are leaving the hotel before 5:30. Many of my golf guests stay in Edinburgh for the first nights and then move to St Andrews for the golf days. Others stay put in the city and accept early starts. Either works. It depends on whether you want to see Edinburgh in the evenings or walk to the first tee.
How the Old Course ballot works
The St Andrews Links ballot is the main route onto the Old Course for visitors without a guaranteed time. It is drawn 48 hours before play. You enter online, by phone or at one of the clubhouses before 2pm two days before the day you want, giving names, home club and handicaps. A group needs at least two players and no more than four.
A few rules catch people out:
- Every player needs a current handicap certificate showing 36 or lower.
- The Old Course is closed on Sundays, so there is no ballot to enter on a Friday.
- Single golfers do not use the ballot. They enter the Singles Daily Draw in person, between 9am and 5pm the day before, at the Old Pavilion, the Links Clubhouse, the Craigtoun Clubhouse or the Home of Golf Hub on Market Street.
My practical advice is to plan three or four golf days in the area and enter the ballot for each one. You play the other courses on the days you miss. That way a lost ballot costs you nothing but the Old Course itself, and you still have a full round booked.
Guaranteed Old Course tee times
If the Old Course is the reason for the trip, the ballot alone is a gamble. There are two ways to remove it.
The first is the Swilcan Package from St Andrews Links, which guarantees an Old Course time plus a round on one other Links course. Applications open well ahead of the season. The 2027 window has already closed, so anyone planning for 2028 should watch for it opening.
The second is a package from one of the Links Trust’s Authorised Providers: tour operators and local accommodation providers who hold guaranteed Old Course times through the high season, April to October. These packages cost more than the green fee alone because they bundle hotels and other rounds.
What a St Andrews golf trip costs
Green fees are the part you can pin down. The Old Course figures for 2026 are:
| Season (2026) | Old Course green fee |
|---|---|
| 21 April to 18 October | £355 |
| 19 to 31 October | £250 |
| 1 November to 31 March 2027 (fairway mats) | £180 |
For 2027 the high-season rate rises to £380.
The Castle Course is £190 in the 2026 high season. Nearby, Kingsbarns charges £486 for a summer 2026 round and Carnoustie’s Championship Course £360 from May to October.
Caddies are optional on the Old Course. The 2026 fee is £80 plus a tip, paid in cash after the round. I recommend one for a first visit. A caddie tells you where to aim off the tee and which bunkers you cannot see, and on the Old Course you will not see many of them.
Beyond golf, the main costs are where you sleep, how you move between courses and how many rounds you play. A four-day trip with two rounds at the Old Course and Kingsbarns, two at the cheaper Links courses, and a driver for the transfers is a very different budget from a single ballot attempt as part of a sightseeing holiday. I price each trip from the courses up, so there is no standard figure I can give that would mean anything.
The Open in July 2027
The 155th Open is at St Andrews from 11 to 18 July 2027. The Old Course will be closed to visitors for a period around the Championship, and accommodation in the town books up early. If you want to play rather than watch, I would steer you away from June and July 2027. Check the Links “Busy Dates” page before you settle on any week.
Courses I pair with St Andrews
On the Links themselves, the New Course and the Jubilee are the rounds I suggest most often after the Old. The New Course mostly runs as a walk-on: you check in at the starter’s hut by the first tee. The Castle Course sits on a clifftop above the town with wide views over the North Sea.
Kingsbarns is about 15 minutes down the coast, and Carnoustie is across the Tay. If anyone in the group is not playing, I take them along the coast to Crail, Anstruther and Pittenweem while the golfers are out. My St Andrews private tour covers that route.
You can see the courses and itineraries I plan around on my golf tours page.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead can I book the Old Course?
Guaranteed times come through the Swilcan Package or an Authorised Provider package, booked many months ahead. The 2027 Swilcan window is already closed. Otherwise you use the ballot, drawn 48 hours before play, or the Singles Daily Draw the day before if you are on your own.
What handicap do I need for the Old Course?
A current handicap certificate showing 36 or lower, for men and women. It is the only course at St Andrews Links that asks for one, so a higher-handicap player can still play the New, Jubilee, Eden or Castle courses.
Can I play the Old Course on a Sunday?
No. The Old Course is closed on Sundays, and the town uses it as a park. Many visitors walk the course that day and stop for a photograph on the Swilcan Bridge.
Is a day trip from Edinburgh enough?
For a ballot attempt, a day trip is tight because you only learn the result two days before. If you want a realistic chance at the Old Course, base yourself in or near St Andrews for at least three nights.
When is the cheapest time to play?
November to March, when the Old Course green fee drops to £180. Fairway mats are in use then, and the weather is the gamble. Late October at £250 is a fair compromise.
If you are weighing up a St Andrews golf trip for next season, send me a note with your dates, handicaps and how many in the group. I will tell you plainly what is realistic and how I would plan it.
