Presents $27 USD The Insider’s Guide to Visiting St. Andrews & Playing The Old Course Insider secrets and expert advice on visiting the “Home of Golf” " "1 of "11 Contents Contents 1 Introduction: 3 How do I get a tee time for the Old Course at St. Andrews? 4 How do I make a guaranteed (advance) reservation? 4 Is there any other way to get a guaranteed tee time? 5 What are the options for playing the Old Course without a guaranteed tee time, and what are my chances? 6 Where else should I play while in St. Andrews? 6 Where Should I Stay when visiting St. Andrews? 7 Where should I dine? 8 What is there to do in St. Andrews besides golf? 9 Should I rent a car while in St. Andrews? 9 When is the best time to visit? 10 Should I Use a Caddie? 10 Can I plan a St. Andrews trip myself or should I work with a travel agent? 11 Planning the Ultimate St. Andrews Golf Vacation " "2 of "11 As a member of the Golf Advisor Club, you receive special access to an exclusive library of golf travel guides provided in partnership with our friends at Golf Odyssey. 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While all attempts have been made to verify the information contained in this publication as of its original publication date, neither the author nor the publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, changes made by referenced entities or contradictory interpretations of the subject matter contained herein. Planning the Ultimate St. Andrews Golf Vacation " "3 of "11 Introduction: One of the greatest thrills in golf is taking a journey to St. Andrews and playing a round on the Old Course. The palpable aura of the game rooted on such hallowed ground, the memories of watching so many of golf ’s greatest players traverse the Swilcan Bridge en route to claiming their Open Championship victory, the wonderful passing parade of people, and the history, architecture, and vibe of this historic university town make a visit to the “Auld Grey Toon” a required pilgrimage for every golf enthusiast. Planning a visit to St. Andrews, on the other hand (especially for first-time visitors), can be somewhat complicated and, if you don’t plan early and carefully, extremely expensive. This results primarily from the somewhat arcane process for getting tee times on the Old Course. The course is managed by the St. Andrews Links Trust (somewhat akin to municipal ownership in the United States à la Bethpage Black and its sister courses). The Links Trust also governs tee times, and familiarity with the reservation system, coupled with some local knowledge, can go a long way toward maximizing your enjoyment and minimizing your expenses. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it’s easy to spend hundreds, even thousands, more on a trip than necessary. With this in mind, we’ve compiled priceless advice and answers to some of the most frequently asked questions (and some that should be) about visiting St. Andrews and playing the Old Course in particular. We hope you enjoy this definitive guide, which is designed to give you home field advantage when visiting The Home of Golf. The Golf Advisor Editorial Team# Questions? Updates? [email protected]! Planning the Ultimate St. Andrews Golf Vacation " "4 of "11 THE OLD COURSE AT ST. ANDREWS IS KNOWN FOR ITS EXPANSIVE FAIRWAYS. Not only can planning ahead assure you access How do I get a tee time for the to the Old Course, it can save you hundreds, Old Course at St. Andrews? even thousands, of dollars on your trip. You have two options: make a guaranteed The key date to remember is the first (advance) reservation, or try to get on the Wednesday of September at 10 a.m. BST course without one (using the daily ballot or as (British Summer Time). That is when the Links a “walk on”). We’ll explain each of these in Trust begins accepting advance tee time further detail below. reservations for the upcoming season. Provided you are not a single, the leader .of your How do I make a group must fill out the guaranteed application available at standrews.org.uk and (advance) submit it via e-mail or post. reservation? Groups may range from two to eight players during A small number of Old the peak season of April Course tee times are set through October; there’s no aside for advance limit at other times. reservations, and only a portion of those are offered Please note: the Links directly to the public Trust provides a strict set through the St. Andrews of guidelines that must be Links Trust, the followed to the letter. organization which Pay particular attention to manages the town’s seven courses and their the provision regarding the participating golfers tee times. and any changes to the list of golfers. Competition for these Old Course tee times is The allocation process is first-come, first- intense, so it is imperative that you plan your served. trip far in advance. We highly recommend providing a range of How far? As you will soon understand, we acceptable dates as opposed to a single date, recommend at least a year out. which will markedly improve your chances of success. Planning the Ultimate St. Andrews Golf Vacation " "5 of "11 Also, be sure to consult the St. Andrews website Should your group find itself shut out, there’s and check the “Busy Dates” link, as the Old still hope for procuring a tee time directly Course is frequently closed for events. through the Links Trust because it begins taking The Old Course is always closed on Sunday, applications for cancelled tee times (using when picnics and Frisbee games transform it similar guidelines) in early January. into St. Andrews’s version of NYC’s Central Note: Singles may also apply for an advance Park. tee time in 2012. Spots are quite limited. The When requesting an Old Course tee time in two-course rule is in effect, but singles are peak season, you must also request a second limited to playing the Jubilee Course on a course from the roster of Links Trust courses as consecutive day. part of the “two-course rule.” Is there any other way to get a This rule states that, if your application is guaranteed tee time? accepted, you will be assigned (and you must pay for) tee times on the Old Course and a Yes, for a price. As noted earlier, only a portion second course (the rule is waived during of the advance tee times are sold directly by the shoulder and low seasons.) Links Trust at the stated green fee (£140 in peak season for 2011). Your group may request any of the other five Links Trust eighteens as your second course. The remaining advance tee times are distributed via the Links Trust’s exclusive travel While every attempt will be made to partner, the Old Course Experience. accommodate your second course selection, if it is not available you will be assigned one of the These are referred to as “trade times” and are remaining courses wholesaled out to other specialty golf travel agents for resale. The New Course, which is not so new, heads the list. Old Tom Morris laid it out in 1895 to The wholesale price of these tee times is ease traffic on the Old Course. In fact, many St. upwards of three times what one would pay as Andrews regulars prefer the New to the Old. compared to purchasing directly from the Links The two links abut each other and provide Trust. similar games, but the New has fewer blind The Old Course Experience also sells premium shots and fewer hummocks that send balls three-, four-, and five-day packages which are unpredictably awry. in high demand each year. The Jubilee, the nearest course to the sea, is Depending on the time of year and another popular choice.