The St Andrews Caddie

Category: Guides

  • Do’s and Don’ts on a Scottish Golf Course

    Nobody wants to be that visitor. The good news: Scottish golf is relaxed about most things and strict about a few, and the few are easy to learn.

    Do

    • Keep up the pace. This is the one that matters. A links round here is 4 to 4.5 hours, walking. If you lose a hole on the group ahead, wave the group behind through or pick up and move on. Nothing marks a visitor faster than a round creeping past five hours.
    • Take a caddie at least once. Book through the course, pay the fee (£60–£80 is typical) and tip properly on top — £40 and up for a good day is the going rate, more if they have saved you shots. Listen to them; they know lines and bounces you cannot see.
    • Play the weather, not against it. Wind and a bit of rain are part of links golf, not a ruined day. Pack proper waterproofs, a warm layer even in July, and get on with it. The locals will be out in it.
    • Walk. Most links are walking courses; buggies are rare and often restricted. If walking 18 is a worry, say so when you book — some courses can help.
    • Learn two words: fore and thanks. Shout the first loudly when needed; say the second to everyone — starters, caddies, greenkeepers, the bar staff.

    Don’t

    • Don’t expect target golf. The ground game is the whole point. Putt from thirty yards off the green; run a 7-iron in low. Fighting a links with high wedges is how she beats you.
    • Don’t over-dress or under-dress. Smart golf wear on the course; most clubhouses are relaxed these days but keep a collar handy and change your shoes before wandering in. Denim on the course will get you looks.
    • Don’t take six practice swings. See pace of play, above. She forgives a bad shot far quicker than a slow one.
    • Don’t skip the small courses. Some of the best golf in Scotland costs £90 and has no gift shop. Ask a local — or ask me — which ones.
    • Don’t leave without a moment on the Swilcan Bridge if you play the Old. Yes it is a cliché. Do it anyway. You will be glad forever.

    Planning a trip? Tell me about it and I’ll give you an honest steer — it costs you nothing.

  • How to Play the Old Course: The Ballot, Explained Honestly

    📄 Download the free Old Course Access Cheat Sheet (PDF) — the three routes, the ballot timeline and the authorised provider list on one printable page.

    Everyone wants the Old Course. Almost nobody understands how you actually get on it. Here is the truth of it, from someone who has spent nearly thirty years inside Scottish golf.

    The three ways onto the Old Course

    There are only three routes that matter for a visitor: a guaranteed advance tee time, the daily ballot, or the singles draw. Everything else you read is noise.

    1. Guaranteed advance times

    The Links Trust releases advance tee times through authorised providers and package operators, and they sell out astonishingly early — the best of the 2026 season was gone before most golfers had even started planning. If a guaranteed time matters to you, you are booking a year or more ahead, usually as part of a package, and you will pay for the privilege — typically £300–£450 per person through an agency. The green fee itself in high season is around £340; always check standrews.com for the current rate.

    2. The daily ballot — free, and better odds than you think

    The ballot is how most visitors get on, and entering costs nothing. How it works:

    • You need at least two players — the ballot takes groups of two to four. Singles cannot enter (see below).
    • Enter online at standrews.com, by phone, or in person at The Old Pavilion or a Links clubhouse.
    • The ballot closes at 2pm two days before you want to play. Apply Tuesday for Thursday.
    • There is no Friday ballot, because the Old Course is closed on Sundays. She rests, like the rest of us.
    • Results are out after 4.30pm the same day, on the ballot results page.
    • On paper the Links Trust asks for proof of a club handicap (maximum 36) — in nearly thirty years in Scottish golf I have never once heard of it spoiling anyone’s round. Know it exists, then think no more about it.

    The insider truth: your odds swing wildly with the season. Shoulder months, midweek, and flexibility on tee time all improve your chances enormously. If you can be in St Andrews for three or four days and enter the ballot each day, most groups get on at least once. Build your itinerary so the other days are spent on the New, the Jubilee or the Castle — no one has ever gone home disappointed by those.

    Travelling alone? The Singles Daily Draw

    The famous overnight queue is gone. Single golfers now enter the Singles Daily Draw: go to The Old Pavilion or the Links Clubhouse between 9am and 4pm the day before you hope to play and put your name in. You register in person and are notified of the result that evening. As a single you slot into gaps in the tee sheet, and your odds are honestly quite good — singles are the grease in the wheels of the Old Course.

    The authorised providers — who actually sells guaranteed times

    Guaranteed Old Course times are only sold through operators appointed by the St Andrews Links Trust. If a company promises you a guaranteed time and is not on this list, ask hard questions. These are the providers who publicly hold Links Trust appointment (check standrews.com for the definitive current list):

    Two things to know: these times are nearly always sold inside packages (accommodation, transport, other courses), not on their own — and they sell out a year or more ahead. If you want guaranteed, start early and expect the premium.

    The mistakes I see every year

    • Giving St Andrews a single night in the itinerary. One night means one ballot chance — give it two or three days and your odds transform.
    • Treating the other courses as consolation prizes. The New Course is one of the finest links in Scotland in its own right.
    • Booking non-refundable travel around a ballot you have not yet won.

    Planning a trip? Tell me about it and I’ll give you an honest steer — it costs you nothing.

  • When to Come to Scotland — and What a Golf Trip Really Costs

    The two questions I am asked more than any others: when should we come, and what will it cost? Honest answers to both.

    When to come

    May, June and September are the magic months — long daylight, the courses in their best condition, and the crowds just short of their peak. June gives you daylight until after 10pm; you can play 36 holes and still have an evening.

    July and August are peak season: everything is open and buzzing, but prices are highest, tee sheets are fullest and you are sharing the town with the world.

    April and October are the value play — quieter, cheaper, and the golf is still tremendous. October fairways run fast and the light is beautiful. You take a little more weather risk, and that is the honest trade.

    November to March is for the romantics. Courses are open, prices drop hard, and you will have stretches of links to yourself — but you are gambling on the sky, and some facilities run reduced hours.

    What a trip really costs

    Rough, honest numbers per golfer for a proper week-long Scotland golf trip, as of 2026:

    • Green fees: the Old Course is around £340 in high season; other championship links run roughly £200–£400 each. Budget £1,200–£2,000 for five or six marquee rounds — less if you mix in the brilliant second-tier courses at £80–£150.
    • Guaranteed Old Course time via an agency: add £300–£450 if you cannot risk the ballot.
    • Accommodation: £120–£250 a night for a good guesthouse or hotel share in season; St Andrews itself commands a premium. Staying 20 minutes out saves real money.
    • Car hire: £40–£80 a day from Edinburgh airport. You want the car — the great courses are scattered and the freedom is worth every penny. Compare rental prices across 500+ companies here.
    • Caddies: fees run £60–£80 per bag depending on the course, booked through each course, plus gratuity on top — budget £120–£140 all-in per round and you will be about right. Worth it at least once — a good caddie is the difference between playing a links and understanding one.
    • Food and drink: £50–£80 a day does you well, more if the whisky list gets interesting.

    All in, a serious week runs £3,000–£5,000 per golfer with good planning — and can be done for meaningfully less if you travel shoulder season, share rooms, and balance the bucket-list courses with the hidden gems. That balance, done right, is where a trip goes from good to great.

    Planning a trip? Tell me about it and I’ll give you an honest steer — it costs you nothing.

    Transparency: some links on this page are affiliate links — if you book through them this site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only link to services I would use myself.