Prices include the cost of a St. Andrews Old Course tee time if you are successful through the Advance Application process, Daily Ballot, or by Standing-By.

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Here is the three-step plan for you to play the St. Andrews Old Course:

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1.  Advance Application Process (success rate over the past five years: 50.31%): St. Andrews allows you to apply for tee times on the Old Course. The application date will be at the end of August 2018 and, if successful, tee times are confirmed by late-October. Tee times are distributed via a lottery system. The more flexible a group can be with travel dates, the better the odds of success. It is extremely difficult to obtain an August tee time because of the great demand, coupled with restricted play. Tee times are not granted at all in this manner for the month of September. Although St. Andrews requires that the lead golfer of a group request a tee time directly from the St. Andrews Links Trust, we will advise you of the best way to optimize your chance of success. In the past, slightly more than half of our clients who have partaken in this process have been successful; however, the success rate will vary year by year and is largely dependent on where the Open has been played that year. We are confident that our dedication, knowledge, and experience helping you prepare your application is unparalleled in the industry.

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2.  Daily Ballot (success rate over the past five years: 84.18%*): If your application is unsuccessful, we will enter your names into the Daily Ballot. Many North Americans refer to this as the Daily Lottery or the St. Andrews Lottery and it occurs two days prior to the day you want to play. Your names are part of a random drawing and if picked, you get a tee time. Approximately 50% of all Old Course tee times each year are allocated via this ballot. This is the way the majority of visiting golfers access the Old Course. To maximize your chance of a tee time through the ballot, be in St. Andrews and have us enter you on four or more days. Over the past five years (*excluding the months of August and September, during which ballot tee times are limited) 84.18% of our groups that entered on four or more days were successful. Many actually required only one or two attempts.

 

3.  Standing-By (success rate over the past five years: almost 100%): If unsuccessful in the ballot, we recommend that you stand-by. If you have been unsuccessful through the advance application process and then multiple days of balloting, you’ve truly caught some bad luck! This is uncommon. But if you are in this position, to improve your chance of walking on, we will advise you on how early to show up at the first tee. Open spots on the tee sheet are filled on a first-come basis. Nearly all of our clients who have stood-by have been successful if they had checked in with the starter at the time we suggest. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! If you’re at the first tee very early (sometimes before sunrise), and at the front of the line, you can expect to play the Old Course.

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Optional: Additional premium for guaranteeing the Old Course

As an Authorised Provider of St. Andrews tee times, we have guaranteed times available on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure a guaranteed tee time, an $1,100 premium per golfer will be added to your trip price. If your group is successful securing your own Old Course tee time through the Advance Application process this premium will be removed from your trip price. Although chances of playing the Old Course through the 3-step process detailed on the previous page are high, should you wish to pay this premium to hold a guaranteed tee time in the event of an unsuccessful application, we can provide this option.