PLAY THE ST ANDREWS OLD COURSE
A Comprehensive Guide on How to Secure a Tee Time
.avif)
.avif)
Considered hallowed ground, The Old Course at St Andrews is where the game of golf began over 600 years ago. Countless memories have been made here. It’s many a golfer’s dream to tee off on the 1st in the shadow of the R&A, to walk over the Swilcan Bridge, and to putt out on 18 to a round of applause from bystanders. The first order of business, however, is securing a tee time. This page serves to demystify the various ways of securing a tee time. We hope it’s helpful!
There are 4 ways of securing an Old Course tee time.
From a practical perspective, they can essentially be categorized into two distinct routes. You can either take your chances via a series of three different lotteries in hopes of securing a tee time or instead pay a premium to guarantee your tee time.
You Have Two Options
To Obtain an Old Course Tee Time:
1 The St Andrews Lotteries
The Annual Lottery
(Swilican Package)
The 48 Hour Lottery
(Old Course Ballot)
The Last Minute Lottery
(Singles Daily Draw)
Most golfers play the Old Course by hoping to be successful in 1 of the 3 lotteries that St Andrews makes available at different times of the year. The odds of success via each lottery vary and are thoroughly dissected here. Over the past few decades, Pioneer Golf clients have played thousands upon thousands of rounds on the Old Course via one of these three lotteries.
OR
2 Purchase a Guaranteed Tee Time
About 15% of golfers play the Old Course by purchasing what are referred to as “guaranteed tee times”. These are only available for purchase from golf tour operators that are designated as “Authorised Providers”. Pioneer Golf has been an “Authorised Provider” since the inception of this program and receives an allotment of guaranteed tee times each year.
How to Choose an Option?
The method you choose to play the Old Course will depend on a few factors. Amongst these are your budget, how far in advance you are planning the trip, and your appetite to take on some risk:
Cost
Most golfers don’t want to pay the hefty premium for a guaranteed tee time ($2,000+ per golfer) so instead elect to hopefully secure a tee time through the lotteries especially given that the odds of success are decent. Others don’t mind paying the hefty premium to eliminate any risk of not playing The Old.
Availability
Guaranteed tee times sell out 1.5 to 2 years in advance. Going the guaranteed tee time route may mean putting off your trip for a bit longer to ensure availability. Partaking in 2 of the 3 lotteries is almost always possible. Partaking in all 3 lotteries requires having your ducks in a row before September of the year prior to play.
Your Priorities
The Old Course at St Andrews is the most sought-after round in Scotland, but many golfers return saying Kingsbarns, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch, or Dumbarnie was their favorite. While the Old Course is historic and iconic, it’s not always the most loved. For some, walking it on a Sunday when it becomes a public park, joining a guided tour, or simply enjoying the magical town of St Andrews is just as rewarding. How important the Old Course is really depends on you!
Odds of Success via Each Lottery
Year
Annual Lottery
48 Hour Lottery
(6 entries)
Singles Daily Draw
2023
22.50%
61%
Didn’t exist
2024
17.70%
55%
45%
2025
17.50%
46%
Not released yet
The above percentages are averages during the golf season. Some months have much better odds than others. Annual Lottery and 48 Hour Lottery odds are those of Pioneer Golf clients. Odds of the Singles Daily Draw for 2024 were provided by St Andrews Links Trust for all entrants. Further details, caveats, requirements, and comprehensive odds per month can be found below.
The 4 Ways of Securing an Old Course Tee Time in Detail:
You may have heard that the only way to get on is through a lottery system or perhaps you’ve heard of ‘guaranteed tee times’. There are, in fact, four ways to get on the Old Course. Some are relatively inexpensive while one way is extremely expensive. Some ways are hassle-free while others involve plenty of moving parts. Some are available while you are on your trip and others require planning one to two years in advance.
It’s important for a group leader to understand all four methods of securing an Old Course tee time since that decision is often made on behalf of an entire group. It’s equally important for anyone joining a trip to understand what approach is being taken to hopefully play the Old Course as it’s often a crucial component of a trip.
The objective of this page is to clearly present the various ways of getting onto the Old so that you can make an informed decision on how to approach this tee time. We want everyone in your group to understand the pros and cons of each way and the odds of success. Our Golf Travel Advisers are happy to answer any questions.
The intention of this page is to be as comprehensive as possible in order for you to be able to make a well-informed decision. We tried to create the most comprehensive resource on the internet on how to play the St Andrews Old Course so we hope you’ll find it helpful. You’ll find every detail imaginable about the various ways of getting a tee time on the Old Course on this page.
Click to expand
More advice on odds of success...
Keep in mind that groups larger than 4 golfers may be successful on different days or one group may be successful and the other not.
Odds of success are not affected by whether you enter as a twosome or foursome.
Avoid going on days when the course is closed or partially closed, which isn't always easy. We track all course closures in order to avoid arranging your trip when there are significant course closures. Almost every week between April and October has some sort of partial closure. The key is to avoid weeks with significant closures.
Consider staying in St Andrews for your entire trip. The more days you enter the Ballot, the greater the chance of success. A trip with three days in St Andrews and three days in a different area (for perhaps Turnberry, Royal Troon, or Royal Dornoch) is not ideal for your Ballot odds. There are plenty of top-tier courses in the St Andrews area to keep you there for 6 or more days if playing the Old Course via this lottery is a priority.
If successful, what happens to the other course I have scheduled…
1. If you are successful through the Ballot on a day when no other golf is booked, no issues arise!
2. If you are successful through the Ballot and your Old Course tee time conflicts with another pre-scheduled round, we will do our best to move that other round to where it makes most sense. Naturally, other courses may not have tee times available that align with your schedule so please keep in mind that rearranging other courses is subject to availability. Most (not all) of the time we manage to rearrange other rounds (Carnoustie is often an exception). Please understand that the worst case scenario is that a successful Ballot time conflicts with a course that cannot be moved and you are forced to choose between the two (no refund is available at a prepaid and pre-booked course). It is always a good idea to work in a day with no golf into the trip so that an entire day is available to possibly move a pre-scheduled round that may end up conflicting with success on the Ballot.
3. If you are driving yourselves in a rental car or have a full-time coach and driver, a last-minute change to accommodate success on the Ballot typically presents no transportation issues. However, if you have selected Private Group Transfers for your trip, a last minute change in transportation needs will be subject to the driver’s availability. If the driver doesn’t happen to be free to accommodate the change, taxis are readily available and are useful for such last-minute and fortuitous Old Course emergencies! No reimbursement is available for unused transfers due to success on the Ballot since drivers have committed and been paid for transfers at specific times and days.
If Successful, what happens to the other course I have scheduled…
Pioneer Golf provides all clients a detailed itinerary via our iPhone/Android app. On this app, we will provide a “Click to Call” button for all courses on your itinerary so you can easily change a tee time that may conflict with an Old Course tee time obtained at the last minute through the Singles Daily Draw. Note that since you may be deviating from your prearranged golf at the last minute, and possibly without the rest of your group, be sure not to accidentally move a tee time for the entire group if you were the only one who was successful. We will also provide a “Click to Call” button to taxi companies in town should you need additional transportation. Note that availability may prevent you from moving a conflicting round and that no course will refund your green fee should you decide to skip their course in order to play the Old Course. It is always a good idea to work in a day with no golf into the trip so that an entire day is available to possibly move a pre-scheduled round that may end up conflicting with success on the Singles Daily Draw.