St Andrews Old Course
The ballot, guaranteed rounds, and the role of authorized providers — how access to the home of golf actually works.
The Old Course is unique among the world's great courses in that it is genuinely public — the local Fife council owns the links, and the St Andrews Links Trust manages tee-time allocation through a daily ballot, an advance-reservation system, and a small program of guaranteed rounds bundled with accommodation at authorized partner properties.
Most visiting golfers experience the Old Course through one of three paths: the daily ballot (entered two days ahead, fully random allocation among entrants), an advance reservation booked through the Links Trust (released roughly 12 months ahead, fully committed within hours of release), or an authorized-provider package (guaranteed round bundled with multi-night accommodation at participating hotels and tour operators).
The daily ballot
Enter through the St Andrews Links Trust website or in person at the Old Pavilion by 2 p.m. two days before the round. Allocation is purely random; on summer days a foursome's odds are roughly 1 in 4. The ballot is the right path for travelers with date flexibility and a willingness to play an alternative Links Trust course (New, Jubilee, Castle, Eden, Strathtyrum, Balgove) on unsuccessful ballot days.
Advance reservation
Released roughly 12 months ahead through the Links Trust website. Peak-season slots (June through August) typically commit within hours of release. The advance-reservation path is the most cost-efficient guaranteed route but requires day-one calendar discipline 12 months out.
Authorized providers
The Old Course Hotel, Rusacks, Hamilton Grand, and a small set of authorized tour operators (PerryGolf, Haversham & Baker, others on the official list) hold guaranteed Old Course inventory bundled with accommodation. The premium over the standalone green fee is meaningful (often a 3–5 night stay minimum at the partner hotel) but the guaranteed-round value is genuine.
What concierge actually adds
Concierge cannot generate Old Course inventory that does not exist. What it does is monitor the advance-reservation release calendar, file day-one bookings, manage the ballot entry across multiple eligible foursome members, and assemble accommodation that bundles a guaranteed round where the standalone calendar has already committed. For a peak-summer trip, that coordination is worth the planning fee.
About St Andrews Old Course
- Is the Old Course really open to the public?
- Yes. It is the most famous truly public course in the world. The barriers are inventory and logistics, not membership or private access.
- Can I play the Old Course on a Sunday?
- No. The Old Course is closed to play on Sundays and used as a public park by the local community. This is a long-standing tradition with no exceptions for visitors.
- What's the dress code?
- Tailored trousers or shorts, collared shirt, soft-spike shoes. Denim is not permitted in the clubhouse. The R&A clubhouse is private and not accessible to non-members.