How To Get A Tee Time - Old Course St Andrews

By Brian Weis

Getting a tee time at the Old Course in St. Andrews, Scotland is a highly sought-after experience for many golfers around the world. The Old Course is a public course, and there are several ways to secure a tee time:

Enter the ballot: To enter the ballot you must have a minimum of 2 players. A ballot entry must be called in two days before play, where you are then entered in a lottery system for an available tee time. Your chances of success are about 1 in 5. To enter the ballot, you can do so online at the St Andrews Links website (Old Course Ballot System, via phone, or in person by the Old Pavilion.

Book a guaranteed tee time: You can book a guaranteed tee time on the Old Course by staying at one of the St Andrews Links Trust's four on-site accommodations - The Old Course Hotel, Rusacks Hotel, Hamilton Grand or the Scores. You can also book a guaranteed tee time by purchasing a package through a tour operator like The Experience St Andrews.

Try the daily walk-up: A limited number of tee times are available each day on a first-come, first-served basis via the daily walk-up queue. Golfers queue up outside the Old Pavilion from around 4 am, and the tee times are allocated at 7 am.

Requirements to play: The old course does require a handicap card or a letter from your club stating your handicap. The maximum handicap to play the old course for men is 24. For women it is 36. The other courses at St. Andrews do not require a handicap.

It's important to note that demand for tee times on the Old Course is extremely high, and planning ahead is essential. It's best to try to book as far in advance as possible, and be prepared to be flexible with your travel dates.

Revised: 03/09/2023 - Article Viewed 127 Times - View Course Profile

About: Brian Weis

Brian Weis is the Publisher of GolfTrips.com, a network of golf travel and directory sites including GolfWisconsin.com, GolfMichigan.com, ArizonaGolfer.com, GolfAlabama.com, etc. Professionally, Brian is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America (GWAA), International Network of Golf (ING), Golf Travel Writers of America (GTWA), International Golf Travel Writers Association (IGTWA) and The Society of Hickory Golfers (SoHG). In 2016, Brian won The Shaheen Cup, an award given to a golf travel writer by his peers.

All of his life, Brian has been around the game of golf. As a youngster, Brian competed at all levels in junior and high school golf. Brian had a zero chance for a college golf scholarship, so he worked on the grounds crew at West Bend Country Club to pay for his University of Wisconsin education. In his adult years, his passion for the game collided with his entrepreneurial spirit and in 2004 launched GolfWisconsin.com. In 2007, the idea for a network of local golf directory sites formed and GolfTrips.com was born. Today, the network consists of a site in all 50 states supported by national sites like GolfTrips.com, GolfGuide.com and GolfPackages.com. It is an understatement to say, Brian is passionate about promoting golf and golf travel on a local, regional, national and international level.

On the golf course, Brian is known as a fierce weekend warrior that fluctuates between a 5-9 handicap. With a soft fade, known as "The Weis Slice", and booming 300+ drives, he can blast it out of bounds with the best of them.