The complete guide to Old Course at St. Andrews Tee Times

The Old Course at St. Andrews is the crown jewel of golf travel in the British Isles. It also happens to be a truly public course, owned by the local townspeople through a centuries old Act of Parliament. While this means that anyone can play The Old Course at St. Andrews, securing a tee time at The Home of Golf is not as simple as phoning the pro shop.

Here’s what every golfer needs to know when planning a golf trip to St. Andrews.

How to Play The Old Course at St. Andrews

There are generally four ways to book a tee time on The Old Course at St. Andrews:

Guaranteed Old Course Tee Times with Haversham & Baker

As an authorized provider of Old Course tee times, H&B receives a limited number of slots each year directly from the St. Andrews Links Trust. These tee times typically become available in April the year prior to play and are usually completely sold within a matter of days.

Translation: If you hope to secure a guaranteed tee time, you’ll want to start working with an H&B Expedition Planning Manager as early as January of the year prior to your trip.

Guaranteed Old Course at St. Andrews tee times through Haversham & Baker are only available as part of an Expeditionary package with minimum stay and golf requirements.

We are unable to assist with requests for stand-alone tee times.

Direct Application

The Links Trust accepts applications for tee times in the September prior to the next year’s season. This means golfers looking to play the Old Course at St. Andrews in 2025 would apply in September of 2024. Winners are selected by lottery and successful applicants are notified in October. If your group is lucky enough to land a spot, we can then assist in building the rest of your Expedition around your Old Course tee time.

Through the years, countless H&B travelers have been successful in the Direct Application process. One thing to consider, however, is that by the time notifications are sent in October, our allotment of guaranteed times is typically 100% sold. This means applicants who are unsuccessful may be left stranded without a guaranteed time.

Even a successful application can cause a planning wrinkle if you’ve waited to hear from The Old Course before booking your other tee times. By the time you get the good news, most of the marquee courses in St. Andrews and elsewhere in Scotland will be down to limited or no availability.

If you strike out on the application and your heart is still set on capturing that photo on the Swilcan Bridge, all is not lost…

Old Course St. Andrews Ballot

Nearly half of all Old Course tee times are awarded by lottery, known officially as the Old Course Ballot. The ballot is drawn 48 hours prior to the date of play, and must be entered by 2pm each day. So, for example, a group hoping to play on Wednesday would need to enter the ballot by 2pm on the Monday before. Entries can be made via the St. Andrews app or by phone and require a minimum of two players.

Singles Daily Draw

Each day, The Old Course fills a number of open slots via the Singles Daily Draw. This new system replaces the in-person Singles Queue, where golfers would line up overnight in hopes of scoring a coveted tee time.

To enter the Daily Draw, stop by The Old Pavilion or Links Clubhouse 9am and 5pm the day before your desired date of play and complete the form using the assigned tablet. After 5pm, you will be notified the results via text message. Note: Entries must be made in-person and a photograph will be taken to confirm the identity of each player on arrival.

Plan early. Plan early. Plan early.

We really can’t stress this point enough. Thanks to the current unprecedented demand for golf travel, the number of golfers hoping to play The Old Course promises to outstrip availability on the tee sheet for years to come.

To illustrate, our guaranteed tee times for The Old Course in 2024 were 100% sold the moment they arrived. We expect the same to hold true for 2025.

Simply put… If you’re planning a golf trip to St. Andrews in 2024 and want a guaranteed spot, the time to begin the process passed long ago.

This doesn’t mean that The Old Course is off the table entirely, as you may still have luck with the other options outlined above. But in terms of a guaranteed tee time, 2025 may be your year.

Our guaranteed Old Course tee times for 2024 are 100% sold out.

If you’re hoping to play The Old Course or elsewhere in Scotland, now is the time to look ahead to golf trips in 2025.

The flexible golfer gets the time.

In addition to planning early, flexibility on dates of travel is also key to guaranteed Old Course tee times. Landing a tee time during a specific date range can be a challenge, especially in the peak months of the season (June-August) when demand always outstrips supply. Those who are willing to travel on the shoulder months (April/May and October) will certainly increase their chances of securing that coveted tee time.

All is not lost for twosomes.

Although Old Course tee times are sold as four-balls, all is not lost for the twosome hoping to land a guaranteed spot. Occasionally we can combine a pair of twosomes from separate Expeditions into one tee time. These opportunities are rare, and require even greater flexibility from those involved, but there’s a glimmer of hope for twosomes if the golf gods are willing.

There is no secret formula to the ballot.

Our Expedition Planning Managers are often asked if we have any tips for hitting the Old Course ballot. The methodology used in the selection process is a closely guarded state secret. What we do know, however, is that flexibility is once again important. If you plan to ballot on just one specific day, your odds of hitting the jackpot are far less than if you enter over multiple days.

Tour operators can not guarantee success on the ballot.

As much as we’d love to claim an inside track to the ballot, no such thing exists. Cast a skeptical eye toward any tour operator who leads you to believe otherwise.

Try the Daily Draw

Although we regret the loss of one of the great traditions in golf with The Old Course Singles Queue, we are excited for the opportunity it provides H&B travelers. Those who might strike out with the Ballot can now make a last ditch effort to play The Old Course without sleeping on the putting green.

The magnetic pull of St. Andrews will continue to draw golfers from around the globe in search of a coveted tee time on The Old Course. While the golfers were away over the last two years, however, time did not stand still in this ancient town. As noted in our guide to what’s new in St. Andrews, there’s more reason than ever to plan a trip to The Home of Golf.

We hope that this guide has provided a little insight ahead of your own journey. If you’d like to learn more about a guaranteed tee time through Haversham & Baker, visit our Yardage Book where you’ll find answers to many of our most frequently asked questions. If at that time you feel H&B is the right choice, then there’s only one thing left to do…

Let’s Talk.

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