Getting a St Andrews Old Course Tee Time (Step-by-Step Guide)

For those of you that are new here (everyone), this newsletter aim is to make you as passionate about links golf as we are. From golf trip planning tips, reviews and news, we’re on a mission to educate and inspire golfers to take their next golf trip to Scotland.

LinksLand is a media company not a golf tour operator and our intention is never to become one. I know too many great companies already doing it better than I ever could. We’re not exclusively working with one golf travel agent either. My hope is that LinksLand can sit independently, to ensure you the visiting golfer has the best experience possible, leaving LinksLand free to showcase a range of different golf experiences. So if you’re a golf travel provider or golf course with remaining tee time inventory or a compelling story to tell, get in touch.

“How do I get a St Andrews Old Course tee time?” It’s always the first question I get asked when planning for a Scottish golf trip, so no better place to start!

I’ve sat down with Chris Toll, owner of St Andrews based travel company Ginger Beer Golf Travel who since 2018 has been intimately tracking the St Andrews Old Course ballot system. Nobody knows the system better than Chris and while this newsletter is longer than what you can come to expect from us this year, it is well worth your time.

What are key dates for the various ways of getting a 2026 Old Course tee time?

1. Guaranteed advance tee time packages through Authorised Providers

Authorised Providers are golf travel agents or accomodation partners that have been approved by the St Andrews Links Trust to sell their chosen allocation of St Andrews Old Course tee times.

The month by month allocation of these Old Course tee times for 2026 won't be released until the end of the first quarter 2025. Typically, you would pay a deposit which would be refundable if, once the month by month allocations are known, they are unable to offer a tee time for the month in question. The actual dates of the tee times, within that specific month, wouldn't be known until the middle of 2025, at which point all details would be confirmed and you would pay a second deposit to formally secure the package.

It would be a ‘stay and play’ package, typically ranging from 4 nights / 3 rounds to 7 nights / 6 rounds depending on your provider. The Old Course round is always paired with a second St Andrews Links course and accommodations must be in St Andrews. 

Prices start from around £6,000 per golfer.

These tee times sell out very quickly (some providers have already sold their anticipated 2026 allocation) and are typically allocated in four-ball multiples with providers prioritising package sales for groups of 4, 8, 12 etc. You can see how single golfers may get a raw deal here. Why expend four times the effort to sell a tee time to four separate individuals, if you can sell it once to a group of four?!

Note: I have a rare single golfer package available for May 2025. See below.

2. Advanced Ballot Tee Times (End of August 2025) 

Once a year, at the end of August/start of September, St Andrews Links Trust offers a limited number of guaranteed advance tee times for the following year combined with one of their other courses for a little over the normal green fee rate (£650 per person in 2024 for 2025 play). It is called the 'Swilcan Package'.

Assuming 2026 follows previous years, St Andrews Links Trust will accept applications via their online form in mid/late August 2025. The application window is only around 10 days. Once all applications have been received, a ballot (lottery) will be drawn in each category to determine the order of allocation.

Note: There’s a maximum of 8 golfers on one application in the high season (mid-April to mid-October); 16 in the shoulder Season (start to mid-April & mid to end-October). Single golfers cannot apply for a Swilcan Package in August, September or October. Only mid-April to end July.

3. Daily Ballot Tee Times (2 Days Prior to Play)

For golfers in the area without one of the guaranteed tee times above, a daily ballot (lottery) is available to offer visiting golfers the chance to secure an Old Course tee time at the regular green fee rate (£340 in 2025). The ballot is available every day apart from Sundays and ‘Tournament Days’ (including e.g. pro tournaments, club ties and corporate sponsor days). Apply via the St Andrews Links website or by phone 2 days prior to play (e.g. by 14:00 on Tuesday to play Thursday). Results are released later that afternoon. As early as 14:30 in the winter (when daylight hours restrict the number of available ballot times) and as late as 17:00 in the peak Summer months.

Note: Ballot applications are possible for groups of 2, 3 or 4 golfers. Single golfers are not eligible to make a ballot application.  See ‘buddying up’ below to overcome this drawback.

4. 1 day prior to play - Singles Daily Draw

If a golfer fails in all the previous methods, the Singles Daily Draw is their last resort. This has replaced the singles queue. Most days St Andrews Links Trust will keep a few slots on the Old Course available to single golfers. You need to be in St Andrews to register in person the day before you wish to play at the Old Pavilion by the Old Course or at the St Andrews Links Clubhouse. 

Note: Again, there is no guarantee of success, so you have to arrive in St Andrews to register more in hope than expectation. You cannot apply and get drawn as a group with your buddies. If successful you are allotted a single space within a tee time.

Single golfer 2025 Old Course St Andrews Package from 21st May 2025 - 4 night, 4 rounds (£5,675 per golfer)

Contact Ginger Beer Golf Travel for more information.

In your experience, what is the best course of action in securing a non-guaranteed premium Old Course tee time?

Swilcan Package applicants are notified by mid-October if they have been successful or not for the following year. For the sweet-spot of 1) an advance guaranteed tee time 2) confirmed at least 6 months prior to travel 3) which is not tied to any particular accommodations and 4) which is priced close to regular green fee rates, it’s possibly the best ticket in golf.

But, owing to the high demand for the Old Course it is unfortunately not possible to offer all applicants a tee time. To give you some idea, the average success rate is estimated around 15%, rising up to as much as 30% for the less demanded months at the start and end of the high season (April and October) when the days are shorter and the weather less settled but down to as little as 5% at the height of the season.

My tip is to keep your application window (the dates you can play) as wide as possible, so if your application does get drawn, there is a better chance that St Andrews Links trust has a tee time to offer you. 

Explain the process for "buddying up" and why?

As we have seen, single golfers don’t seem to get the same breaks as larger golfer groups. Specifically single golfers cannot submit a visitor ballot application!

So, my simple-to-use Ballot Buddy service gives single golfers the chance to pair up with another single golfer looking to visit St Andrews on similar dates, so you can submit a ballot application together. How does it work?

1) Firstly, decide when you are coming to St Andrews.

2) Then register for my Ballot Buddy service detailing the dates and time you will be available to play the Old Course.

3) Your available dates will be added to a database of other single golfer available dates. If your dates match up with those of another single golfer I will connect you to each other via email introduction.

4) As a potential two-some (three or four-some too) you are now eligible to apply for an Old Course ballot time. It is now down to you from this stage onwards.

In 2024, around 95% of registrants were matched with another single so they were able to apply for a tee time in the daily ballot. Since inception in 2019, over 250 single golfers have triumphed in the ballot and scored an Old Course tee time via Ballot Buddy.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week as we set your expectations on securing an elusive St Andrews Old Course tee time via the ballot.

Thanks again to Chris Toll, owner of Ginger Beer Golf Travel who have a number of advance guaranteed Old Course St Andrews tee times available for 2025 and 2026.

Thanks for reading, see you on the links!

Ru Macdonald