Do I Need a Guaranteed Tee Time for The Old Course

There are a variety of factors to consider which may ultimately lead you to the right answer for your golf trip to St. Andrews. Such as...

Is it your first, and perhaps only, trip?

If this is your first trip to The Home of Golf, or you’d classify it as a once-in-a-lifetime type of journey, then this decision might be an easy one. Especially if the goal is to not only play The Old Course, but to do so with specific playing partners, be it your family, best friends, or regular foursome. If this sounds like your trip, a guaranteed St. Andrews tee time may help you rest easy with the knowledge that this notch off the bucket-list is secure.

Does the budget allow for it?

Booking an Old Course tee time through a golf travel company will have a significant impact on the cost of a golf trip to Scotland. An impact that will usually hit four figures per person. This may give pause to some travelers, while others will see the premium as worth every penny in the grand scheme of the trip. In the end, this is another reason to ensure that all of your travel companions are on the same page in terms of budget when deciding who to invite on your golf trip.

When and how long will you be in St. Andrews?

The timing of your visit and your length of stay in The Home of Golf may influence your decision between a guaranteed tee time or trying your luck at The Old Course ballot. In some months, such as April, the odds of hitting the Old Course ballot are certainly in your favor. Other times, like August and September, they’re considerably lower.

In addition, the more days at your disposal in St. Andrews, the better your chances of being drawn. Although this is far from a sure thing, if you’re spending an entire week-long golf trip in St. Andrews, you may find foregoing the expense of a guaranteed time to be worth a roll of the dice.

This is where the expertise of your H&B Planning Manager really comes to light. When crafting Scotland golf packages, we’re able to draw on decades of past experience at The Old Course to help you select the ideal dates with the best odds of hitting the ballot. Although we have no influence on the outcome of the ballot - and you should be wary of any golf travel company that leads you to think otherwise - that knowledge may mean the difference between crossing the Swilcan Bridge and not.

Can you plan your trip early?

Golf travel companies typically receive their allotment of guaranteed Old Course tee times in April of the preceding year. Most, if not all, of our allocation is spoken for from the moment we receive it, thanks to a waiting list that starts to form months before that.

We know that for some golf travelers, planning a trip 18 days in advance is a stretch, let alone 18 months. But to land a guaranteed Old Course tee time with Haversham & Baker, that’s usually exactly what it takes. Of course, not every company has our large and dedicated network of past travelers who journey across the pond every year and understand that the early bird gets the tee time.

How motivated are you to play The Old Course?

Even without a guaranteed tee time, if you want to play The Old Course badly enough and have at least a few days at your disposal, it's almost a certainty that you will. But as you might imagine, there’s a catch. We’re speaking of The Old Course singles queue, where intrepid golfers line up in the small hours of the morning hoping to fill the open slots on the tee sheet.

This option has a remarkably high success rate, but it comes with tradeoffs. On top of the lost night of sleep, you’re all but certain to not play with the rest of your travel companions, and you might have to finish the 18th hole in the dark. Naturally, the majority of the H&B Forces are not inclined to make use of this option, but the motivated golfer will almost always end up on the 1st tee.

Could you handle the disappointment?

So you’ve decided against both a guaranteed tee time and the singles queue, but despite entering over multiple days, the golf gods just weren’t with you on the Old Course ballot. How would you feel returning home from St. Andrews without having played The Old Course? Perhaps more importantly, how would your travel companions feel about the same?

Make no mistake, there is so much outstanding golf near St. Andrews that it’s easy to have a fulfilling trip without The Old Course. In fact, many of our travelers do exactly that by design every year. But if your heart is set on The Old Course, and the thought of returning home without that opportunity is too much to bear, then it’s probably best to treat a guaranteed tee time like the old American Express mantra: Don’t leave home without it.

There’s no denying The Old Course at St. Andrews is a special experience. Whether the round warrants the expense and advance planning required for a guaranteed tee time depends on the individual group. But the considerations above, combined with the advice of your H&B Expedition Planning Manager, will help you make the best informed decision for your trip.