Booking & Access
How to Book a Tee Time at Scotland's Most Famous Courses
The ballot, the advance booking window, the hotel backdoor, and the stand-by queue. A working manual for getting on the Old Course, Muirfield, Turnberry and the rest — without paying an agent.
Scope
This manual covers the twelve Scottish courses most often searched for by international visitors. For each: when the booking window opens, what it costs, what you need, and the stand-by route if the primary method fails. Fees and timings are current for the 2026 season. Verify on the course website before travelling.
Courses covered, in order below: St Andrews Old Course · St Andrews New / Jubilee / Castle · Muirfield · Royal Troon · Prestwick · Turnberry (Ailsa) · Carnoustie Championship · Kingsbarns · The Machrie, Islay · Royal Dornoch · Castle Stuart · The Renaissance Club.
St Andrews Old Course
Fee: £180–£355 (2026, winter mat season to high season). Caddie: book through the St Andrews Links caddie office and ask for the current fee; the gratuity is on top. Buggy not permitted except on medical grounds.
Primary route — the Daily Ballot:
- Enter by 2 pm two days before the day you want to play — online at standrews.com, by phone or in person.
- Enter a group of two to four players, with every name, home club and handicap. Solo golfers use the Singles Daily Draw instead: in person, 9 am–4 pm the day before.
- Results are out after 4.30 pm the same day.
Success rate: The Links Trust publishes none. The one published count, Ginger Beer Golf Travel's analysis of the daily draws, estimated about 10.5% of visitor entries succeeding on an average day across April–October 2024. Enter on as many days as you can.
Alternative — the Advance Booking:
- The Swilcan Package: two rounds on consecutive days with the Old Course guaranteed, applied for in an autumn window (23 September to 6 October 2026 for the 2027 season), 1–4 golfers, drawn by lottery after the window closes. Not first come first served. Prices on the ballot hub.
Single golfers:
- The Singles Daily Draw replaced the old dawn queue at the Starter's Box: enter in person at The Old Pavilion or the Links Clubhouse between 9 am and 4 pm the day before you want to play. Nothing is guaranteed, and the Trust does not publish how many places there are.
Documents required: Official handicap card or certificate — the limit is 36 for men and women. An attested official handicap from your home club is sufficient.
St Andrews New, Jubilee, Castle
Fee: £45–£155 (New), £75–£150 (Jubilee), £120–£180 (Castle), by season (2026). Caddies optional.
Primary route:
- Direct booking at standrews.com up to 12 months ahead.
- No ballot required.
Best practice: Book the Old Course round last (via ballot). Book the New, Jubilee or Castle as your confirmed anchor round on the same trip.
Muirfield (The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers)
Fee: £395 for 18 holes in the 2026 season, with lower winter rates (£150–£395 across the year); the 36-hole day including lunch was £605 in 2026, per the club's visitor page (read September 2026).
Primary route:
- Visitor tee times available Tuesdays and Thursdays only.
- Apply by email in the club's diary window for the season — for 2027 the independent-client window was 18–27 March 2026. No telephone applications; one application per group, up to three preferred dates.
- Handicap required — confirm the current limit with Golf Services.
- Dress: jacket and tie in the clubhouse for the lunch option. Yes, still.
Alternative: Some Scottish golf tour operators hold blocks of Muirfield tee times. Expect to pay a mark-up over the club's own green fee.
Royal Troon
Fee: £250–£395 Old Course, by season; £135 Portland (2026). Open Championship venue.
Primary route:
- Online via royaltroon.co.uk, up to 12 months ahead.
- Visitors: Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, per the club's visit page (September 2026). No weekends.
- Handicap requirement: men 20, women 30 (club visitor information, September 2026).
Combination day: Old Course in the morning and Portland in the afternoon makes a full Troon day — ask the club whether a two-course day rate is available for your date.
Prestwick
Fee: £175–£380 by day and season (2026). Caddie £70 plus gratuity, strongly advised.
Primary route:
- Via prestwickgc.co.uk (bookings team by email or phone).
- Visitors: every day except Saturday, which is members only — the club's visitor page lists Sunday tee times (September 2026).
- The club prefers a recognised handicap but welcomes regular golfers who know the etiquette and can keep pace.
Note: The starter is strict on dress code. Collared shirt, tailored trousers, no cargo pockets.
Turnberry (Ailsa)
Fee: £425–£1000 by season. Hotel guests are offered a discounted rate — confirm the current figure with the resort when you book the room.
Primary route:
- Online via trumpgolfscotland.com or via the resort's reservations team.
- No ballot. Tee times available up to 12 months ahead.
- Resort-guest rate applies if staying at the hotel, Dornoch House, or the lighthouse suites.
Stand-by route:
- The King Robert the Bruce course (second course at the resort) is priced well below the Ailsa and typically available at shorter notice — check the current rate with the resort. Frequently used as a filler round by groups whose Ailsa date is far ahead.
Carnoustie Championship
Fee: £249–£360 (2026, April to high season). Buggy available.
Primary route:
- Online via carnoustiegolflinks.com.
- No ballot.
- Handicap certificate required — check the current limit with the club.
Stand-by route:
- Burnside Course (£99–£135) and Buddon Course (£99–£135) available at the same booking system for days when the Championship is full.
Kingsbarns
Fee: £399–£486 (2026). Caddie £80 plus optional gratuity.
Primary route:
- Online via kingsbarns.com, up to 12 months ahead.
- No ballot.
- Handicap not required but the starter will pair slow players behind faster groups.
Note: Often quieter than the Old Course on a given morning. A sensible anchor round for a Fife trip.
The Machrie, Islay
Fee: £185 in summer (2026).
Primary route:
- Online via themachrie.com.
- No ballot.
Travel note: Access is the complication, not the booking. Ferry from Kennacraig (2h 20m) or flight from Glasgow (45 min). Book the Machrie first, then plan the ferry.
Royal Dornoch Championship
Fee: £200–£360 (2026/27, winter to summer). Members' club.
Primary route:
- Online via royaldornoch.com, up to 12 months ahead.
- Check visitor times and the handicap requirement on the club's site when you book.
Stand-by route:
- The Struie (£85–£120, 2026/27) is the second course. Available same-day almost always. Worth playing in its own right.
Castle Stuart
Fee: £285–£385 (2026).
Primary route:
- Online via cabot.com/highlands — the resort trades as Cabot Highlands now, and the old castlestuartgolf.com address no longer resolves.
- No ballot. Limited winter opening.
- Old Petty, the estate's second course, opened on 15 May 2026 and books through the same site at £285–£385 (2026). A 36-hole ticket across both is published too.
Combination day: Often paired with Nairn (£100–£350) or Royal Dornoch (£200–£360) for a Highland round trip. Both within an hour by road.
The Renaissance Club
Fee: from £300, by application (2026). Private club; very limited visitor access.
Primary route:
- Through a member only. No public booking system.
- Some Scottish Open corporate packages offer rounds.
If you cannot get on: Play Muirfield, North Berwick, or Archerfield instead. All within three miles, all open to visitors with proper access.
General practical notes
Handicap certificates
An official handicap index from your home club's system (WHS, USGA GHIN, GolfLink, Handicap Europe) is universally accepted. Print a copy and bring it. Some clubs want a letter from your head professional confirming your handicap. If in doubt, email the club two weeks before.
Booking windows
| Window | Courses |
|---|---|
| Previous autumn (application window, then lottery) | Old Course Swilcan Package |
| 12 months ahead | New, Jubilee, Castle, Kingsbarns, Royal Dornoch, Carnoustie, Castle Stuart, Turnberry, Royal Troon |
| Ballot 1 day ahead | Old Course |
| Members only / very limited | Muirfield, Renaissance Club |
Caddie etiquette
- The gratuity is on top of the caddie fee and at your discretion; some clubs say what is customary on their caddie page.
- Caddies at the famous Scottish clubs are professional. Listen to them. They read the course better than any guidebook.
- Request a specific caddie at the time of booking if they have been recommended.
Dress code summary
Collared shirts, tailored trousers, proper golf shoes. No denim, no cargo pockets, no football shirts. Muirfield: jacket and tie for clubhouse meals. The rest: smart casual after the round.
Cancellation windows
Every club sets its own cancellation deadline and penalty, and they differ a lot — the terms are in the booking confirmation or on the club's booking page. Read them before you pay, and diarise the deadline.
Do not use
Unsolicited emails from third-party agents promising guaranteed Old Course tee times in peak season at a large mark-up. They are almost always resales of shoulder-season Swilcan Packages, which commercial operators may apply for — you could apply yourself in the autumn window. The exceptions are a handful of reputable Scottish tour operators with genuine course relationships (listed on the clubs' own sites). If in doubt, email the club first.
What to carry
- Printed confirmation of the tee time.
- Handicap certificate.
- Photo ID.
- Cash or card for caddie tips.
- A pen. Starters still hand out paper cards.
If a course is missing from this list or a booking rule has changed, tell us and we'll update the page.
About the author
The Birdie Brae editor
Editor and founder of Birdie Brae. Based in Glasgow, 12.7 handicap, playing since late 2021. Has played 20+ Scottish courses and started this site because most Scottish golf content is written by people trying to sell you a package holiday.
More about the editor →Courses in this article
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