The Workshop · Tool № 01
Old Course Ballot Calculator
Tell us when you're visiting and we'll estimate your chances.
How the ballot works, how to enter and the guaranteed Swilcan Package route are all on our Old Course ballot guide.
Pick your trip dates above to see the estimate.
Where the daily figure comes from
The St Andrews Links Trust does not publish ballot success rates. This calculator uses one figure: 11% per day (10.54%), the estimated visitor-ballot success rate averaged over 1 April – 31 October 2024 in Ginger Beer Golf Travel's count of the Trust's published daily draws. It is measured under the rules in force in 2024, before the current two-days-ahead, two-player-minimum ballot. No month-by-month, weekday or group-size breakdown has been published, so the calculator applies the same rate to every ballot day rather than guess at one.
How this works
The St Andrews Old Course holds a daily ballot. It closes at 2 pm two days before the day you want to play, needs at least two players, and you enter online at standrews.com, by phone or in person. Results are out after 4.30 pm the same day. The Old Course is closed on Sundays, so there is no Friday ballot.
The St Andrews Links Trust does not publish ballot success rates. The calculator uses the one published estimate: Ginger Beer Golf Travel's count of the Trust's daily draws put the visitor ballot at about 11% of entries succeeding on an average day between April and October 2024, under the rules in force then. No month, weekday or group-size breakdown has been published, so every ballot day gets the same rate. Treat the number as a planning tool, not a promise.
The one thing you control is how many days you enter. At that rate a single entry succeeds about 11% of the time; entering on four separate days takes it to about 36%, and seven to about 54%.
What the calculator does not account for
- The Swilcan Package — applied for once a year in the Links Trust's autumn window, drawn by lottery, two rounds with the Old Course guaranteed if successful.
- The Singles Daily Draw — solo golfers enter in person between 9 am and 4 pm the day before; a draw for spare on-the-day places, not a ballot.
- Tournament weeks. The Old Course closes for The Open and several smaller events. Check the published 2026 schedule before planning.
- Weather. A round can be cancelled at no notice for storm or unplayable conditions. The ballot doesn't reroll.