Fife, Scotland
St Andrews & Fife in 6 Days
Estimate: per golfer, 6 nights sharing a room, six rounds at 2026 summer green fees (about £1,680 total: Old £355, Kingsbarns £486, Carnoustie £360, Crail £170, New £155, Jubilee ~£150), caddies on two rounds, car hire, excluding flights; converted from GBP, 2026 rates.
This trip is about a town as much as the golf. Base yourself in St Andrews for the whole week. Kingsbarns, Crail and Carnoustie are all within about 40 minutes, so there's no packing and unpacking, and every evening ends in a pub where people are talking about the 17th on the Old.
The Old Course is the hard part. Unless you book a guaranteed package, you get on through the daily ballot, so this plan builds in flexibility: the New and Jubilee courses share the same clubhouse and can swap days with the Old if your ballot entry comes up on a different date. Kingsbarns and Carnoustie are the other big-ticket rounds, and Crail's Balcomie links is the cheap, charming one people end up talking about.
Day by day
- 1
Arrive, Jubilee and ballot
Jubilee CourseLand at Edinburgh early and drive over the Queensferry Crossing. Enter the Old Course ballot for day 3 before 2 p.m. (it closes two days ahead), then play the Jubilee in the afternoon to shake off the flight.
- 2
Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns Golf LinksFifteen minutes down the coast. Take a caddie if you only take one this week. Results for the next day's ballot come out in the afternoon, so check them after the round.
- 3
The Old Course
Old CourseIf the ballot or your package came through, play the Old with a caddie and have a drink at the Dunvegan afterward. If not, put your names on the standby list, play the New Course, and re-enter the ballot.
- 4
Carnoustie
Carnoustie Golf Links – Championship CourseAbout 40 minutes north over the Tay. Bring your handicap certificate, as they do check. Walk the last three holes slowly, because that's where Opens have been lost.
- 5
Crail
Crail Golfing Society – Balcomie LinksAbout 20 minutes southeast to Fife Ness. Balcomie is short and fun, so consider the day ticket for a second loop. Lunch in the East Neuk fishing villages.
- 6
New Course and out
New CourseMorning round on the New, or the Old if the ballot came through late. Leave about two hours to get to Edinburgh for an evening flight.
The courses
Old Course
Evolved naturally; shaped by Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris · 1552 · public; daily ballot, advance package, or singles standby
Huge double greens, hidden pot bunkers and the Road Hole. 2026 green fee is £355, and it's closed on Sundays.
New Course
Old Tom Morris · 1895 · public
Runs alongside the Old on the same stretch of links ground, and it's tougher than its reputation. 2026 summer fee is £155.
Jubilee Course
John Angus Carrick; redesigned by Donald Steel · 1897 · public
The closest of the Links Trust courses to the sea, with bigger dunes and a demanding finish. A strong opening round.
Kingsbarns Golf Links
Kyle Phillips · 2000 · public, advance booking
Modern links built along the coast with the sea in view on every hole. At £486 in summer 2026, it's the most expensive round of the week.
Carnoustie Golf Links – Championship Course
Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris, James Braid · public; handicap limit 28 men / 36 women
The hardest Open venue in the rotation, with Barry Burn waiting at the end. 2026 fee is £360 from May through October.
Crail Golfing Society – Balcomie Links
Old Tom Morris · 1895 · public, advance booking
A short, old-fashioned links on the point at Fife Ness. Peak 2026 fee is £170, and a day ticket is £240.
Booking it
Old Course tee times come three ways. You can enter the daily ballot (two to four players, entries close at 2 p.m. two days before play). You can buy an advance package through St Andrews Links, which opens around September for the following season and pairs one Old Course round with another Links Trust course (the 2026 Swilcan package was £700 in high season). Or you can join the singles standby queue. Book Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and Crail directly as soon as their tee sheets open, usually the autumn before.
Worth knowing
- Bring a handicap certificate from your home club or association. The Old Course limit is 36, and Carnoustie's is 28 for men.
- Book Old Course caddies through the Links Trust in advance and budget for a tip on top of the fee. On the Old, the caddie is the difference between finding the line and guessing.
- The Old Course is closed on Sundays (no ballot on Friday) and becomes a public park. Walk it with the family.
- Spring and autumn ballot success rates are much higher than in July and August. Shoulder months are the smart way to play the Old without a package.
- The Open returns to St Andrews in 2027, so expect Old Course closures and higher demand around the championship that summer.