The trip
Overview
St Andrews is the round every golfer owes themselves, and the town rewards doing it properly: five nights based a few minutes from the first tee, four confirmed-once-verified links rounds, and a straight-talking plan for the Old Course itself. The New Course and Jubilee carry genuine championship pedigree of their own; Kingsbarns, twenty minutes down the coast, is among the finest modern links in the world; and Dumbarnie, across the bay, completes a Fife card most golfers only read about.
On the Old Course we deal in facts, not brochure promises. Access runs through the daily ballot, advance public releases and authorised providers — it is never guaranteed, and anyone who guarantees it should worry you. We time your stay to maximise ballot entries, register you correctly, and if the draw goes your way the itinerary flexes on the spot. If it does not, you have still played four of the best links in Scotland and walked the Swilcan Bridge at dusk like everyone else who loves this game.
Highlights
- ✦Five nights in St Andrews town, minutes from the links
- ✦The New Course and Jubilee — championship links on the Old’s doorstep
- ✦Kingsbarns, routinely ranked in the world top fifty
- ✦Dumbarnie Links, the modern course across Largo Bay
- ✦Daily Old Course ballot entries, managed honestly
- ✦The town itself — the R&A clubhouse, the cathedral ruins, the Dunvegan
Who it suits
- ●Golfers making the pilgrimage — often a landmark birthday or retirement trip
- ●UAE residents escaping July and August heat for sixteen-degree links weather
- ●Fathers and sons, and golfing friends of long standing
Why this journey works
- ✓Staying in town keeps every round and every evening within walking or short-transfer reach
- ✓Four verified-once-confirmed rounds mean the trip succeeds even if the ballot does not
- ✓Summer in Fife is the perfect inversion of summer in Dubai
Day by day
Day 1
Edinburgh to the Home of Golf
Fly from Dubai to Edinburgh, then a ninety-minute transfer over the Forth into Fife. Walk the Old Course at dusk — it is a public park when play ends — and stand on the Swilcan Bridge before you have earned it. Dinner and a dram in town. Hotel style: traditional St Andrews townhouse hotel.
Day 2
The New Course
Open on the New — laid out in 1895 and, by any other town’s standards, a headline act. Classic out-and-back links golf beside the Old. Afternoon exploring the town: the cathedral ruins, the harbour, the golf shops. First ballot entry goes in today for later in the stay.
Day 3
Kingsbarns
Twenty minutes along the coast to Kingsbarns, where every hole sees the sea and the design flatters and punishes in equal measure. Lunch in the clubhouse, then back for an easy evening — the Dunvegan pub is the game’s best nineteenth hole. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Day 4
Jubilee, ballot day
The Jubilee is the sternest of the town links — seaward, exposed and honest. Today is also the prime ballot window for an Old Course time tomorrow; if the draw lands, Dumbarnie moves and nobody complains. Non-golfers: the aquarium, the West Sands of Chariots of Fire, and Fife’s fishing villages.
Day 5
Dumbarnie Links — or the Old
Across Largo Bay to Dumbarnie’s broad modern links, a rousing closer with the Firth of Forth beyond. If the ballot came through, today is the Old Course and the photographs write themselves. Farewell supper in town either way.
Day 6
Home
Morning transfer to Edinburgh — time for a quick castle look if flights allow — and the flight back to Dubai.
The golf
Rounds
4
Handicap
Handicap certificates are required for some St Andrews Links courses and the Old Course — bring proof of handicap
Buggies
Limited on links courses — trolleys standard; buggies only with medical certificate at most venues
Clubs
Check airline sports-baggage allowance on UAE departures; hire sets can be arranged in town
St Andrews — New Course
Day 2 — the 1895 links beside the Old, a championship test in its own right. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Kingsbarns Golf Links
Day 3 — modern coastal links ranked among the world’s best, twenty minutes from town. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
St Andrews — Jubilee
Day 4 — the toughest of the town courses, closest to the sea. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Dumbarnie Links
Day 5 — expansive modern links on Largo Bay; swapped out gladly if the Old Course ballot succeeds. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
St Andrews — Old Course (optional, never guaranteed)
Access only via the daily ballot, advance public releases or authorised providers — we register and advise honestly; no tee time is promised. Access unverified — confirmed at booking.
Tee times are requested and confirmed at booking — we never guarantee a tee time until the course has.
For non-golfers
When to go
May to September is the prime window — long daylight allows thirty-six-hole days for the ambitious, and July temperatures around 18°C feel like a gift to UAE residents. April and October are quieter and cheaper with more weather risk; winter links golf is for romantics with waterproofs. Old Course ballot pressure peaks in high summer, so shoulder months modestly improve the odds.
Planning around seasons, regions and style? Read the full Scotland destination guide →
What’s included
- ✓Return flights from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Edinburgh or Glasgow
- ✓Five nights in a St Andrews town hotel or guesthouse
- ✓Four rounds of golf with pre-booked tee times once confirmed
- ✓Golf transfers on playing days
- ✓Daily Scottish breakfast
- ✓Old Course ballot registration and guidance
- ✓PCT golf travel consultant support
Not included
- —Buggies and caddies unless stated
- —Golf club hire
- —Travel insurance
- —Personal spending
- —Old Course green fee if a ballot or provider time is secured
Ways to extend it
- +Two nights in Edinburgh before flying home
- +Add Carnoustie across the Tay for the brave
- +Whisky afternoon at a Fife or Highland distillery
Gallery
