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On Wednesday, the St. Andrews Links Trust announced a significant change to one of the procedures for securing a tee time at the famed Old Course.
Effective Tuesday, March 12, 2024, there will be a new "Old Course Singles Daily Draw" for golfers looking to fill in any spaces alongside booked twosomes or threesomes at the ancient links for the following day, per an announcement by the St. Andrews Links Trust, which manages The Old Course and six other golf courses in the ancient "Auld Grey Toon" in Scotland's coastal county of Fife.
The new way to enter the ballot for a tee time at The Old Course at St. Andrews
For the opportunity to get on The Old Course as a single, golfers will now need to register at one of two places between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the day before they hope to play The Old Course:
1. The pavilion beside The Old Course's first tee
2. The St. Andrews Links Clubhouse
Then, at 5 p.m., the Links Trust will hold a randomized drawing for the available spots, and will notify golfers via text whether or not they have been selected to play The Old Course the following day alongside an existing group.
This new system does away with a longstanding St. Andrews golf tradition: the nightly queue of golfers at the Old Course to fill in each day's last open tee time slots on a first-come,first-served basis. In recent years, the queue has grown, with some golfers waiting as long as 12 hours, sometimes in bad weather, to take one of the first spots in line.
“We are excited to introduce the new digital solution for the Old Course Singles Daily Draw, which makes securing a tee time as a single golfer at the Home of Golf safer, more equitable and ultimately a more enjoyable experience," said Neil Coulson, the Links Trust's Chief Executive. "The significant growth in the number of golfers utilizing the singles queue in the past decade has been such that we felt it was impacting the customer experience and becoming increasingly challenging for our dedicated team to manage expectations."
My take on the new Old Course Singles Daily Draw
While I never had the chance to partake in the tradition of camping out in the dark in hopes of a tee time at The Old Course, I have a lot of respect for any golfer who has gone to such lengths to play it. That said, I have heard the crowd has grown unwieldy in recent years, at times resembling a tailgate rather than a calm morning lineup for a tee time. That being the case, it probably makes sense for the Links Trust to limit the potential for chaos and disgruntled golfers, especially in foul weather, by letting everyone lucky enough to score one of those coveted spots enjoy the anticipation of a round on a fuller night's rest.
My one round on The Old Course came in June 2008, alongside my father, who had entered us as a twosome on the ballot two days before. We teed off around 2 p.m. and had a memorable time in calm weather, except for a brief rain squall on the third hole - the only precipitation during a week-long trip (the same week Tiger Woods won the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines). The main highlight of the round came when we played the feared Road Hole, number 17, in a combined one-under par, with Dad lacing a six-iron to four feet for a birdie. It was a great day at one of the most special places in golf.
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Comments (5)
I did like that the ones that wanted it the most could increase the odds of getting to play it by camping out at night. Now, someone who rarely plays and figures they will throw their name in since they wont have to wait in the night may get to play over someone who has wanted to play it for 40 years and was willing to do whatever it takes.
I am there the first week of August and will be playing Old Course, Castle Course, and Jubilee. I'll have my fingers crossed for a shot at the Old Course. If not, I'll fill in my other 3 rounds with few local courses. I can't wait!!!!
I agree with Tom C and Mike B. We have been planning a vacation to Scotland this coming July for 2 years (not a "golf vacation") and I have tried multiple way to secure a tee time. Unless you are on a "golf vacation" and committing to playing several rounds, it is virtually impossible to get a tee time at the Old Course. I entered the lottery and was not picked and was hoping on the daily ballot or sleeping in the parking lot on the chance of getting lucky. Now sleeping in the parking lot is no longer an option. What will they do when there are openings early day of. It is obviously a bucket list event for any avid golfer and I may never have the opportunity again.
This is such a disappointment. There was a sense of pride to stand out in the early morning hours with anticipation to get on. A friend and I put in for the ballot all week only to get denied each day, which left us the option of the queue. We were dedicated enough to be some of the first in line and we’re rewarded by being able to play the course together. This robs people of that opportunity and robs the people who are dedicated enough to get there early enough for a coveted spot. I liked that I felt setting my alarm, I gave myself a better chance than others. It wasn’t left to a random drawing.
This sounds great on the surface, but doing it the night before doesn't account for same day cancelations. The time I got in the que and managed to play at 9 a.m., two foursomes had canceled early the same morning, opening up the spot for me. So the Trust wouldn't have known about that the night before. Undoubtedly there are always same day cancelations. So how will they allocate those?