Caddie Golf Tours

The St Andrews Links Trust recently announced the green fee costs for a round of golf on the Old Course during the 2022 golf season. The first couple of weeks in April, called the 'Shoulder Season', there is a reduced fee of £ 137 British pounds ($180). This rises to £ 270 British pounds ($355) in the 'High Season' which lasts through to the middle of October when it will drop to £ 190 pounds ($250) for the final 2 weeks of that month. Winter golf on the Old Course, known as the 'Low Season' has been priced at £ 135 pounds ($178). There are a few restrictions on the Old Course with winter tee positions, a few bunkers under reconstruction and an astroturf golf mat is used when playing on the fairway. Contact Caddie Golf Tours to assist with your golf in St Andrews and Scotland...FORE!!!

Our friend David from Chicago brought his two sons over to Scotland to enjoy our links golf. This golf tour had been postponed twice due to the Coronavirus Pandemic and finally got the go ahead when international travel restrictions were lifted at start of September, 2021. David, Jeff and Greg on Old Course At the start of their golf tour they played some memorable golf on the Scottish West Coast at the beautiful Ailsa Course at Turnberry, Western Gailes and Royal Troon. They then transferred to St Andrews where they are members of the St Andrews Golf Club.  David, Jeff and Greg at Kingsbarns The week started with a round on the Old Course then Kingsbarns followed by legendary Crail Balcomie Links and finishing with the exacting Jubilee Course at St Andrews. It has been wonderful to meet our American golfers again and watch their obvious enjoyment playing golf in Scotland...FORE!

This last month has been rather disappointing for our international golfers with no news from the Scottish Government about when they will be allowed to travel to Scotland and enjoy our golf courses, even if double vaccinated. John and Lorna from Caddie Golf Tours. We have a couple of golf trips lined up for early September here in St Andrews with golfers coming from USA, but without the removal of quarantine for 10 days, in a named hotel at their own expense, and the lifting of a travel ban from the US Government it is unlikely their St Andrews golf tours will go ahead. We are told that talks have been ongoing between both governments and an announcement is expected by the end of the week that will allow 'double vaccinated' travelers to move freely between USA and UK. Certainly hoping for good news soon...FORE!

On route to Old Course 1st tee Caddie Golf Tours, with the consent of our American golfers, have taken the decision to reschedule their St Andrews 2021 golf trip to next year 2022. This trip was originally set for June 2020, but the horrendous COVID-19 pandemic has thrown all plans into flux. As we interpret the recent Scottish government announcements this week, international travelers entering Scotland will be required to quarantine for 10 days. No timeline has been proposed about how long this will last, so we must assume that summer golf for our overseas visitors will not be available until later this year, hopefully the Autumn. Eden Course St Andrews The Open Championship is being played at St Andrews in July 2022, which means a little disruption to golfing visitors. The Old Course will be closed from late May through to mid July. With excellent assistance from all involved we have managed to rearrange our golfer's accommodation and all tee times to a week in April, 2022. The ...

The Old Course green keepers started and completed renovation work on the banking and drainage behind the 18th green during November and December. The ground work that is done during the Scottish winter, from these greenkeeping tough guys, will be appreciated by local and our visiting overseas golfers when they return in numbers during the summer, and beyond.  Please contact Caddie Golf Tours to assist with your golf trip to Scotland and St Andrews...Fore!

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, today announced that the country would 'lockdown' for the month of January due to the increase in COVID-19. This means that the travel ban into and around the country continues with no travel between Scotland's regions. Schools are to remain closed until February, with a review to when they can open in the middle of January. The population is being asked to remain at home unless it is essential to leave for food, care or work. Outside exercise is being encouraged and you can meet outside with one other from a different household. Thankfully this means that golf in St Andrews can continue and locals can play in twos, as we did back in May last year, while taking the obvious and necessary precautions. With the news that the 'Oxford' vaccination began today in the UK we are hopeful that this and the 'lockdown' will start to see a reduction in cases and an opening to international travel with overseas golfers retur...

The St Andrews caddies returned to work on the Old Course and the other links courses after the enforced layoff, due to Covid-19, stopped them working on March 24th. St Andrews caddies with their golfers on Swilken Bridge This has been a tough time for the caddies who would have been working flat out with the majority of the 170 registered during the season looking at doing 2 loops a day. As it is we have close to 45 caddies available for work on the St Andrews Links caddying 2 loops a week. Caddie work is expected to increase as we move into the month of August and visiting golfers return to St Andrews and Scotland.   Caddies with golfers on Old Course 18th green A few expected restrictions are in place: suitable distancing, golf bag is placed on a complimentary push trolley with sanitized handle, no handling of players clubs or golf ball, caddie to provide hole information and shot advice as normal. No one in the group is allowed to touch the flagstick. Outwith that it is busines...

Caddie Golf Tours, took some time out last Sunday from the ever threatening Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic to golf 9 holes on the Castle Course St Andrews. Little did I think that this would be the last round of golf I would play. Within a couple of days the St Andrews Links Trust had closed all their courses, including the Old Course, on the advice/orders from the British Government. The Castle Course was deserted with those few golfers that were in sight playing solo golf due to the Covid-19 virus, as was I. With the whole country now in an enforced shut down I will look back on these 9 holes with fondness and enjoy the images captured. It is beginning to look like it will be at least June before we get another opportunity to golf here in St Andrews and Scotland, a long layoff but hopefully the putting practice on the hall carpet will produce results...Fore!

Work on the restructuring of the infamous Old Course 17th Road hole bunker is well under way for this 2020 golf season.  17th Road hole bunker Old Course St Andrews We extend best wishes to our golfers tackling this iconic golf hole on their visit to the Old Course St Andrews, and Caddie Golf Tours are here to assist with your Scotland golf tour. We look forward to hearing from you...Fore!

A few images from the Old Course St Andrews when it was played in the 'reverse' route at the end of November 2019. The Old Course awoke to a frosty day and a delayed start to the 'Shotgun' start from the R&A cannon! The golfers began at 11:00 am, a few hours later than the original 08:40 start. The 1st hole on the reverse route is the 17th 'Road' hole as we know it now in the modern era. It was rather odd to see the white flag fly on the 17th green and then to move onto the 2nd hole, which is the normal 16th, and a white pin but it soon became acceptable to see the white flags and red flags fly...strangely. The above photographs show the iconic 1st green with a back nine 'red' flag signifying that it is the 17th on this reverse routing of the Old Course. The final 18th green remains the same on the Old Course reverse course but, even with a delayed start, the hard overnight frost refused to lift from this famous green and t...

On Wednesday 21st August, 2019, at 10:00 am the St Andrews Links Trust will be accepting advance applications for guaranteed 2020 Old Course tee times. The application is open for 2 weeks closing on Wednesday 4th September 2019. The Golfers Bridge over Swilken Burn Old Course St Andrews Applications can be made using an online form that can be accessed from the St Andrews Links Trust website using the following link:  Private Advance Tee Times 2020   Tee times are not allocated on a first come basis they are picked using a ballot after the 2 week window has closed. 18th tee Old Course St Andrews A minimum of 2 and maximum of 8 golfers can make the application for a 2 course package which includes the Old Course and a choice of a second golf course at the St Andrews Links from the following amazing courses: New Course, Jubilee Course, Eden Course and Castle Course. Cost is  £ 340  for the High Season 14th April - 13th October 2020 Cost i...

Golfers, may we wish you a Happy New Year and a hearty welcome to 2019...Fore! Caddie Golf Tours at Old Course St Andrews. Winter golf at St Andrews starts in November and runs through to the end of March. The legendary Old Course, New, Jubilee, Eden courses are all available to golf during this period with a few restrictions, daylight being the main one. Old Course St Andrews 1st green. Some tee positions are moved and there are a number of bunkers being rebuilt, across all the courses, allowing the greenkeepers to work and bring them up to standard for the forthcoming golf season. The largest of the bunker projects Cockle Shell, pictured, which began in early November 2018 and will be completed by mid January. Old Course St Andrews rebuilding Shell Bunker on 7th hole. The main restriction asked of the golfer when in St Andrews is the use of an astro-turf mat for all fairway shots. The mats are used to protect the fairway from damage during this cold period. I per...

Kingsbarns Golf Links 2 Rounds - 2 Nights Stay & Play Spring Offer 4th - 6th April 2018 2 rounds of Championship golf at Kingsbarns Golf Links 2 nights’ Bed & Breakfast at The Inn at Kingsbarns Total £ 430  per golfer Kingsbarns 15th, Rocky Ness, 151 yard par 3  Golf spectacular Kingsbarns host to the 2017 Ricoh British Women's Open and the European Tours' Alfred Dunhill Links Championship Stay at 18th Century coaching inn, 2 minutes from Kingsbarns Golf Links, and only 10 minutes drive from historic town of St Andrews The Inn at Kingsbarns. Contact Caddie Golf Tours for booking information Price is based on shared occupancy in deluxe twin rooms Price to be paid in Great British Pounds (£) Subject to availability

We are delighted to report that the wee ducklings are still with us on the Old Course at St Andrews. There have been a few casualties but the mother does have 3 little ducklings to guide and look after.

October has been a delightful month with good sunny weather that many of our visiting golfers seem rather surprised to be enjoying. Our golfer Michael, pictured, from Minnesota has been taking advantage of the benign conditions enjoying his golf with 7 of his buddies and their golf tour of Scotland culminating with a final round on the Old Course St Andrews. Michael a 10 handicap managed to play his best round of the year on the Old Course St Andrews shooting a 38 + 38 = 76. A bogey at the first did not upset and steady golf followed until a blistering burst of 3,3,3 over 7th, 8th and 9th. No daft numbers on the back nine, which supplied one birdie on the 14th, brought his last round in Scotland to a fitting climax. 

The remnants of the 2015 Open at St Andrews, won by Zach Johnson, are fast disappearing with the last of the grandstands (bleachers) finally dismantled. I managed a few last photographs from the grandstands on the 1st fairway and behind the 17th green. These are now gone. The seats are all gone and the St Andrews Old Course greenkeepers have begun work on resurrecting the links turf on the 1st fairway which is now roped off and is currently regarded as Ground Under Repair, GUR.