Second the opinion on Ferguson. I've been using his new book and speaking with him to help plan my trip next year. Both have been a great resource, and I'm still debating whether to plan the entire trip myself or use his services.
And I also second the opinion of planning actually being part of the fun. As the main trip organizer (4 of us going) I've had a lot of fun looking into the various places we might play, where we might stay, etc. I've sent voluminous e-mails to the other three guys going over everything and getting their feedback. What with the Web these days, it's easy to get info on not only the golf courses themselves (almost every one I've looked into has their own website), but hotels, B & B's, etc. And, last but not least, a number of GCA'ers have chipped in with some good advice to me.
Right now, depending on how my application to St. Andrews fares, we're planning on three nights in St. Andrews, followed by three nights in Dornoch. Our travel itinerary gives us seven golfable days, and my group is debating how many rounds we actually want to play. We're going to play at least once every day, and will probably have 2, maybe 3, days of multiple rounds.