Fife/East Lothian trip

[Anders Rytter]

I'm currently considering an impulse trip to Scotland 10-14 October this year. I'm well aware that some of the heavy hitters are hard/impossible to get a confirmed teetime on now, TOC, Muirfield. Does anyone have any experience with the the TOC ballot that time of year? We are two guys traveling and have no idea about our chances of securing a teetime through the draw.

Seccondly, i think we would certainly stay within a relatively small area to not spend too much time driving as the trip is so short and we would prefer a mix of some well known courses and some that aren't. what are thetop hidden gems in the area?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Jon Wiggett]

In that case Anders you have two options in my opinion.

1. St. Andrews. No car needed once there, great courses and good food/drink right on site not to mention the history, etc..... If you try the ballot you should get a start time on TOC during your stay or maybe find a B&B/hotel which still has one of the multi play deals on offer.

2. Gullane. 10 courses all in walking distance with option of several more gems within a short driving distance.

Jon

[Anders Rytter]

Jon,
we will most likely rent a car. We don't mind driving an hour or maybe two, but we dont want half days.

[Ivan Morris]

Crail.......the Balcombie - unique experience as is North Berwick. The New Course is better than The Old and Jubilee is tougher than either of them, if you want some self-flagellation. Somebody mentioned Gullane? I second that motion! I know it's up in Angus but Panmure is a fantastic experience. Och aye, there's a brea hidden gem, for you!  

[Tommy Williamsen]

St. Andrews is the perfect "home" for your trip. You can get to Carnoustie or Gullane for a day. Waking up in St. Andrews is part of the fun.  Besides there is plenty of good golf with in half an hour.

[Greg Gilson]

Something to factor in is that your dates include 2 weekend days. That reduces you TOC Ballot days to 10-12. Not a deal breaker and i would never suggest avoiding St Andrews but something to consider.

I just checked the HCEG online tee time system and your dates are gone already but 16 October has availability if you have flexibilkity.

Hope this helps.

[Tim Gavrich]

You will have an awesome trip no matter what rotation of courses you play. But you'll be doing youself a disservice if you neglect to have dinner at the Peat Inn one night. One of the top three meals of my life.

[mike_beene]

Just stay in St Andrews and play old a few times and Kingsbarns on Sunday.I can spend half a day just watching people play the 18th.

[Andy Shulman]

I was in St. Andrews in October 2003, got to the starter's hut around 6:30 AM (sunrise is close to 8 AM that time of year) and was second in the walk-on line.  I was playing by 8:15 AM.  Something to consider if you don't get a time via the ballot.

Also, for such a short trip you should consider staying the whole time in St. Andrews, even if you venture out to Carnoustie and/or North Berwick, both of which are well worth playing.  That said, there's plenty of very good golf right there in Fife to keep you busy for five days, including Crail, Lundin Links, Kingsbarns, Elie and the New and Jubilee courses.  There are many others on which opinions are mixed, such as the Castle Course, St. Andrews Bay and even Scotscraig, the subject of another recent thread.

Enjoy, but keep in mind that it's not easy to play 36 that time of year, which some people I encountered called "winter"!

P.S. - I can't believe no one has called Ivan on his statement that the New is better than the Old?

[Rich Goodale]

IMO, St. Andrews is your best bet.  East Lothian has equally good (but less accessible) golf and less interesting places to stay and play in the apres golf.  The three bucket list courses in and around St. Andrews (Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns) will all be in superb shape, having hosted the Dunhill links tournament the week before.  Fit the first 3 days of your schedule to play them all.  Play the Old Course when you can, and add a round at either the New or the Eden on that day.  When playing Carnoustie Championship, schedule either Panmure or the highly underrated and sadlyunderthegcarater Burnside course at Carnoustie.  If it works, for one day fit in a 30 minute trip south to play Elie and Lundin Links--classic old links and great clubs.  After that, fill in your time with repeats from the other days or maybe on Sunday, play Crail (Balcomie) and then walk the Old Course in the afternoon (it will be closed to play) and sit in the Road Hole Grill sipping single malts on the top floor of the Old Course Hotel in the early evening.  Life rarely gets better than that.

Rich

PS--Ivan Morris is by far not the only person who thinks that the New is a "better" course than the Old.  Let us know your thoughts when you return.

rfg

[Tony_Muldoon]

Anders you don't say if either of you have been to St Andrews before. If not then I can't see there's any other option.


Sadly I think the Himalayas will be shut, but try and find a balance between palying the Bucket list courses, TOC/Carnoustie, and allow for a purely fun round. Ditch half your clubs and make sure you play either the Eden or

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,50582.0.html 


Enjoy.

[Greg Gilson]

Muirfield still has fair amount of availability on 16/10:

http://www.muirfield.org.uk/page/Visitors.aspx?dt=2012-Oct-16#calendar

[Anders Rytter]

Thanks for all the answers! It's first time in Fife for both of us, but i'm quite confident it won't be the last.

Anyone know where a can see what sundays TOC i open for just walking? and also how much of the course is possible to walk when it is open?

[Tony_Muldoon]

Thanks for all the answers! It's first time in Fife for both of us, but i'm quite confident it won't be the last.

Anyone know where a can see what sundays TOC i open for just walking? and also how much of the course is possible to walk when it is open?

Every Sunday Anders, it's the Sabbath after all. Youc an walk all of the old course to your heart's content. (Don't realy understand why the other courses remain open but...)



They organise guided tours which can be very entertaining.  One nice touch is they set up a flag between the 18th green and the first tee. All the tourists stand there and have their pictures taken ,saving wear and tear on the golf course, 99% are unaware of whats been done.

[Anders Rytter]

Thanks!

[Marty Bonnar]

Anders,
check your email.
Although it mostly just re-iterates EVERYTHING here!!!
 
MB.

[Stephen Davis]

I didn't ask the question, but I am glad it was asked as I am bookmarking this page for future reference. Rich, you could get a job as the Rick Steves of golf trips.

[mike_beene]

When does old course go to mats?