Playing TOC

[Angus Moir]

wanted to ask anyone who has played TOC how they secured the tee time? Ballot, contacts, tour operator, hotel,etc,etc...


Many thanks

[Ed Brzezowski]

We used a tour operator from the town, Drum Golf, very very happy with them.


Nice folks, fair price, known in town.

[Hunter Rigsby]

Singles line.  It was the off-season so I was the first person there when I arrived at 7 am.  Was off in one of the first groups of the day at 9 am (frost delay). 

[Brad Tufts]

I've played it three times, but always paid through the nose with a tour operator.  Tough to plan an overseas trip around it with a group of any size and not have that one guaranteed.


I aspire to use the daily ballot or get up early and wait outside the shop, but my guess is that most travel partners of mine that haven't played TOC will want the guaranteed (and thus pricey) times beforehand, so I may never get to use the ballot...

[Tim Gallant]

Angus,


I've done it a few different ways, but here is a useful link that explains all the ways you can:


http://www.graylynloomis.com/getting-a-tee-time-on-the-old-course/

[Ken Moum]

1 - played with a local.


2 - got a tee time in the fall lottery (same trip as first play)


3 - drew a tee time in the daily ballot


4 - Fall lottery


FWIW, one of the last two times my wife and I had two others join us who stood in line, and once we had a friend along but our fourth stood in line (and he happened to be a GCAer's father)


K

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I got in the third day I tried the ballot. I was part of a threesome, and our fourth was a "queuer" (that second "u" is important!) from Norway or Sweden who was celebrating his 50th that day!

[Steve Lang]

  Sept 1996, got off plane early on a Saturday morning at Edinburgh Airport, called lottery to place our name for a tee time,  learned later that we had gotten a time Monday morning!  Must've been the name re; the Lang Siege of 1571-73 was in someone's mind...

Went over Sunday to check the drive time across the Firth and  walk around the course, look in the R&A windows, and tour the museum, spent a lot of time looking at the TOC topo, checked out where to rent clubs, learned from a lady golf shop owner, just up street from museum, that the tee time was ours, we didn't have to share... would we mind,there was a gentleman from NY that had been at the big hotel for a week trying to get on TOC... mind if he joined us.  WE said sure... later he asked if  another gentleman from NJ also staying at the hotel who had been stymied could join us... sure.

We figured they were getting milked...  and noted never stay at the big hotel if you want to get on TOC quickly

Shot 77, 3 putting the par 5's, life was good. if you stay left..

[Ben Malach]

I lived and worked on the links 5 or 6 years ago. The best way for someone visiting to play was always the Ballot then the singles list and finally the pre booked tour route. In my season there I can only remember one or two days when I was on the starters box that I did not get all the singles out. The links trust encourages all not full groups visitor groups to take singles to fill the groups as it helps with pace and makes them the most money. In talking with guests and friends that have gone over since the over under on days to make the ballot averaged about 3 days. So if your going to be in the Fife area for a couple days its worth it to ballot over paying thru the nose with the guaranteed tee time. I hope this helps and have a wonderful trip.   

[Pete_Pittock]

First trip had a time through the tour operator, who may have gotten those booking us at Rusacks. We got in around 5-6 the day before & was immediately out as a single filling out a group. Yardage book was a map and a plastic template with holes in it.


Second trip I was on as a single on consecutive days.


Third trip was arranged by the tour operator, an ex-Walker cupper.


Fourth trip was spur of the moment, off via the singles line in the rain. Stayed at Rusack's Saturday and Sunday nights. Walked the course starting pre-dawn Sunday. Stands were up for The Open. Monday moring awoke to find a note under my door with an unsolicited tee time.


Last trip was a package around April Fools day with rounds on New, Old and Old (Reverse).


Think I missed a trip

[Bill Brightly]

There also are "the dark times." You'll follow the field and play the last two in near darkness... but you'll get to see all the rest of the holes! I recommend this as a second round. Go play somewhere else in the morning, but I think you have to sign up for TOC dark times in the morning.


Lastly, the course is closed for play on Sundays but open to walk. If you are hanging around GCA.COM, you should want to go study TOC without a club in your hands. 

[Mark Chaplin]

Dark times come with a 20% discount. I played late September in the 4th dark time and we got around in the light. We were joined by two queuers who got the last slots of the day having arrived at 3.30am, two guys in the Old Pavilion arrived st 3.45 and didn’t get on. However September is a bad time of year, there’s lots of closures and not a lot of light.


Late May we teed off at 6pm in a dark time and got around, just.


The ballot usually has around 15 slots but can be as low as 7 when there’s club events on.


The best time to queue is poor weather days when lots of locals drop out!

[Thomas Dai]

Last trip was a package around April Fools day with rounds on New, Old and Old (Reverse).

Pete,
Could you tell us a bit about your experiences of playing the Old Course in reverse?
Atb

[Don Jordan]

Best way is the advance draw in August for the year ahead. I have tried twice and am 1 for 2. I also played by queuing for the singles line at 4.30am and got on, finished that round went back in and got on again same day.


Main thing is to check the busy days.

[Tom Birkert]

I lived and worked on the links 5 or 6 years ago. The best way for someone visiting to play was always the Ballot then the singles list and finally the pre booked tour route. In my season there I can only remember one or two days when I was on the starters box that I did not get all the singles out. The links trust encourages all not full groups visitor groups to take singles to fill the groups as it helps with pace and makes them the most money. In talking with guests and friends that have gone over since the over under on days to make the ballot averaged about 3 days. So if your going to be in the Fife area for a couple days its worth it to ballot over paying thru the nose with the guaranteed tee time. I hope this helps and have a wonderful trip.

I had an experience on the other side of this. We were playing with an R&A member who had secured the time a couple of days before. At the time we did not know who our 4th would be. So we left the space blank planning to confirm that on the day. They absolutely would not allow us to add in a 4th, despite being with an R&A member. So we had the absurd situation of our 4th walking round with us as a 3 ball. Thankfully he had played it a couple of times before.


I know they have to be careful about people selling on slots, but this was entirely genuine and cost the Links Trust revenue.

[Mark Chaplin]

Tom I was as caddying in a four on the Castle course, their group of eight had entered the ballot but only the four at the Castle won a tee time. They’d all played the Old but the other four in the group hadn’t so they flipped identities. Two borrowed credit cards from their mates but a father and son said they’d pay cash. At the starters hut the two card transactions went through but the starter refused to accept cash without photo ID. Of course they hadn’t photo ID so ALL four were removed from the time and four queuers took their place.


There are three teams of two who conduct the ballot, the first ballot of the day decides which team draw the ballot. This obviously prevents the staff being bribed as they never know when they are doing the draw. The two spare pairs then scrutinise the tickets to weed out ineligible (for example R&A members cannot enter the public ballot in August) and duplicate entries. If duplicates are found all the entries are omitted.


There is a very robust but fair system in operation.

[Jeff Schley]

Tom I was as caddying in a four on the Castle course, their group of eight had entered the ballot but only the four at the Castle won a tee time. They’d all played the Old but the other four in the group hadn’t so they flipped identities. Two borrowed credit cards from their mates but a father and son said they’d pay cash. At the starters hut the two card transactions went through but the starter refused to accept cash without photo ID. Of course they hadn’t photo ID so ALL four were removed from the time and four queuers took their place.


There are three teams of two who conduct the ballot, the first ballot of the day decides which team draw the ballot. This obviously prevents the staff being bribed as they never know when they are doing the draw. The two spare pairs then scrutinise the tickets to weed out ineligible (for example R&A members cannot enter the public ballot in August) and duplicate entries. If duplicates are found all the entries are omitted.


There is a very robust but fair system in operation.

Wonderland description Mark.  It helps that no one can game the system for something so valued to those traveling that far.  As an aside, when I queued up the two mornings I played, the guy directly in front of me was with 2 of his buddies but he didn’t have has handicap verification on him.  He said he couldn’t look it up online for they didn’t have that ability (I thought all states had this now), can’t remember where he was from.  However the starter didn’t accept him as he didn’t have his verification and boom I moved up 1 spot on the list!    Yes I did get on later that day.

[Ruediger Meyer]

Our local pro always uses the fall lottery for a group of 8 people and got drawn five years in a row. His secret: He always chooses an early morning tee time in April. It seems most people in the fall lottery are looking for summer tee times. So if you want a relatively guaranteed spot, this is the way to go.

[Mark Chaplin]

There’s ten empty tee times both tomorrow and Tuesday!