The 150th Open

[Colin Hunter]

Hi all,

I'm lucky enough to be going to The Open this year with my son and it's the first time either of us will have been to any tournament.

Just after advice on what sort of time of day is best to arrive etc given the huge numbers of people expected.

Also are there any particularly good spots to spectate from? We don't want to be too static all day but I'm also conscious that it will be a very long day for a nine year old. We've got tickets for Sat And Sun so time to see different holes on different days etc.

Any other advice on do's and dont's also welcome.

I have caddied at St Andrews for 15 years best viewpoint is the stand on 11th teebox. From the back of the stand you can see 6 holes. It is also the windiest part of the course so make sure you wrap us and of course, binoculars are essential.

 

[Colin Hunter]

Hello Everyone,
I have caddied at St Andrews Old Course for 15 years and been around the famous old links over 3000 times. Although the caddies lose out on 4 weeks of work at this time it is almost worth it for the atmosphere both in the old grey town and on the golf course. Recently I was inspired by the golf course to do a little guide to playing the course from the perspective of the bunkers and have also made a couple of poems inspired by The Open Championship. If you would like a little help getting into the spirit of things you can find more information on my YouTube channel (Compelling Visions). Hope everyone enjoys the championship.

 

[Foxholer]

Trains have never been a great way to get to StA, as there's no station AT StA. Cupar and Leuchars has been traditional destination, with Bus/Cab from there.
Buses from Edinburgh Waverly take a couple of hours.

 

[rystaman]

Trains have never been a great way to get to StA, as there's no station AT StA. Cupar and Leuchars has been traditional destination, with Bus/Cab from there.
Buses from Edinburgh Waverly take a couple of hours.

Yes but The Open and ScotRail have been pushing people to take the Golflink service for months now, with coaches running regularly from Leuchars to St Andrews.

 

[carlwantsgolf77]

Absolutely Gutted. Just started a new thread on this about tickets.

 

[Jimaroid]

The park and rides should be able to handle it as they have to do the bus transfer from the trains at Leuchars anyway. I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as it sounds but we’ll see.

To be fair I’d be annoyed if I was staying in Edinburgh as the drive around is rubbish at the best of times.

 

[Jimaroid]

I have caddied at St Andrews for 15 years best viewpoint is the stand on 11th teebox. From the back of the stand you can see 6 holes. It is also the windiest part of the course so make sure you wrap us and of course, binoculars are essential.

Shush! If everyone knows we’ll never get a seat. ?

 

[C7usk]

There is 5 of us going and the panic about the trains has really kicked in.... 1 an hour with the reduced service.. The roads will be absolutely rammed... I think it will be a bit of a nightmare now... The bus from Livingston is 2 changeovers and a 3 hr trip just to get there.... Gutted... ?... Hope they get something sorted... Good luck everyone.

 

[TigerTime]

Bit of a long shot but looking for an adult ticket for the Friday if anyone can't make it.

 

[rystaman]

The park and rides should be able to handle it as they have to do the bus transfer from the trains at Leuchars anyway. I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as it sounds but we’ll see.

To be fair I’d be annoyed if I was staying in Edinburgh as the drive around is rubbish at the best of times.

Do you know what's it like from Dundee? I'm staying around 20 minutes out of the centre, there's also no information about the park and ride apart from to look for the AA signposts past the Tay Bridge

 

[C7usk]

Do you know what's it like from Dundee? I'm staying around 20 minutes out of the centre, there's also no information about the park and ride apart from to look for the AA signposts past the Tay Bridge

I am pretty sure you will get a bus from Dundee really easily... I don't see any major issues getting trains to Leuchars.... Its coming home I think most folks will be concerned about..... Several thousand potentially wanting to get on trains late afternoon early evening when there's 1 per hour.... Not sure when the last train is yet but cant see it being very late....

 

[CliveW]

Do you know what's it like from Dundee? I'm staying around 20 minutes out of the centre, there's also no information about the park and ride apart from to look for the AA signposts past the Tay Bridge

There is a dedicated Park and Ride for the Open on the Fife side of the Tay Bridge which would be your best bet as there is no car parking in St Andrews.

 

[Toad]

There is 5 of us going and the panic about the trains has really kicked in.... 1 an hour with the reduced service.. The roads will be absolutely rammed... I think it will be a bit of a nightmare now... The bus from Livingston is 2 changeovers and a 3 hr trip just to get there.... Gutted... ?... Hope they get something sorted... Good luck everyone.

The trains should hopefully be back to normal in time for the Open, Monday is when we expect the result of the ballot regards Drivers working overtime etc and thoughts are the deal will be accepted.

 

[milngavie_hacker]

To anyone local, are there park and ride sites on each side of the town. Last time I went to Open in St Andrews I drove from Glasgow and was at the park and ride just past Cupar. Coming from Crail this time and wondering if there is another parking facility on that side of the town?

 

[Jimaroid]

To anyone local, are there park and ride sites on each side of the town. Last time I went to Open in St Andrews I drove from Glasgow and was at the park and ride just past Cupar. Coming from Crail this time and wondering if there is another parking facility on that side of the town?

There are multiple park and rides. Follow the yellow signs but from the south side there’s a park and ride on the A915. From Crail that means heading back past Anstruther and then cross country to rejoin the A915 rather than going straight up to St Andrews

 

[FredThursday]

My advice for a trip to the Open (I‘ve been to nearly all of the Open venues):-

* Don’t be tempted to get there too early. An enthusiastic 5:30am start may seem appealing but you’ll be flagging come the middle of the afternoon.
* If it’s wet Golf shoes are a must.
* Find a good driving hole and get a seat in the stand behind, marvel at how hard they hit the ball.
* Find a Par 4 and stand level with where the majority of second shots are taken from. From here you’ll be able to watch the shots off the tee and the approach shots into the green (You’ll need to keep your wits about you, as you’ll be in range)
* Don‘t be tempted in following a ’big name‘ group for long, if it’s flat you won’t see very much.

Not that this is relevant but in my opinion the best venue from a spectator point of view is Birkdale. The hilly sand dunes make great vantage points. A lot of the holes are in valley’s in the sand dunes, unfortunately it’s just a bit of a difficult place to get to.

 

[rystaman]

There is a dedicated Park and Ride for the Open on the Fife side of the Tay Bridge which would be your best bet as there is no car parking in St Andrews.

Yeah that's what I saw on The Open site, just not any further information about where it is apart from follow the signs. That's my alternative plan to be honest as I'm already driving up there from the Midlands

 

[Jimaroid]

Yeah that's what I saw on The Open site, just not any further information about where it is apart from follow the signs. That's my alternative plan to be honest as I'm already driving up there from the Midlands

The traffic management is in place on the Fife side of the bridge on the dual carriageway on the A92. It looks setup to either direct traffic left to the P&R in Leuchars or to continue straight down the A92 to rejoin the A91 for the P&R between Cupar and St Andrews.

 

[carlwantsgolf77]

The trains should hopefully be back to normal in time for the Open, Monday is when we expect the result of the ballot regards Drivers working overtime etc and thoughts are the deal will be accepted.

Not heard this about the ballot results on Monday, thanks Toad. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

 

[fudgeukraine]

The traffic management is in place on the Fife side of the bridge on the dual carriageway on the A92. It looks setup to either direct traffic left to the P&R in Leuchars or to continue straight down the A92 to rejoin the A91 for the P&R between Cupar and St Andrews.

There are multiple park and rides. Follow the yellow signs but from the south side there’s a park and ride on the A915. From Crail that means heading back past Anstruther and then cross country to rejoin the A915 rather than going straight up to St Andrews

Trying to work out the best option from coming from Edinburgh, now that trains seem out. Don't mind driving but trying to find best option for a P&R as the website doesn't have anymore options. If there's multiple from the South, do you think the Cupar or A915 (not sure where exactly) or anywhere else, would be the best option for getting in and out.

Thanks