The old course

[Simbo]

Me and a few mates have been talking about going to St. Andrews and playing the old course.
We are probably going to have to enter the ballot for 2018 as we want to play together . However during our investigation of looking at tee times for the old course, someone has spotted something about a 2 course policy. That to play the old course you need to pay for another course aswell. Iv had a look on St. Andrews links website and it does mention more details regarding price and 2 course policy information will be available in July 2017.
This is something Iv never heard of before, does anyone know how this 2 course policy thing works?

 

[anotherdouble]

By entering the ballot you are required to play 2 courses and not just the old course. You state on the application which other course you want to play and the dates.

 

[VVega]

You also don't really have to play the 2ndcourse, you just have to pay for it

 

[Simbo]

Iv never heard of that before, seems a bit like blackmail to me.
Is that on,y applicable for the advanced ballot for 2018?
Is it applicable for the 48 hour ballot

 

[anotherdouble]

Iv never heard of that before, seems a bit like blackmail to me.
Is that on,y applicable for the advanced ballot for 2018?
Is it applicable for the 48 hour ballot

Am sure only for the advanced ballot

 

[huds1475]

Iv never heard of that before, seems a bit like blackmail to me.
Is that on,y applicable for the advanced ballot for 2018?
Is it applicable for the 48 hour ballot

Advanced ballot. Not really blackmail to be fair. You get the Old plus another quality links for less than either of trumps, about the same as Birkdale...

 

[Simbo]

Aye maybe so, but they are forcing you to do it which adds up to blackmail to me. If you're only there for one day then you're having to pay for a course you can't play or don't want to play.

 

[need_my_wedge]

Played this year after entering the ballot last September. We had to add the second course, plumbed for the Eden, was only £40, it still cost £660 for the three of us.

 

[Tashyboy]

About twenty yr ago, I was up in Scotland on a holiday. The pit I worked at, there golf society were up there at the same time and a guy had to drop out. I drove from Dunoon to Edinburgh then the old course to play at a 4.00 pm tee off. It cost me £30. It was the worst £30 I have spent on a course. Full of Americans whooping and hollering. Full of spotters rushing you along. It was a massive disappointment. I was not the only one of 16 who felt that way. In fact some of the lads who played another course linked to the old preferred the other course they had played.

Good luck though.

 

[TomTom]

I'm not allowed to post any more but I do find some people's outlooks basic to say the least.

Go and enjoy the best golf town in the world - during the days and for at least one night. If you think it blackmail then go play somewhere else!

 

[GreiginFife]

I'm not allowed to post any more but I do find some people's outlooks basic to say the least.

Go and enjoy the best golf town in the world - during the days and for at least one night. If you think it blackmail then go play somewhere else!

The man talks sense. We played the Old and Jubilee last year at £1k for the 4 ball. Two great days golf on one good and one great. I am not an advocate of the old as a course but by god I would play it every day to feel the weight of the history it holds. The jubilee was a stunning and challenging course as well for £85 better value than many jumped up parklands elsewhere.

By no means blackmail, not forcing you to play any or holding anything against you. Same conditions apply to everyone.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Went up last year too and played the Old and New for £125, which in my opinion was an absolute steal! With two nights in the Town too was the best golfing experience of my life to date. Will definitely be going back again - it's a fantastic place.

 

[matt71]

see what you mean about just the day but if you want value to play it (and can stay over) the winter deal is a good price.

think it's about £180 for 3 courses and you can play up to April (when the weather is not too bad)

 

[patricks148]

its not blackmail, its the links trust running the trust as best suites the trust and the courses they look after. all the money goes back into the courses and the upkeep. its not a private company squeezing profit out.

Well worth the money IMO. Craig and i played back in April and the courses was in fantastic condition. play the New and Jubilee as often as i can even though its a 3 hour drive each for me.

 

[Deleted member 1418]

Standing on the first tee of the Old Course has to be the best feeling ever. Thinking about all the greats that have also stood on that very spot having the very same feelings of excitement and anticipation as you. Taking a look over to your left and imagining re-creating Seve's iconic celebration later.

And then When it's your turn to play seeing that vast expanse of fairway in front of you knowing full well that it is impossible not to miss it........and then the last few doubts in your mind when you realise you have a small gallery no more than 15 yards behind you watching you tee-off in front of that incredible building!!

You address the ball, start your swing and say to yourself 'just one good, easy swing' and then contact and you look up and breathe a huge sigh of relief as you watch your ball sail gloriously down the middle, with words of 'great drive' echoing from your playing partners and caddies.

Awesome.

 

[Tashyboy]

Standing on the first tee of the Old Course has to be the best feeling ever. Thinking about all the greats that have also stood on that very spot having the very same feelings of excitement and anticipation as you. Taking a look over to your left and imagining re-creating Seve's iconic celebration later.

And then When it's your turn to play seeing that vast expanse of fairway in front of you knowing full well that it is impossible not to miss it........and then the last few doubts in your mind when you realise you have a small gallery no more than 15 yards behind you watching you tee-off in front of that incredible building!!

You address the ball, start your swing and say to yourself 'just one good, easy swing' and then contact and you look up and breathe a huge sigh of relief as you watch your ball sail gloriously down the middle, with words of 'great drive' echoing from your playing partners and caddies.

Awesome.

I remember standing on the first tee very well. I had been playing golf about a year. I was there coz someone else had to drop out at the last minute. I was him. Stood on the first tee and then an announcer said over the mike my " alias" name. "And on the tee is Dick Turpin playing off 13. There was polite applause from about 20 folk stood on the first. Eh you what? I was playing off 28 and was crap at it. My sphincter was twitching and it was blowing a hoolie.
I stood over the ball and prayed I would not knob it. I smashed it straight down the middle. Oh how I smiled, the ball got to the top of its flight and the the wind grabbed it with both hands and it started goin side ways. A PP said "its goin outta bounds", my smile had transformed to a look of pure disbelief. It bounced once and hit the side of a pillar and rail fence which run down the side of the first and rebounded back into the middle of the fairway. It was followed by some rich miners language. " course knowledge " I said. Smashed me second down the middle only to find someone a few hundred years earlier had dug a ditch there and my balata was sat at the bottom and probably still is.