No details found.
No details found.
No details found.
No Details Found
Your Muirfield and St Andrews golf vacation blends together the two most illustrious names of Scottish golf with the charisma of her capital city, Edinburgh. Muirfield is the aristocratic jewel in the East Lothian crown, a world top-10 course and considered to be the most complete test of a links golfer. In truth, Edinburgh that holds the key. Being just 45 minutes from Muirfield and 75 minutes from St Andrews, it potentially opens-up the opportunity to play both these world-top-10 residents, dipping into both East Lothian and the Kingdom of Fife to pick-off the cream at your discretion.
In addition to these icons, Faraway Fairways have added another world top 50 course, the quintessential links of North Berwick on Edinburgh’s East Lothian coast. North Berwick is home to the world famous ‘Redan’ hole. Often the purists choice, you never hear a dissenting voice about North Berwick. Gullane heralds from the same stretch of shoreline, Rickie Fowler won the 2015 Scottish Open on this unusually hilly links. Gullane isn’t the only course to recently host ‘the Scottish’. The Edinburgh city course of Royal Burgess is the oldest golf club in the world. Finally by way of novelty, we even offer you the option to play a ‘say you’ve done it’ nine-hole round on the world’s oldest golf course, and somewhat unlikely at face value, a former Open championship venue too, at the ‘old’ Musselburgh course.
There is a regal sense of splendour about the Muirfield, St Andrews golf vacation, the way it rolls up golfing royalty with the country’s majestic capital city.
7 nights
Scotland
Transport
Self-drive option works best.Logistics
Daily ‘back-to-base’ structureNon-Golf
Strong - Edinburgh, Stirling, St Andrews & FifeMileage
Low - Approximately 350 miles Approx 9 hrs 30 minsTravel Class
Supports - Luxury, Premier, and AffordableOld Course
High chance to play through the ballot with rescheduling. Walk-Up-Rule inconvenient but likely to work
-
-
SUNDAY - Kilspindie
Set between the golfing aristocrats of Muirfield and Gullane, Kilspindie occupies some of the most treasured links real estate in the world. As you might expect for a course that shares the same coastline, the challenges posed are similar with one notable difference. Yardage. Kilspindie is a strategic rather than penal challenge, and appeals to plotters. Plenty of danger lurks however for someone who makes the error of thinking they can overpower her. The wind can be particularly capricious as well. The par 3, eighth played over a shingle beach is the signature hole. The club enjoys one of the best reputations in Scotland for its welcoming hospitality and with the course being near enough to Edinburgh, a good start to your trip is almost guaranteed
-
-
-
-
-
MONDAY - Royal Burgess
The exclusive west Edinburgh parkland course of Royal Burgess is the oldest golf club in the world with a continuous verifiable history (1735). The 4th and the 11th holes are normally singled out as the most challenging, the latter even having its very own ‘Swilcan’ bridge. The elegant clubhouse is a joy to the eye. ‘The Burgess’ is soaked in tradition and heritage, and enjoys the advantage of being in the heart of Scotland’s capital and so allows you to spend the evening like many traveller before you has.
TUESDAY - Muirfield
Frequently ranked inside the world’s top 10, Muirfield is always immaculately maintained and doesn’t have any weak holes. So impressed was Jack he went back to Ohio he built Muirfield Village in homage to the original. Muirfield embraces all three paradigms of golf design penal, heroic and strategic. It tests all aspects of your game. The prestigious roll call of Muirfield Open championship winners is perhaps its best testimonial. Player, Nicklaus, Trevino, Watson, Faldo, Els & most recently of course, Mickelson. It offers golfers choices and then requires you to execute. It is a golfers, golf course. Muirfield is notoriously exclusive however, access is limited. Booking early isn’t just advised, it’s pretty well essential.
-
-
-
-
-
-
TUESDAY - Kingsbarns
If we’ve failed to secure Muirfield in time, we might need to turn our attention to Kingsbarns. The course opened in 2000, and is set on three-tiered levels, sloping towards the coast. Nearly every hole has stunning views of the North Sea. The par 3, 15th requires a tee shot over the waves, and vies with the 12th for the accolade of ‘signature hole’, a par 5 which hugs the shoreline to an exposed green. Perhaps of greatest significance is the number of times it beats more illustrious neighbours in surveys amongst visiting Americans since its always immaculately presented. Kingsbarns completes the trio of East Coast giants that host the European Tour’s Dunhill links challenge each year alongside Carnoustie and the Old Course.
-
-
-
-
-
WEDNESDAY - Dunbar
An Open Championship, final qualifying course, Dunbar plays on a raised beach and is a bit like a demanding voyage, with the golfer cast as the ship in peril. The first three holes are all set back from the coast on land separated from the rest of the course by a wall. It’s only as you ‘go through the wall’ on the 4th that you suddenly realise you’ve been tossed into a turbulent ocean of pure links holes, of wicked exposure to the sea and prevailing winds, a journey that only relents on the 18th as you head back inland for safe harbour
THURSDAY - North Berwick
The links of North Berwick are a traditional out and back nine. Undulating fairways, blind shots, tricky burns and even stone walls make their presence felt in the landscape. The course really is a throw back to the experiences of the game’s pioneers. They had to interpret the landscape and weave the hazards nature handed them into their own personal tapestries. The courses were handcrafted, and North Berwick has an endearing old-fashioned feel. It also possesses the original ‘Redan’ hole, (15). Found the world over, ‘Redans’ are the most copied hole in golf. With an eerie similarity to Turnberry’s Ailsa Craig, Bass Rock rears out the ocean, and lends North Berwick further personality. It would be wrong to think that it’s a curiosity relic though. It’s a beguiling world top-50 ranked course on merit.
-
-
-
-
-
FRIDAY - Gullane No.1
Gullane shares the same shoreline as the world renowned, top-10 course of Muirfield. Indeed, both Gullane’s numbers 1 & 2 courses have acted as final qualifying venues. The course is wild, raw, very open, exposed, and windswept. When the wind decides to take a hand off the Firth of Forth, you’re sure to be in for a battle like few others. Would you want it any different? Gullane is perhaps starting to step out of its blue blooded neighbour’s shadows however. For a long time it has been used as a final qualifying venue but in 2015 it began hosting the Scottish Open in rotation, utilising a composite course of numbers 1 & 2.
-
-
-
-
-
FRIDAY - Gullane No. 2
Gullane’s number 2 course has also acted as a Muirfield final Open championship qualifying venue. The course is wild, raw, very open, exposed, and windswept. Unlike it’s sister course which makes much greater use of a hilly terrain, the No2. course plays closer to the shoreline on the flatter ground of Aberlady bay where you’ll usually encounter much more severe rough and jungle for anything that is perhaps a little bit too wayward
SATURDAY - St Andrews Old Course
St Andrews, the home of golf, needs little introduction nor hype from us. The first surviving record of the game being played here dates to 1522. The town oozes atmosphere and the course is soaked in heritage. The view from the iconic Swilcan Bridge looking back up the final fairway to the magnificent R&A headquarters and red bricked Hamilton Hall is one of the most instantly recognisable in world sport, never mind golf. ‘The Road Hole’, the 17th, is the signature assignment. No hole yields more bogeys in the Open than this one. Another unique feature are the massive double greens. The secret? don’t be over-awed. Keep out the 112 bunkers, especially so ‘Hell Bunker’ at the 14th. Then attack the course! St Andrews is actually one of the more obliging links, so don’t leave wondering what might have been. It can be tamed!
SATURDAY - St Andrews New Course
“New” in the context of St Andrews means 1895! The course is often said to be the town’s favourite. It’s a tighter and more defined course than its regal neighbour, and aided by yellow gorse bushes, it tends to be more aesthetic too. The ‘New’ runs adjacent to the Old course and as a consequence has similar characteristics. The fairways are undulating but not as dipped as the Old course, leading to fewer hanging lies. A traditional out and back nine, only the 3rd and 15th share a green. The burn wends its way through a low dune system and features some particularly charismatic holes. The 464yd tenth is often cited as the pick. Think about it logically. It’s likely that the newer course that was designed for purpose, would be the better golf course than the ancient artefact. The good folk of St Andrews know!
The St Andrews Links Trust don't publish ballot strike-rates. Faraway Fairways do occasionally succeed in extracting an off the record opinion however. In addition to this, we’re also able to draw on our own evidence, and that which we’re able to extract from credible co-operative partners (usually hotels) plus what other tour operators might tell us. We have a good guideline idea of strike rates by month of the year and by day of the week
It needs to be stressed that these are indicative averages only. Different parts of a month will behave differently dependent on any end of factors. The ballot is quixotic and unpredictable, Extended runs of good or bad luck can, and do, happen. They are provided in good faith, but can of course fail, and can't therefore be used as a basis for compensation
Multiply by the number of days you are available to give you a guideline
Ballot Strike-Rates
MONTH OF THE YEAR
| APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT |
| 59% | 21% | 20% | 16% | 14% | 17% | 19% |
DAY OF THE WEEK
| MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | SAT | SUN |
| 20% | 21% | 16% | 23% | 15% | 30% | n/a |
St Andrews 'Guaranteed' Tee Times
There is a heavy price premium on a guarantee a tee-time. Plus they usually involve a minimum hotel stay in St Andrews of at least three nights, playing an additional St Andrews course is mandatory, and normally a minimum food & drink spend in a specified hotel. So are they worth it? The answer to that question really is "it depends ...". If money is no object, and you don't mind paying much more than you might need to, and you're short of time, then they might be. Otherwise Faraway Fairways wouldn't be convinced and would tend to encourage folk to try the 'advance guaranteed ballot' as a first resort
Handicap requirements
Muirfield operates a handicap threshold of 18 which is the lowest we'll encounter. So long as you can meet this, you'll be alright everywhere else
North Berwick operates a handicap threshold of 24 for gentlemen, and 36 for ladies respectively.
Gullane’s Number 1 course applies a handicap threshold of 24 for gentlemen, and 30 for ladies respectively.
St Andrews advise the following for the Old Course. “A current official handicap card (Golf Club affiliated to a Golf Union/Association) record or certificate must be presented to the starter prior to play. Maximum handicaps – 36 for both gentlemen and ladies. St Andrews will not accept letters of introduction from a local Club Professional”.
Some known issues to consider
St Andrews, Carnoustie, and Kingsbarns jointly host the Dunhill Links challenge in the first week of October
The university's graduation week takes place in mid June for a full week of June. This causes a price spike in hotels and sold-outs about 9 months before. It does however improve your prospects of playing through the ballot by about 5% each day as there are less golfers in St Andrews
Muirfield open their diary at the end of March for play the following. Something like a 12-18 month lead time. The popular times sell-out within weeks. If you wish to include Muirfield, this is the planning timeline we'll need to observe
Edinburgh hosts their 'festival' in August which also causes a price spike in accommodation although its often an exciting (if expensive), time to visit
For a bespoke itinerary, please click here and complete our Request a Proposal form
There are no reviews yet.