St Andrews Golf Vacation
St Andrews Old Course, New Course, Jubilee Course, Castle Course, with Crail, Elie, and Lundin
The Character
The St Andrews Golf Vacation is a low mileage, low intensity transport burden. Indeed, it’s one of the few where the use of a hired driver can be less expensive
It operates a daily back-to-base model rather than a point-to-point tour an exclusively immerses itself within St Andrews
For many overseas visitors, playing the ‘auld grey toon’ at least once in their life is akin to ‘a calling’. The Faraway Fairways St Andrews golf vacation still places the Old Course firmly in the centre of our target, but we also seek to weave in some some of traditional ancient old links of Fife as well. These combined with a selection of courses from St Andrews itself, will provide a visiting golfer with a relatively inexpensive portfolio and traditional set of links.
There has always been a been of a debate as to which of the set is best. The ‘other’ links of St Andrews have heritage and status, but tend to play on the same piece of land. The courses have a similarity about them. By contrast the ancient old links of the Largo Coast to the south, probably have more personality. In truth, we can’t split them. So we play both
Itinerary
It’s a little known fact that the St Andrews Old Course is a public course, managed in trust on behalf of the townsfolk by the St Andrews Links Trust (SALT).
There is a protected right of way on Sunday’s that allow you to ‘walk the course’ as its closed for play and reverts to public access
In addition to taking this opportunity to tread the fairways of legend, we should also look to immerse ourselves in the town of St Andrews itself before the play begins tomorrow. It’s a great way to settle in
If we wanted to grab a quick round however on a shorter assignment so as to ‘get our eye in’ then the Eden Course is an obvious candidate
The Crail Golf Society is the seventh oldest in the world, and always popular. It’s a short, fun course defended by hazard rather than yardage, making it a thinkers track. You have to play shots over rocky bays, hit long par threes with greens perched atop vertical cliffs, and then hit a return drive from an elevated tee into fairways laid out invitingly below. Shots to greens seemingly engulfed by gorse, and curving par fours round sandy strands, all dare the golfer to cut off too much.
Beware the fifth, no lesser an authority on Scottish golf than Sam Torrance regards ‘Hells Hole’ as the most difficult par 4 in Scotland. If all this wasn’t enough, Crail sits on the eastern tip of the Fife Peninsula and so adds ‘exposure’ to the garrison.
The coastal sections at the start and finish are normally regarded as the pick. The 14th is enough that has earned respect
It would also be remiss not to note that the newer ‘Craighead’ course is also a worthy adversary should be inclined to convert Crail into a 36 hole day
Hemmed in between two headlands the links of Elie would probably be the nomination for Fife’s ‘hidden gem’, and like neighbouring Lundin has also been used as a final Open Championship Qualifying venue to support St Andrews. This historic links effortlessly combines undulating fairways with large, fast and firm greens. Indeed, Peter Thomson, winner of five Open Championships, called Elie a jewel amongst Scotland’s elite courses, and says: “It’s quirky and it’s the most enjoyable course I know. If I had my way I’d build Elie’s all over the world.”
Elie is not a course that gives up good scores easily and the patient player that crafts their way around these cultured links will always fare better than the thoughtless golfer who tries simply to overpower them. At 6,273 yards the course is not long, but its network of bunkers are beautifully placed to catch those that stray offline or misjudge their distances.
Elie enjoys the distinction of being the home club of former Open winner and legendry course designer James Braid, as well as being the third oldest course in the world (naturally this is disputed as Elie and Earlsferry was believed to be the original course and some arbitrators will tell you that the current course can no longer reflect this lineage due to changes)
Note – Elie no longer permits visitor play for the ‘super peak’ season mid June to mid Aug. We might need to switch into Leven or if we’re prepared to spend a bit more money, Dumbarnie
‘The Castle’ is the newest addition to the clan St Andrews (if we require the qualification to be a new build – the Craigtoun Course was added in 2025 but was technically a management arrangement as the Trust took over the old Dukes Course from the hotel).
Set atop cliffs it’s perhaps more Pebble Beach, than Scotland, yet the course has successfully cultivated a links character. The elevation provides stunning vistas of the bay and town below, making it one of the most photogenic courses in the country. You won’t be the first person to pause and smile as you look down into the town of St Andrews itself with all the historic landmarks on the skyline and simply think Wow! The course is really quite dramatic as the sea can usually be relied on to put up a display of raw energy. The eighth and and the par 3, seventeenth, ‘the Braes’ are particularly awesome.
The Jubilee in question was that of Queen Victoria. This course therefore dates to 1897. It’s a quite typical links for the area, threading its way through low dunes, and without any double greens. The raised tees afford the golfer stunning views across St Andrews Bay and the town beyond.
It was only in 1988 that the Jubilee course came of age when Donald Steel was asked to upgrade it, adding length, interest, and challenge to the layout. Slowly it started to build up a reputation and loyalty. Today most judges agree the Jubilee is St Andrews’s most underrated course. Some go even further and regard it has the toughest links in the family now.
Located on the Fife coast, Lundin rubs shoulders with golf’s aristocrats and has indeed been used as a final qualifying venue for St Andrews Opens. It’s a complex links course with open burns, an internal out of bounds (the old railway line), and strategic bunkering, which presents a challenge for the thinking golfer. Position from the tee rather than distance will yield just rewards on the scorecard.
The course remains largely as laid out by James Braid some 100 years ago. The first five holes are in the classic links tradition. Players then cross an extinct railway line and play the nine ‘new’ hybrid holes of links and parkland turf. Back across the railway, the last four holes revert to the genuine links tradition.
World top-10 ranked & Open Championship venue
The precise identity of the St Andrews Course we play will depend on the outcome of the ‘open’ ballots and the singles ballots (no one is going to sell a ‘guaranteed’ package for such a short duration)
With all the usual disclaimers of a lottery being random, and there being no such thing as a certainty etc plus the variable factor of availability for the specific week chosen, our prospects of winning a ballot on this programme would otherwise be considered very strong if we sought to use every opportunity to do so
We should be able to contest a total of six open ballots (Mon to Sat) and six ‘singles’ ballot (Mon to Sat), for a total of twelve. At the time of writing, (early 2026), Faraway Fairways has never seen anyone fail on a 6/6 strategy
If we fail, then we’ll look to use the St Andrews New Course as compensation under the present-pay-and-play-on-the-day protocol that exists
Testimonial
From BB Canada
“I told Alun the courses I was interested in playing and he prepared a stay and play package with 14 days of outstanding golf, but also tremendous site seeing opportunities for my wife.”
From JC Illinois
“His attention to detail is amazing--I think our travel plan booklet ran to forty-eight pages, with gorgeous descriptions of cities and sights, plus maps showing where to go to catch trains, or walk from trains to hotels, sights and golf courses, etc.”
From DF Alabama
“I will cherish the memories for a long time- especially the wonderful times spent on and off the golf course with two of my brothers and brother-in-law. None of the memories and golf would have been possible or enjoyed without your tremendous planning and logistical support.”
AS from Colorado
“Alun and Faraway Fairways created possibly the most memorable golf trip we have ever experienced. EPIC is the only word that comes to mind.”
AC, From Florida/ New York, 2025
“We were hopeful to secure a 4 ball at St. Andrews while avoiding the massive expense other operators had quoted. He was very clear about the plan for achieving a tee time at the Old Course through the ballot, including detailed instruction on how it could be done, and what our odds were. He suggested mid- to late April as the best chance of success and advised that this is also the least rainy part of the year. We took his advice and trusted the process. Well, he was right on all counts!”
From SB, Minnesota
“We wholeheartedly recommend Alun and Faraway Fairways if you’re looking for a golf trip that is effortless, enjoyable, and truly unforgettable—even for a non-golfer in the mix! My husband and I will be daydreaming about this trip for years to come. 5.5 stars!”
From JB, California
“The best part was that the service was surprisingly affordable. They were thousands of dollars below other quotes that I received, in fact the prices were very similar to what I would have paid if I would have booked everything on my own.”
From JCA, Maryland
“I would and will highly recommend your company to anyone looking to plan an unforgettable golf trip. Thank You for putting together a fantastic trip for J.C. and me”
From WF Connecticut
“I think all eight of us would agree that Alun at Faraway Fairways did an absolutely wonderful job of putting this “golf vacation of a lifetime” together for us. His focus on the details was extraordinary from the choice of courses and the timing of the tee times, the amazingly beautiful accommodations along with some excellent meal selections, and the transportation options he provided to get us from place to place.”
From DR South Carolina
“You are about to tee it up in your Major. Seek wisdom, integrity and professionalism. Alun Davies and Faraway Fairways will not disappoint you. They cannot assure a calm sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s on the Old Course.”
From MM, California
“One fantastic trip you organized, and more importantly took ownership of in terms of daily communication and stewardship during our 2+ weeks in Scotland and Ireland. The logistics were spotless…100% of the transports were on time and excellent, the lodging choices spectacular and the golf was off the charts in terms of quality and arrangements made”
DH from California
“You cannot go wrong with the support Faraway Fairways offered. I did this trip solo and all last minute but I have already begun to plan the next trip which will include my best golfing buddies.”
Enquiry
We don't need to make this an ordeal by 101 filtering questions! In reality there are probably little more than half a dozen things we need to know to build out a proposal. The guidance below might help you frame answers
Duration - usually best expressed as a range up to a maximum
Time of year - can be anything from a specific date range to a named season
Travel class - Faraway Fairways uses 'Luxury', 'Premier' or 'Affordable' for generic purposes. You might choose to reference the international 'star' rating system. We're only looking for something to help steer us into the right sector
Self drive or hired driver - In broad terms, self driving is normally less expensive, and much more flexible, but some folk just don't want to do it
Must play courses/ must do places - a few name checks is all that's needed