Scottish and Irish Combinations
Settle the debate of which to play by doing both
Scottish Legends with Irish Cream
As travelling golfers have expanded their ambitions it’s probably fair to reflect that the Scottish and Irish combination vacations have overtaken the traditional St Andrews golf break in terms of their popularity (possibly because St Andrews can usually appear in most itineraries anyway)
Scottish and Irish combinations are naturally more complex to assemble and we frequently have to navigate an array of visitor restriction playing days, as well as trying to land in St Andrews on the most favourable window too.
We also need to execute a transfer between the two destinations as well. Those which route through Dublin are easier than those which combine the west coast of Ireland
Click from the Menu below to explore in greater detail
We sometimes refer to this ambitious break as our ‘par 3’ tour, as we’re trying to ‘get’ the courses which feature in the world’s top 25 list (minus Ballybunion which wasn’t possible) in a shorter space of time than might be considered normally. It is a bit of a treadmill therefore. The emphasis is very much on the golf and maintaining movement
Duration
Typically about 7 nights
Features
St Andrews, Royal County Down, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch, Turnberry, Royal Portrush, Carnoustie
We sometimes refer to this ambitious break as our ‘par 4’ tour. The longer duration is naturally more expensive than the par 3, but we’re also able to add additional courses in closer proximity of each other to draw some of the sting from the intensity of the shorter programme
Duration
Typically about 9 nights
Features
St Andrews, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Turnberry, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, North Berwick, Kingsbarns, & Portmarnock
We sometimes refer to this ambitious break as our ‘par 5’ tour. The longer duration is naturally more expensive than the par 4, but needn’t be as intense as the shorter durations as we’re able to better distribute the mileage
Duration
Typically about 11 nights
Features
St Andrews, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch, Turnberry, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, North Berwick, Kingsbarns, Portmarnock, Castle Stuart, & Gleneagles
West Ireland and Edinburgh (for St Andrews) needn’t be the most natural geographic fit and we’ll probably discover that we need to stretch a bit. There simply aren’t the frequency of flights between Shannon and Edinburgh to make this flow easily, so it’s not unusual for us to have to use Cork (Old Head)
Duration
Typically about 10 nights
Features
St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, St Andrews New and Castle Courses, with Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee, and Old Head
This is a difficult tour to assemble as we have to navigate a minefield of visitor restriction conditions and still need to get high-demand courses to line up sequentially. It typically needs planning well in advance
Duration
Typically about 17 nights
Features
St Andrews, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Royal Troon, Royal Portrush, Royal Birkdale, Hoylake/ Royal Liverpool, Royal Lytham, Royal Lytham, Royal St Georges, with Portmarnock, Kingsbarns plus the St Andrews New and Jubilee Courses
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