St Andrews Golf Vacations
All roads lead to St Andrews
The Craddle of Golf
Approximately 80% plus, of the enquiries we receive seek to play the St Andrews Old Course. It’s perhaps no surprise therefore that a majority of the itineraries we build and offer need to make a concession to St Andrews and weave it into the rich tapestry of golf.
The days when St Andrews was the hub from which everything else revolved around however, needn’t be as strong as it once was. The traditional St Andrews golf week has been in retreat for a number of years now as visiting golfers have expanded their horizons. More typical day is an itinerary that amounts to St Andrews plus, and the introduction of other regions alongside it
This portfolio requires that we spend enough time to launch at least three ballot applications at the Old Course in order to qualify as a St Andrews trip
Click from the Menu below to explore in greater detail
This vacation is probably the oldest of the lot and with a sense of nostalgia, is probably the one to which Scottish golf travel resolves. It’s the traditional ‘St Andrews golf week’ which set the whole thing off and is based largely in the town itself with some of the less expensive supporting links of Fife
Duration
Typically about 7 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
6 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews Old Course, New Course, Jubilee Course, Castle Course, with Crail, Elie, and Lundin
If St Andrews was the cradle of Scottish golf travel, it wasn’t long before visitors began to expand their ambitions. Carnoustie was quickly added, and when Kingsbarns was built in 2000 and followed by Dumbarnie in 2021 it quickly became possible to add serious quality without necessarily having to hit the road to find it.
Duration
Typically about 7 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
6 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, Gleneagles, with the St Andrews New Course, Castle Course & Jubilee Course
This tour has been specifically designed to capture Scotland’s Open Championship rotation, including a couple of historic courses at Prestwick (and even Musselburgh) which have long ago dropped off the pattern
Duration
Typically about 9 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
4 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Muirfield, with (Musselburgh?) Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Turnberry, Prestwick, Kingsbarns, North Berwick, and the St Andrews New and Jubilee Courses
Typically about 9 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
3 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Muirfield, North Berwick, Turnberry, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Gleneagles, Royal Burgess, with St Andrews New Course
Traditionally, the West Coast of Ayrshire might have been considered Scotland’s ‘second region’ after St Andrews. It was perhaps no surprise therefore that as visiting golfers expanded their dragnet beyond Fife, that they started to take in Troon, Turnberry and Prestwick. The Coast to Coast tour is therefore quite an old one too, and linked by Gleneagles at the halfway point.
Duration
Typically about 9 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
5 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie with Turnberry, Royal Troon, Prestwick & Gleneagles
The Highlands and St Andrews with Edinburgh Golf Vacation follows a long parabolic loop and is proving particularly popular with non-golfers, featuring the three regions (Highlands, Edinburgh and St Andrews) that has the most non-golf interest to offer. This is definitely an itinerary we’re seeing more and more interest as non-golfers increasingly join golf parties, and is probably the one which best lends itself to this arrangement
Duration
Typically about 10 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
4 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, Muirfield, North Berwick, Gleneagles, with the St Andrews New and Castle Courses
The Lothian Coast is really dominated by Muirfield and North Berwick, with Gullane in a supporting role. This trip invariably needs reinforcing with St Andrews however. One of the most appealing characteristics of this itinerary is the proximity of Edinburgh which when combined with St Andrews affords any non-golfers a strong offer to run alongside the golf
Duration
Typically about 7 nights
Old Course Ballot Entries
4 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Muirfield, North Berwick, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, with the St Andrews Castle and New Courses
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
Old Course Ballot Entries
4 plus any single ballots we might try
Features
St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie, St Andrews New and Castle Courses, with Ballybunion, Lahinch, Waterville, Tralee, and Old Head
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