No details found.
No details found.
No details found.
No Details Found
At Faraway Fairways we’ve become increasingly aware that a number of you want to ‘get away from it’, but don’t necessarily want the commitment of a long ‘tour’. In other words, you want a top golf break over a weekend with a true world class course as the focus, but have so many other things going on around you that time becomes a problem. It shouldn’t come as any surprise to learn therefore that Faraway Fairways have just the answer with our St Andrews weekend golf break, one of six options we’re excited to offer.
The St Andrews weekend golf break is designed for someone who can leave work mid-day Friday, or even early evening, so long as they can arrive in Scotland (Edinburgh or Glasgow) early on Saturday. Anyone taking it from the UK or continental Europe will be back at work by Tuesday morning. But here’s a twist, by virtue of flying back across time zones, so will anyone from North America.
The St Andrews weekend golf break isn’t exactly a new concept you might suggest? True, we’ll give you that ‘short putt’! But most weekend golf packages tend to be resort first and golf second. Faraway Fairways’ big weekend golf breaks put the golf first. Well to no small extent in Scotland you have to, Spain we ain’t!
So it might sound a bit ambitious at first, and sure it’s probably not completely unfair to think that this type of Scottish weekend golf break is more likely to appeal to those of you with fast moving lifestyles and a bit of ‘go’ , but this needn’t be an exclusive requirement. Ultimately the world is becoming a smaller a place, and it is becoming increasingly possible to pull-off these types of trips. The more you think about it, the more you’ll come to realise it. When you walk back into work on Tuesday and someone enquires whether you “did anything interesting at the weekend?” it would perhaps be nice to reply “played golf at St Andrews, Scotland. And you?”
3 Nights
Scotland
Transport
Chauffeur transfer is perhaps preferable to self-driveLogistics
Single hotel baseNon-Golf Offer
Moderate - St AndrewsMileage
Low - Approximately 100 miles. Approximately 2 hrs 15 minsTravel Class
Supports - Luxury, Premier, or AffordableOld Course
Low chance of play through the ballot (circa 33%). Walk-up rule should work on MondaySaturday - 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 - 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!
Sunday - Castle Course
‘The Castle’ is the newest addition to the clan St Andrews. 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.
Monday - Old Course
Our prospects of winning an Old Course ballot would normally be stronger on a Saturday than they would a Monday, but that’s not to say they’re forlorn at the start of the week (about 1 in 5). In other words it’s certainly worth having another go, and of course you’ll probably choose to do so regardless of whether we won on Saturday or not. The chances are we’ll forfeit the Jubilee course green fee if we win – but hey – that’s a trade most golfer’s will make every time in return for playing the St Andrews Old Course
Monday - Jubilee Course
The Jubilee in question was that of Queen Victoria. This course 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.
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
Guaranteed tee-times aren't sold for weekend slots so you'd be needing to specifically source one for the Monday and then try to arrange the mandatory second course forward of the Old course (not something the Links Trust routinely do - but possible with a bit of persuasion)
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 ... On balance though, Faraway Fairways wouldn't be of the opinion that it is worth even attempting to source one.
Handicap requirement
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
For a bespoke itinerary, please click here and complete our Request a Proposal form
There are no reviews yet.