Weekend Golf Breaks in Scotland & Ireland
Options - St Andrews, Dalmahoy (Edinburgh), Portmarnock (Dublin), Gleneagles & Carnoustie
The Flying Golfer
The Faraway Fairways portfolio of Weekend Golf Breaks in Scotland & Ireland are primarily designed for Golf Clubs, Societies, businesses/ corporations or the traditional weekend away ‘with the lads’
Our use of Friday or Monday probably depends on whether we’re flying in against the time zone (North America), flying back with it (Europe) or on it (the UK)
What we require is a collection of courses in close proximity to an airport, along with a significant hotel accommodation that isn’t going to make much travel demand on us
In broad terms the plan will be to play one 36 holes day, and one 18 hole day, the allocation of which way round will depend on the flights
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St Andrews
Friday – Arrive Edinburgh
Saturday – St Andrews Old or New Course
Sunday – St Andrews Torrance & Kittocks courses
Monday – Depart Edinburgh
We’ll likely stay at the 5-star, St Andrews Fairmont Hotel, but there is a scenario if contesting long distance Old Course ballots on a flexible air ticket where we might need to use Edinburgh if St Andrews is sold out
Self drive is possible, but there is a strong likelihood we’ll look to use a hired driver for this
If we wished to play a higher level such as Kingsbarns or Dumbarnie should be possible (normally) dependent on numbers
Dalmahoy/ Edinburgh
Friday – Arrive Edinburgh
Saturday – Dalmahoy East Course & Royal Burgess
Sunday – North Berwick
Monday – Depart Edinburgh
We’ll stay at the 4-star, Dalmahoy Hotel. This is about a 15 min transfer from Edinburgh airport
Self drive is probably the more likely choice of transport if we’re seeking to play North Berwick’s west links on Sunday.
Although we could play both Dalmahoy courses, the greater experience will probably come from trying to include Royal Burgess instead (25 mins from hotel)
Portmarnock/ Dublin
Friday – Arrive Dublin
Saturday – Portmanrock Jameson Course & Island Club
Sunday – Portmarnock
Monday – Depart Dublin
We’ll stay at the 4-star, Portmarnock Hotel. This is about a 20 min transfer from Dublin airport
Self drive is probably the more likely choice of transport if we’re seeking to play the Island Club.
The hotel overlooks the Jameson course, but the Portmarnock golf club is an annoying 2 miles away. It will require a drive to get there
Gleneagles
Friday – Arrive Edinburgh
Saturday – Gleneagles Kings Course & Queens Courses
Sunday – Gleneagles Centenary (possible departure Sunday evening)
Monday – Depart Edinburgh
We’ll stay at the 5-star, Gleneagles Hotel. This is about a 50 min transfer from Edinburgh airport
Self drive is possible, but there is a strong likelihood we’ll look to use a hired driver for this
Carnoustie
Friday – Arrive Edinburgh
Saturday – Carnoustie Buddon Links & Carnoustie Burnside Course
Sunday – St Andrews (non-golf morning) Carnoustie Championship Course (afternoon)
Monday – Depart Edinburgh
We’ll stay at the 4-star, Carnoustie Hotel. This is about a 90 mins transfer from Edinburgh airport
Self drive is probably the more likely choice of transport, as we can perhaps foresee that we might want to be mobile if staying at Carnoustie. At the very least we might want to dive over to St Andrews on Sunday morning for a look around
We might choose to play Panmure instead of either of the support courses at Carnoustie
Other courses involved
The broad pattern is to play two lesser courses on a 36 hole day, and an apex course on an 18 hole day. Very often at weekends visitors will need to play an afternoon time at the private members clubs (North Berwick and Portmarnock) Carnoustie is actually a public course, but has private clubs affiliated who are given preference at weekends. We'll need to play their championship course on an afternoon time Gleneagles is a commercial course. The Centenary Course (Ryder Cup course) is their longest, so we chose that for our 18
What's Involved?
We would anticipate most weekend breaks running an arrival on Friday afternoon or early evening and departing early on Monday morning, for a three night duration
If we’re UK or near Europe based, then we might find we can get a flight on Sunday evening. Gleneagles could potentially be ‘done’ as a two night generation (they would be the easiest) and both St Andrews and Carnoustie might be if we flipped the golf around
Although we could run self-drive or use a hired driver for any of these, we’d be inclined to advise the following
- St Andrews – Hired driver
- Dalmahoy – Self drive
- Portmarnock – Self drive
- Gleneagles – Hired driver
- Carnoustie – Self drive
Gleneagles and the St Andrews Fairmont are both 5-star hotels, Gleneagles in particular enjoys an international reputation
The Portmarnock Hotel, Carnoustie Hotel and Dalmahoy are 4-star
This is tantalising!
All of the Scottish venues would be capable of supporting ballots to the St Andrews Old Course for play on Saturday. Our chances of winning would average at about 12%
The St Andrews break, and the Carnoustie break with a detour enroute would likely permit anyone minded to do so, to enter the singles ballot as an individual. Our chances of winning that are probably about 30%
Now it gets potential interesting
Does the following apply?
- I’m kind of obsessed with the idea of playing the Old Course
- I live close enough to an airport that has direct flights to Edinburgh
- I have enough flexibility in my life / work balance to drop what I’m doing on a Friday and fly
If the answers are three yes’, then we might be in a position to run the ‘numbers game’ to the point where we can pretty well guarantee a return through sheer weight of attempts
A ballot result for play on Saturday will be published at about 16.30 BST (11.30 EST) on Thursday. If we can buy a flexible air ticket, or are confident of getting a late seat we can respond this.
Saturday is the most productive day of the week for winning a ballot. It seems unlikely that we could lose say 6 in a row. It seems statistically freakish that if we were set aside May to August that we’d fail. Success is almost guaranteed. What we don’t know is when
Anyone wishing to roll the dice on this would need to pay Faraway Fairways a fighting fund which we’d keep on stand-by and then swing into place the moment we won. We shouldn’t therefore encounter any refund forfeit issue as we’d never be cancelling anything, only booking what we need, when we need it. Admittedly we could find we have to stay somewhere other than St Andrews at very short notice, but Edinburgh and Dundee are both workable
Adding Non Golf Value
St Andrews
St Andrews is a legitimate visitor draw regardless of golf. The town is home to the third oldest university in the western world, ensuring it has a lot more life than you might expect. The ruined old castle and cathedral lend it historical relevance. Above all though, it’s a charismatic town with a sense of aura and place
Edinburgh
Few trips to Scotland could really be considered complete without the Scottish capital. Edinburgh is frequently regarded as one of the UK’s most charismatic cities. Most visitors prioritise the castle, Greyfriars Bobby, Holyrood Palace, the various galleries, and increasingly its Harry Potter connection
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 & Pennsylvania
“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