Scotland Golf Trip 101 (The Compass Guide)

[scott_Donald]

I was mainly looking at Carnoustie, Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International rates. Was thinking of play a combo 2 of those 4 one day. But didn't see anything as far as "twilight" so I'm not sure we want to pay full price for an end of the trip 2nd round of the day.

 

The courses that are member based only allow Visitors at certain times. Here is Royal Aberdeen - I normally play in the evening so this allows most flexibility for the members.

 

Monday & Wednesday 10.00 - 11.30 a.m. & 2.00 - 3.30 p.m.

Tuesday & Thursday 2.00 - 3.30pm

Friday 10.00 - 11.00 a.m. & 2.30 - 3.30 p.m

Weekends - after 3.30 p.m.

[duffer987]

Do most courses in Scotland not have twilight offers? When looking for 2nd rounds for a day I thought maybe we could get a deal playing late in the afternoon, but it doesn't really look like that is a thing.

Which clubs are you looking at.

You'll see a mix of 'day tickets' + single rounds + twilight options.

Not every course will have all 3, but if you don't see a twilight option, you should see a day ticket one. Some times clubs don't advertise cheaper twilight rates as such, but if they have a booking engine and you can check you may still see lower rates late afternoon.

 

I was mainly looking at Carnoustie, Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International rates. Was thinking of play a combo 2 of those 4 one day. But didn't see anything as far as "twilight" so I'm not sure we want to pay full price for an end of the trip 2nd round of the day.

Gotcha. As pointed out by SD, they are member courses with limited times and you are also right in the thick of it, in regards to the golfing tourist trail as well.

That said to save a few quid, you can play 36 at Carnoustie (Burnside/Championship) and you could also make use of a day ticket at Royal Aberdeen Mon,Weds, Fri.

[mci711]

 

The courses that are member based only allow Visitors at certain times. Here is Royal Aberdeen - I normally play in the evening so this allows most flexibility for the members.

 

Monday & Wednesday 10.00 - 11.30 a.m. & 2.00 - 3.30 p.m.

Tuesday & Thursday 2.00 - 3.30pm

Friday 10.00 - 11.00 a.m. & 2.30 - 3.30 p.m

Weekends - after 3.30 p.m.

 

Do most courses in Scotland not have twilight offers? When looking for 2nd rounds for a day I thought maybe we could get a deal playing late in the afternoon, but it doesn't really look like that is a thing.

Which clubs are you looking at.

You'll see a mix of 'day tickets' + single rounds + twilight options.

Not every course will have all 3, but if you don't see a twilight option, you should see a day ticket one. Some times clubs don't advertise cheaper twilight rates as such, but if they have a booking engine and you can check you may still see lower rates late afternoon.

 

I was mainly looking at Carnoustie, Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Trump International rates. Was thinking of play a combo 2 of those 4 one day. But didn't see anything as far as "twilight" so I'm not sure we want to pay full price for an end of the trip 2nd round of the day.

Gotcha. As pointed out by SD, they are member courses with limited times and you are also right in the thick of it, in regards to the golfing tourist trail as well.

That said to save a few quid, you can play 36 at Carnoustie (Burnside/Championship) and you could also make use of a day ticket at Royal Aberdeen Mon,Weds, Fri.

 

RIght, thanks. I guess I was just surprised they didn't allow a visiter to go out at 6pm or so for a little cheaper. Seems like there wouldn't really be anyone out there anyway. I get it though, at my course here that is when I play because of that reason, I guess they protect it for their members.

[duffer987]

RIght, thanks. I guess I was just surprised they didn't allow a visiter to go out at 6pm or so for a little cheaper. Seems like there wouldn't really be anyone out there anyway. I get it though, at my course here that is when I play because of that reason, I guess they protect it for their members.

 

Bingo. That's the right attitude to have :)

We are fortunate the golfing model in the UK/Ireland is so much different than what we have here, that we can easily access these courses as we would our local munis.

[scott_Donald]

RIght, thanks. I guess I was just surprised they didn't allow a visiter to go out at 6pm or so for a little cheaper. Seems like there wouldn't really be anyone out there anyway. I get it though, at my course here that is when I play because of that reason, I guess they protect it for their members.

 

Bingo. That's the right attitude to have :)

We are fortunate the golfing model in the UK/Ireland is so much different than what we have here, that we can easily access these courses as we would our local munis.

 

we are lucky also there is only 350 full members so getting a tee time is very easy most of the time.

 

I tee off at 7pm with light until 1030pm and I can be the only teeing off then.

[Argonne69]

I was looking at airfares today. Aer Lingus was by far the cheapest, but it'll cost $400 for my clubs and a small carry on suitcase. Wtf.

 

I checked flights into London, figuring it would be cool to take a 6 hr train to St Andrews, but airfares to London are actually more expensive.

 

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

 

[davep043]

I was looking at airfares today. Aer Lingus was by far the cheapest, but it'll cost $400 for my clubs and a small carry on suitcase. Wtf.

 

I checked flights into London, figuring it would be cool to take a 6 hr train to St Andrews, but airfares to London are actually more expensive.

 

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

if IcelandAir is an option from your area, that could be a economical choice. I know our group saved close to 400 dollars per person compared to going United out of IAD

[scott_Donald]

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

 

Very strange.

 

Ice land way is an option from Glasgow or Edinburgh.

 

I fly from Aberdeen to Houston a lot and I normally go KLM via Schiphol or BA via Heathrow. KLM is the preferred though now plane wise but BA timing wise.

[ceejay81]

Ive been seeing American Airlines and British Airways flights around $550-600 for next July from DC to Edinburgh. But then tack on $60 then $100 for two bags. Probably will not get much lower methinks.

[Argonne69]

I was looking at airfares today. Aer Lingus was by far the cheapest, but it'll cost $400 for my clubs and a small carry on suitcase. Wtf.

 

I checked flights into London, figuring it would be cool to take a 6 hr train to St Andrews, but airfares to London are actually more expensive.

 

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

if IcelandAir is an option from your area, that could be a economical choice. I know our group saved close to 400 dollars per person compared to going United out of IAD

 

IcelandAir is $1135 (Economy Standard) from Chicago to Glasgow. The fare appears to include one checked bag and one carry-on. There are no flights to Edinburgh that I can see. That's a bit more expensive than Aer Lingus.

 

IcelandAir from Baltimore-Washington is $2300, so that rules out a hop to the East coast.

 

KLM is $2200 from Chicago. BA is $1430.

[az2au]

It is extremely common for one way airfares to be 90%+ of round trip fares as an FYI. I’ve even had them price out higher in certain cases. It has to do with the way fare classes are calculated by revenue management departments.

 

Try Manchester for cheaper fares direct from the US or potentially look at somewhere like Leeds with a connection. It is a few hour drive up from those places but if getting there as cheap as possible is your concern then go that way.

 

Also, if you want to try to save on bags apply for the top level CC of the airline you choose. While there may be an annual fee it will likely be less and get you baggage for free in many cases.

 

I’m fortunate (or extremely unfortunate depending on your POV) that I fly 250,000-300,000 on average annually so I see a lot of the things you’re talking about being done.

[dcmidnight]

United runs a nonstop from Dulles to Edinburgh. I think there is one flight a day over and back, its what I used in August.

 

Extremely efficient use of time.

[Argonne69]

I checked Chicago to Manchester, and it's no cheaper than flying to Edinburgh or Glasgow, and would require an extra day stay. Flying out the day before would add $400.

 

Well, this is f*cked up. Looking at the Aer Lingus flight, it appears that the flight between Dublin and Edinburgh is on a regional carrier, Stobart Air, and the carry-on is restricted to a 13" (15 lb) suitcase. WTF. One can only check one bag.

 

$425 to ship clubs round trip from Chicago to St Andrews via Shipsticks. Oy.

[ceejay81]

United runs a nonstop from Dulles to Edinburgh. I think there is one flight a day over and back, its what I used in August.

 

Extremely efficient use of time.

 

Been eyeballing that flight but it's more than twice the price of other flights. Granted not stopping at another airport along the way is well worth that price difference to me, but I can't convince the soon-to-be-missus of that lol

[mci711]

United runs a nonstop from Dulles to Edinburgh. I think there is one flight a day over and back, its what I used in August.

 

Extremely efficient use of time.

 

Been eyeballing that flight but it's more than twice the price of other flights. Granted not stopping at another airport along the way is well worth that price difference to me, but I can't convince the soon-to-be-missus of that lol

 

I agree. United flies direct from Chicago it was more expensive, but for me totally worth not switching planes, having a layover, and my clubs not making the next flight.

[duffer987]

I was looking at airfares today. Aer Lingus was by far the cheapest, but it'll cost $400 for my clubs and a small carry on suitcase. Wtf.

 

I checked flights into London, figuring it would be cool to take a 6 hr train to St Andrews, but airfares to London are actually more expensive.

 

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

Not sure what dates you were looking at (as they don't fly every day) but Norwegian Air flies out of ORD to LGW. And they can be anywhere from super cheap, to the equivalent of another airline's coach fare, but with way better seats and baggage allowance.

Train station is in the terminal and it only requires one change in London to get to Edi.

[Argonne69]

I was looking at airfares today. Aer Lingus was by far the cheapest, but it'll cost $400 for my clubs and a small carry on suitcase. Wtf.

 

I checked flights into London, figuring it would be cool to take a 6 hr train to St Andrews, but airfares to London are actually more expensive.

 

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

Not sure what dates you were looking at (as they don't fly every day) but Norwegian Air flies out of ORD to LGW. And they can be anywhere from super cheap, to the equivalent of another airline's coach fare, but with way better seats and baggage allowance.

Train station is in the terminal and it only requires one change in London to get to Edi.

 

Chicago to LGW is $629. The problem is that there are few flights out of LGW to Edinburgh, and the minimum layover would be 4 hrs. Total cost would be $860, and I wouldn't get into St Andrews until after 9 pm, or a full 24 hrs after departure from Chicago.

 

It's looking like Icelandair to Glagow is going to be the best option, as there is no restriction on luggage size. They do charge $58 each way for golf clubs in place of a standard checked suitcase.

[dcmidnight]

I agree. United flies direct from Chicago it was more expensive, but for me totally worth not switching planes, having a layover, and my clubs not making the next flight.

 

This was my reasoning as well. I was at my hotel in St Andrews @ 8.5 hours after taking off from Dulles.

 

Too many of the flights I looked at had very short connections at Heathrow and that was just not a chance I was going to take given that we played the afternoon we arrived. When you're talking about a once in a lifetime trip, I decided certain things just were not worth saving the money over.

[duffer987]

I was looking at airfares today. Aer Lingus was by far the cheapest, but it'll cost $400 for my clubs and a small carry on suitcase. Wtf.

 

I checked flights into London, figuring it would be cool to take a 6 hr train to St Andrews, but airfares to London are actually more expensive.

 

Even more strange is that one way fares to Edinburgh are the same price as round trip fares. Bizarre.

Not sure what dates you were looking at (as they don't fly every day) but Norwegian Air flies out of ORD to LGW. And they can be anywhere from super cheap, to the equivalent of another airline's coach fare, but with way better seats and baggage allowance.

Train station is in the terminal and it only requires one change in London to get to Edi.

 

Chicago to LGW is $629. The problem is that there are few flights out of LGW to Edinburgh, and the minimum layover would be 4 hrs. Total cost would be $860, and I wouldn't get into St Andrews until after 9 pm, or a full 24 hrs after departure from Chicago.

 

It's looking like Icelandair to Glagow is going to be the best option, as there is no restriction on luggage size. They do charge $58 each way for golf clubs in place of a standard checked suitcase.

Sure, my reply was specifically in relation to you saying you might fancy the train.

There are a shedload of flights out of Gatwick to Edi, but you'd need to clear customs and check back in again. And Easyjet or Ryanair certainly wouldn't have the same baggage allowance as a transatlantic carrier.

Sounds like that Iceland flight will do the job :)

[FairwayFred]

Thoughts on Castle over New? We have plans for Old, Kingsbarns, North Berwick, Muirfield and we have to play 1 other course at St Andrews. My thinking is this, I know Castle is new, and you aren't getting the history or "true" Scottish experience. My fiance, who is a really good golfer and can't wait to play in Scotland, loves beautiful courses (Arcadia Bluffs, Pebble, Bandon etc). Do the views make it worth it? I feel like we have 3 great all time courses in TOC, NB and Muirfield. Would Kingsbarns and Castle be too similar, or not worth traveling that far to play both? (I'm not comparing the quality, but they are both new designs, moved land, great views etc). I guess I am stuck on going to Scotland and playing courses that I am older than.

 

I would absolutely skip the Castle course and play anywhere else. Castle is easily the worst course I've played in Scotland. Play New instead. Or Jubilee. Or anywhere else. ESPECIALLY if it's your first trip over.

[Walter]

Thoughts on Castle over New? We have plans for Old, Kingsbarns, North Berwick, Muirfield and we have to play 1 other course at St Andrews. My thinking is this, I know Castle is new, and you aren't getting the history or "true" Scottish experience. My fiance, who is a really good golfer and can't wait to play in Scotland, loves beautiful courses (Arcadia Bluffs, Pebble, Bandon etc). Do the views make it worth it? I feel like we have 3 great all time courses in TOC, NB and Muirfield. Would Kingsbarns and Castle be too similar, or not worth traveling that far to play both? (I'm not comparing the quality, but they are both new designs, moved land, great views etc). I guess I am stuck on going to Scotland and playing courses that I am older than.

 

I would absolutely skip the Castle course and play anywhere else. Castle is easily the worst course I've played in Scotland. Play New instead. Or Jubilee. Or anywhere else. ESPECIALLY if it's your first trip over.

 

never negative...but +1 on on this St Andrews idea

[Walter]

Hard to beat a Kingsbarn's Morning :-)

[jvincent]

Thoughts on Castle over New? We have plans for Old, Kingsbarns, North Berwick, Muirfield and we have to play 1 other course at St Andrews. My thinking is this, I know Castle is new, and you aren't getting the history or "true" Scottish experience. My fiance, who is a really good golfer and can't wait to play in Scotland, loves beautiful courses (Arcadia Bluffs, Pebble, Bandon etc). Do the views make it worth it? I feel like we have 3 great all time courses in TOC, NB and Muirfield. Would Kingsbarns and Castle be too similar, or not worth traveling that far to play both? (I'm not comparing the quality, but they are both new designs, moved land, great views etc). I guess I am stuck on going to Scotland and playing courses that I am older than.

 

I would absolutely skip the Castle course and play anywhere else. Castle is easily the worst course I've played in Scotland. Play New instead. Or Jubilee. Or anywhere else. ESPECIALLY if it's your first trip over.

 

New and Jubilee are certainly much more traditional links courses but Castle is fine. It's just not what you go to Scotland to play.

[Walter]

Kings barns morning round Scotland August 2017 / 2 flights

[jvincent]

Kings barns morning round Scotland August 2017 / 2 flights

 

Good times. Looks like you lucked out on the weather.

[Walter]

Kings barns morning round Scotland August 2017 / 2 flights

 

Good times. Looks like you lucked out on the weather.

Yes Vincent ,

Was unbelievable , 6 great days .. and that closing morning at Kingsbarns .. #blessed

Thank you for nice reply

[Walter]

Kings barns morning round Scotland August 2017 / 2 flights

 

Good times. Looks like you lucked out on the weather.

I like your profile pic @Carnoustie as well , we played there the day before Kings' and had a great day as well ( me posing with the Jugg at Carnoustie in my profile ) .. great day long story :-) Scottish-flemish connection

[Walter]

Carnoustie Candy ;-)

[jvincent]

We played Kingsbarns as our first stop on our trip. We had great weather as well.

 

We're off to Ireland next spring.

[Walter]

We played Kingsbarns as our first stop on our trip. We had great weather as well.

 

We're off to Ireland next spring.

 

We are looking for Ireland as well !!