Roll Call:Scotland

Thanks for the recommendations. Tain and Kilspindie were already on the list for potential courses to get to after locking down dates for the Bag Tag Billy courses. I’ll be sure to look into Dunbar as well.

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Your welcome ,if you need any other recommendations just give me a shout ,my course is only 15 mins from St Andrews so no all the courses in the area

Another Scot here, member at Fraserburgh GC

We’ve just finalised our N.Scotland return for April. Skipping Dornoch this time and playing Nairn, Moray, Nairn Dunbar and having a 36 hole day at Castle Stuart. Have a look at the Highland Links package for great value up there. Moray is def worth a visit if you drive from Aberdeen to Inverness, the 18th is maybe the finest closing hole in Scotland.

http://www.moraygolf.co.uk/imagedisplay.aspx?id=1401&m=background

I’m a Scot based in London, member at Blairgowrie in Perthshire…another great spot for a round when you drive south from Inverness. Also Boat of Garten and Gleneagles on that road if you can tear yourselves away from links golf. (Which you should).

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Scottish golfer based in Glasgow and a member at East Renfrewshire Golf Club.

Course is a great James Braid moorland layout and I believe has changed very little since opening in 1922, save for a few thousand trees that were planted in the 70s.

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Hi Lads,

Another jock here, I’m a member at Lanark GC and the New Club in St Andrews. Working my way through the Top 100 Courses in Scotland list with 18 left to ticket off.

Cheers

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Quick question if you don’t mind HB. This isn’t on the horizon for a few years, possibly a decade at least, but I have this notion that at some point when my kids are a bit more grown up I would join a club in St Andrews and play regular games through there in a club environment.

How difficult would it be currently to get into the New Club?
Is it fairly accessible or is it more a case of who you know?

I realise a waiting list for a links trust season ticket is another barrier, but again if there’s a list and it’s just a case of joining it, then that’s all well and good to wait your turn.

Ive been on the awaiting list for 3 years for a Links ticket and am sitting at 391 so could be either 4 or 5 years yet last i heard the list is sitting at over 1000 so possibly 10 plus years.
I could join the St Andrews club and take a competition only ticket which you get roughly 60 comps but you don’t get any on the Old Course , 2 of my mates have done that this year and have had good value out of it .

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Thanks.

Yeh, I wouldn’t mind an option that doesn’t include the Old Course, at least temporarily.

Do you have to be a club member to join the links trust waiting list?

No Grant you pay £150 and it comes of your fees when you join you can defer your membership for 1 year if it doesn’t suit.

To get a comp ticket you must be a member of a club first year the guys were £700 this year coming roughly £400

I don’t believe we’ve a waiting list at the New Club, so if you put a form in it would go before the next committee meeting then on the board for 2 weeks and all going well you’d be offered a membership so you could be a member with 4/5 weeks of applying. Like most clubs the process would go smoother if you were put forward by a member but you could put in an application directly or with a letter of recommendation from your home clubs secretary.

The links trust opened the list again 2/3 years back and rather than on first come first serve basis which was always the way they did a ballot for your place which was good for a couple of my mates who got in within 2 years but another 3 got placed in the 900’s on the waiting list so they’ve got another year after this before they are likely to be offered a ticket.

But you could always take up one of the TCT Temperary Competition Tickers Althea are offered to people who are on the waiting list for a full links ticket and a member of a local club. Basically you’d get one in April if you were in a club and applied now, couple of mates have them and one in particular played over 50 competitions, you also get to play the Kingsbarn outing for £30 and the invitational on the Castle course so depending on your circumstance it’s a great option and amazing value for money.

Normal turn over of links tickets is around 200 per year from one of the guys I know who works in the links trust so you could be waiting 4/5 years. But some years the trust will take in more members like the past year where they took in 50 above the normal intake.

If you’re considering it I’d recommend you do it now, once you get to the top of the list you can defer your links ticket for one year too.

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The TCT excludes the Old and Castle courses, but once you get in you’ll find local members who will give you some of their points to get on the Old at the members guest rate so you can play in the big Meets on the Old…4 per year Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn meets.

We only play the Castle in scrambles and team evens so you’re not missing much by not getting that included.

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Thanks HB,

Good to know the New club is an option without necessarily knowing any other members. The financials are mind blowing, given it’s basically £1,000 pa for any single venue, inland course in Glasgow.

Definitely not something I’m considering in the coming year, or even couple of years but more a plan for the future when I have less pressure on my time.

Well you know one member now :+1:t3:

Trust me once you start playing there you’ll wish you’d done it sooner. I’d give up Lanark which is my home track in a heartbeat before I’d give up my links ticket. I know what you’re saying about playing in Town, my brother plays at Glasgow Gailes and he pays more for his membership than I do for Lanark and St Andrews combined when you consider that’s 9 courses vs the 2 he gets with his membership.

East Ren is on my to play list to ticket it off and I’ve got a football from a charity day so any heads up when you’ll be off your winter set up would be great.

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Absolutely, very welcome to come down for a game any time.

The course is actually in great nick for this time of year and is definitely one of the better courses I’ve played around Glasgow.

Don’t be shy when the clocks change.

As long as you promise not to convince me to join St. Andrews at the moment as the divorce wouldn’t be fair on my kids.

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I’ve got 10 year old twins so I know only too well about time management lol but they are taking golf lessons and my wife is looking forward to the day we all bugger off to the golf and she gets left in peace.

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Another Scot here, member of Blairgowrie GC near Perth. Rebus I played Prestwick St Nicholas last year, nice wee course. Spoilt for choice down your way

Cheers

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Just popped in to read and it was so much more enjoyable than the local roll calls around the northeastern US. Appreciate what you have, gents. Carry on and enjoy the golf.

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Will be in Scotland April 3-7 on the backend of a business trip. Have a tee time at Carnoustie on Friday April 5 a 9am and nothing else booked. Plan to enter the Old Course ballot each day with a friend who is meeting me over there and maybe just hit the starters shack one night from2am till open. Otherwise looking at North Berwick, Crail, Kingsbarns, and all the St Andrews courses. We will play 36 a day and drink each night.

Any locals who want to play with 2 Americans one from LA and one from NYC or just grab a pint or dram, reach out!

Not sure if those are the dates my mate is travelling over from Australia but if not I’ll maybe catch you for a game at St Andrews, I’ll bring a mate and have a game with you two.