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Find an Old Course ballot partner: Single Golfer BallotBuddy ServiceFebruary 14, 2019Scotland blogAre you a single golfer and want to play St Andrews Old Course? Register on our free BallotBuddy service and enter the dates you are coming to St Andrews. If there is a date match with another single player we will hook you up. As a 2 ball you... -
St Andrews Old Course as a Single Golfer: how to boost your chances of playOctober 19, 2018Scotland blogPlaying the Old Course as a Single Golfer & how to optimise your chances of a tee time. In an in depth analysis of tee time data I reveal the best months and days of week to try your luck as a 'walk-up'.
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St Andrews Old Course Ballot : how to boost your chances of successOctober 5, 2018Scotland blogSt Andrews Old Course Ballot - how to boost your chances of success. A unique in depth analysis of demand, supply & success data. I reveal the best month, day of week & group size based on 2000+ recent daily ballot tee times.
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Can I use a golf buggy (cart) at St Andrews?August 27, 2018Scotland blogThe subject of golf buggies (or golf carts) comes up regularly in my discussions with clients when organising their golf trips to Scotland, in particular the use of a golf buggy at St Andrews, and of course, how to reserve a buggy on the Old Course, the hottest topic...
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Sotogrande Golf Courses - 6 of the best reviewedMarch 17, 2017Spain blogSotogrande was the blueprint for the explosion of golf courses along Spain’s Mediterranean Coast and to this day retains its identity among so many imitations. It was this feeling of Sotogrande as pathfinder for all that followed that lead Trevor Ledger to head south from his Scottish St Andrews...
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Real Club Sotogrande - a reviewMarch 17, 2017Spain blogThe trick of Sotogrande lies in the narrow entrances to greens and the very subtle contours once you are on ‘the dance floor’. When Robert Trent Jones Senior touched down in Spain with a couple of sacks of Bermuda Grass sprigs in the early 1960s, a golfing revolution was started.
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Real Club Valderrama - a reviewMarch 17, 2017Spain blogValderrama takes the best of Finca Cortesin, La Reserva and Sotogrande, shapes it beautifully and adds even greater use of the Alcornoques trees to complete the near perfect test of golf. With Ryder Cup pedigree and many PGA Tour events, the fame of Valderrama precedes it everywhere. The actual playing...
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2018 Old Course tee time allocations - changes afoot at St AndrewsMarch 16, 2017Scotland blogAt the end of 2016 St Andrews Links Trust announced that the agreement with its commercial tee time partner Old Course Experience will cease at the end of 2017. It will assume responsibility for the distribution of all commercial Old Course tee times for the season commencing April 2018.Time...
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Finca Cortesin Golf Club - a reviewMarch 16, 2017Spain blogThis golf course genuinely fulfils the oft cited (mostly disingenuously) ‘challenge from every tee’. In terms of quiet opulence and attention to detail, the golfing experience at Cabell Robinson’s Finca Cortesin cannot be bettered.
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La Reserva Golf Club Sotogrande - a reviewMarch 15, 2017Spain blogAll of the courses we played in the Western Costa del Sol had fantastic greens but La Reserva probably shades it for difficulty. A part of the Sotogrande club, La Reserva is another Cabell Robinson design – this time from 2003. Comparisons to Finca Cortesin finish there though, this is...
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San Roque Old Course - a reviewMarch 14, 2017Spain blogThere is very much to like about the Old Course at San Roque – the wonderfully named (and bitchingly penal) Alcornoques (cork oaks) abound throughout the property. Despite being a few decades younger that Sotogrande and Valderrama, it was part of the original ‘Golden Triangle’ of golf resorts in the...
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San Roque New Course - a reviewMarch 13, 2017Spain blogThe smaller greens and the reward offered for well struck pitch and run shots give San Roque New a variety that perhaps the other courses in the area do not. In terms of infrastructure and positioning in the market, the San Roque New Course sits alongside the Old in terms...
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Kingsbarns Golf Links - Success StorySeptember 9, 2014Scotland blogKingsbarns is now firmly ensconced as a ‘must play’ on any visit to Scotland – right up there with The Old Course, Carnoustie and Turnberry; in fact it is hard to imagine any other golf course being mentioned as much in the same sentence as ‘The Old Course’. Kingsbarns...
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The best St Andrews golfing weekend everSeptember 8, 2014Scotland blogNever before have I played so badly yet enjoyed myself so much. The quality of our golf over the three days was patchy at times but the enjoyment was of the highest possible calibre. 4 good friends take a trip north and enjoy the best St Andrews golfing...
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Insights into playing Scottish links golf – a different gameAugust 9, 2014Scotland blogIt took me a number of years and visits to Scotland before I caught on that links golf was the traditional way to play the game and above all, that it was fun! Insights into playing Scottish links golf courses, including speed of play, on-course protocol, gorse, bunkers, dogs(!), putting,...
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St Andrews golf courses for beginners, high handicaps & juniorsSeptember 10, 2013Scotland blogDon't let the mighty "Big Boy" golf courses intimidate you into staying home or not enjoying some memorable Scottish links courses. A rewarding golfing experience awaits you, no matter what your handicap. In a series of 4 blogs, we focus on some of the major championship courses - the...
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Scottish links golf courses for beginners, kids and high handicaps - Crail and CarnoustieSeptember 9, 2013Scotland blogDon't let the mighty "Big Boy" golf courses intimidate you into staying home or not enjoying some memorable Scottish links courses. A rewarding golfing experience awaits you, no matter what your handicap. In a series of 4 blogs, we focus on some of the major championship courses - the...
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Scottish links golf courses for beginners, kids and high handicaps - Gullane and North BerwickSeptember 8, 2013Scotland blogDon't let the mighty "Big Boy" golf courses intimidate you into staying home or not enjoying some memorable Scottish links courses. A rewarding golfing experience awaits you, no matter what your handicap. In a series of 4 blogs, we focus on some of the major championship courses - the...
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Scottish links golf courses for beginners, kids and high handicaps - Aberdeen, North Highlands and South West CoastSeptember 7, 2013Scotland blogDon't let the mighty "Big Boy" golf courses intimidate you into staying home or not enjoying some memorable Scottish links courses. A rewarding golfing experience awaits you, no matter what your handicap. In a series of 4 blogs, we focus on some of the major championship courses - the...