How to play the Old Course at St. Andrews yourself

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland – So you’ve just watched Zach Johnson win the British Open at the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, and you’re thinking, “hey, I’d love to play that course!” Honestly, if you’re a golf fan, you think this after every major, but St. Andrews is one of the few such courses where you might actually be able to take a few swings. (Don’t even think about playing Augusta. Seriously. Don’t.)

Now, it’s easy to picture yourself walking across the Swilcan Bridge, and it’s not all that difficult to actually do … as long as you’re willing to either pay up or be flexible. The deal is this: the St. Andrews Links Trust runs the course, and the Trust knows that you and everyone you have ever or will ever meet in your life wants to play this course. So here are the most common ways:

Book in advance: Visit this page to make your plans well in advance for a visit to St. Andrews. They’re full through Halloween of this year, and starting in August they’ll begin taking reservations for next year.

Play the lottery. If you’ve got a 48-hour window, you can swing by the course and put your name on a ballot for a nonspeciific time. You’ll probably get on, but there’s no telling what time it’ll be. These ballots are handled by a committee, understandable when you consider the amount of power one person with the ability to dole out Old Course tee times could have.

Gamble. If you’re playing by yourself, you can show up way way early (like 4 a.m. early) and hope that you can jump in with another group. You could be waiting for an entire day, but hey, there’s a putting green and some reasonably warm Scottish food to tide you over.

Pay up. There are many tee times allocated for travel packages, and if you’re willing to pay for a hotel room, you can get a stint on the Old Course as part of the deal.

There are also plenty of less-well-known ways to get on the Old Course.

Make friends with a local. Residents of St. Andrews and members of local golf clubs have the right to play the course as much as they like, and they’re entitled to first dibs on the ballot and reservation system. Get in good with a local, and you’ve jumped into the express lane to get on the course.

Move to St. Andrews, join the R&A, or enroll in St. Andrews. All three of these options, all highly expensive, also give you the opportunity to jump the line and play the course at your leisure.

Win a charity auction. The St. Andrews Pilgrim Foundation auctions off rounds at the Old Course and spots in the Dunhill Links championship, played on the course.

Become a golf writer. One of the many fabulous perks of being a golf writer, in addition to wealth, fame, and the adulation of millions, is the opportunity to play major courses either in advance of or right after the championships. Hey, you’ve seen what we do … how hard could it be?

Qualify for the British Open. Win your way in through an array of amateur championships, or qualify your way in through the qualifying gauntlet. You probably already know if this is a remote possibility for you.

Greens fees at the course range from about $ 125 in the low season to $ 265 in the high season (in pounds, of course), and you’ll want to get a caddy to show you how to figure out the mysteries of the Road Hole. Then you can see just how tough it is to play the Old Course … and you’ll never scoff at a pro missing a putt again.

[Ever played the Old Course? Drop us a line and let us know your story.]

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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