St Andrews Old Course Private Tour with Driver: How to Get to the Old Course by Car

The Old Course is unusual among famous golf courses because the town wraps around it. The first tee and the 18th green sit a few steps from the shops and the university streets, and the fairways are open to people who never pick up a club. That is wonderful for visitors and awkward for cars, because there is no grand forecourt to sweep into. A St Andrews Old Course private tour with driver is about solving the last 500 metres as well as the 80 kilometres before it.

This guide is written for golfers with a tee time, for partners who are not playing, and for anyone who simply wants to see the Home of Golf. It explains how to get to the Old Course by car, how the ballot works, what the Open Championship will do to the town in July 2027, and how to build a day that adds the castle, the cathedral and a second links.

How do you get to the St Andrews Old Course by car from Edinburgh?

VisitScotland describes St Andrews as under two hours from Edinburgh and Glasgow and within half an hour of Dundee. In practice, the Edinburgh run is closer to 80 km (50 mi) and takes roughly 70 to 90 minutes, depending on the Forth crossing and the commuter peak on the M90. Edinburgh Airport is a similar drive from the opposite direction: about 84 km (52 mi) and around an hour to 80 minutes. If you are flying in from overseas, a flight-tracked pickup means the driver adjusts to your actual landing time.

Dundee Airport is the short option, about 27 km (17 mi) and roughly 30 minutes, though its schedule is limited compared with Edinburgh's. Glasgow is a longer run, so most golf parties land in Edinburgh. If the trip begins in the capital, our Edinburgh chauffeur service page explains how we arrange pickups and transfers around Scotland.

Price & book your ride

What St Andrews Links actually offers, and how the ballot works

The Old Course is operated by St Andrews Links, and the details change, so treat the official St Andrews Links site as the authority. The following is the general shape of how tee times are allocated, as reported by the Links Trust and by golf-travel specialists, and you should confirm it before you travel.

The Old Course runs a daily ballot for groups of two to four players. Entries are made online, by phone or in person; each player supplies a home club and a handicap. The ballot closes at 2pm two days before the day of play, and results are posted later that afternoon. The Old Course is closed to play on Sundays, so there is no ballot for that day. Since March 2024, solo golfers have entered a Singles Daily Draw, held at 5pm, rather than queuing overnight.

Two honest notes. First, ballot entry is not a guarantee of play, and in peak season many groups are unsuccessful. Second, a chauffeur cannot enter the ballot for you or guarantee a tee time. What the desk can do is time your transfer around the result, so you do not hold a car for a round you did not win.

A practical point on timing: golfers are expected at the first tee well before their slot, so plan the transfer to arrive with a generous margin rather than to the minute. From Edinburgh, a sensible rule is to leave an hour and a half before you need to be on the Links, to absorb the Forth crossing and the final approach into town. Ballot players will not know their time until the afternoon two days before play, so many golfers book the Edinburgh transfer once the result is in, or hold a provisional booking and tell the desk the confirmed hour as soon as they have it.

If you are not playing: walking the Old Course

You do not need a tee time to see the course. Visitors are welcome to walk it, and Sunday, when the course is closed to golfers, is the quietest day to do so. The best-known stop is the stone Swilcan Bridge over the Swilcan Burn on the 18th fairway, where almost everyone has a photograph taken. Follow signage and any instructions from Links staff, and stay clear of play on days when golfers are on the course.

Beside the first tee is the Old Pavilion, where the starters work, and the Links clubhouse is a short walk away. The golf museum sits just yards from the course, according to VisitScotland, and is an easy hour on a wet day. West Sands, the long beach north of the town, is the other must-see for many visitors and is open to everyone.

The Open Championship returns in July 2027

The Open Championship is scheduled for the Old Course in July 2027, with the R&A announcing 15 to 18 July. It will be the 155th Open and the 31st to be held at St Andrews. If you plan to travel during Open week, book early: accommodation, tickets and road access are all affected, and the town's streets will be restricted around the course and the spectator areas.

In the weeks before and after the event, the town is busy with practice play and set-up works. For an Open-week visit, we recommend giving the desk your accommodation address and the days you plan to attend, so the driver can work out the approach roads and the nearest practical drop-off point. Official guidance on spectator transport will come from the organisers, and we will follow it.

The last 500 metres: where a car actually goes

St Andrews is a medieval street plan. The centre is compact and walkable, parking is limited and often pay-and-display, and several streets have traffic restrictions. A professional driver knows where to set down a party with golf bags, which streets to avoid at lesson-change times and when to wait nearby instead of circling.

For golfers, the simplest approach is to drop at the Links clubhouse or near the first tee, hand over the bags and then let the driver park. For non-golfers heading to the castle or cathedral, the driver can drop at the top of The Scores or on one of the streets near the cathedral, then wait for your call. Do not expect to park next to the first tee; it is not a car park.

In Open week, the driver will use only the roads and drop-off points the authorities allow. We will not ask your driver to break a closure or stop where it is prohibited.

Golf bags, vehicles and luggage

Golf travel is about luggage. A Luxury SUV (Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon Denali or similar) seats up to six and has space for five or six large bags, so a group of three or four golfers needs to tell us exactly how many golf bags and suitcases they are bringing. In the UK we typically use Mercedes-Benz V-Class, E-Class or S-Class, or similar. An Executive Sprinter takes 12 to 14 passengers and 12 bags for larger parties.

Please give us the number of golf bags when you book. If the load exceeds what one vehicle can take, we will send two. Shipping clubs ahead is another option that many visitors use, and your hotel concierge or the golf operator can arrange it; the desk can coordinate delivery times with your driver.

Beyond the Old Course: the rest of the Fife coast

St Andrews rewards a second look. VisitScotland's St Andrews guide lists the cathedral remains, the castle, the Links and the university alongside the town's beaches: West Sands, East Beach and Kingsbarns. It also notes that the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played over the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, which gives golfers a ready-made second and third course within a short drive.

For non-golfing companions, a day can be built around the sea and the stonework rather than the fairways: the castle ruins on their coastal rock, the cathedral precinct, a long walk on the sand and an afternoon in the narrow streets between the university buildings. These are all within a short walk of each other, so the driver's role is to put you down once and bring you home, not to shuttle between stops. If anyone in the group wants the golf museum, it is a few yards from the course.

Etiquette matters here. Walk on the paths and the open areas, not across tees and greens when golfers are waiting; keep dogs under control; and keep your voice down near the first tee, where players are concentrating. These are small courtesies that the Links staff appreciate and golfers notice.

A chauffeured day: golf, castle, cathedral

1. 07:30 Depart Edinburgh. Cross the Queensferry Crossing and take the M90 north.
2. 09:00 Arrive in St Andrews. Set down golfers at the first tee for their time; the rest of the party walks the course or the town.
3. 09:30 The Scores. St Andrews Castle is managed by Historic Environment Scotland, and its official page highlights the bottle dungeon and the mine and countermine dug during the siege of 1546 to 1547. Tickets are booked online through the Historic Environment Scotland site.
4. 11:00 The cathedral ruins, once Scotland's largest cathedral and most magnificent church, according to VisitScotland, are a short walk away.
5. 12:30 Lunch in town. The driver waits within a few minutes of your location.
6. 14:00 West Sands, or a drive to a second links. VisitScotland notes that Kingsbarns hosts part of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship alongside the Old Course and Carnoustie.
7. 17:00 Collect golfers, return to Edinburgh by 19:00.

For a wider Scotland trip, our Edinburgh Castle guide covers the capital's main landmark, and the guides to Loch Ness and Glencoe cover the Highlands.

Ways to get to the Old Course, compared

If you are travelling with a single bag and have time, the train to Leuchars followed by a short onward hop is the lowest-cost route. With golf bags and a tee time, a private car removes the risk that a bus misses the connection.

Weather, wind and what to wear

St Andrews sits on the North Sea coast and the wind is a constant. The Old Course has little shelter, and a calm morning can turn within an hour. Layers and waterproofs are essential for walkers; golfers know the rest.

Daylight is a factor from October to March. Late tee times and early dusk shape the day, so plan the return drive in the dark if needed and tell the desk your preferred return time.

Accessibility, groups and corporate golf

The town centre is flat and compact but includes cobbles and steps. If anyone has limited mobility, tell the desk at booking so the driver can set down at the nearest suitable point. Add child, toddler or booster seats at the booking stage if you need them.

Corporate golf days are a speciality for a driver service: a single confirmation, a single invoice and a monthly corporate account if you travel often. The private tours with driver page explains multi-stop days, the Europe directory lists where our vetted operators are available, and the airports hub helps with arrivals.

Book a driver for the day