Going to Scotland in 2007

[iacas]

I may be going to Scotland in 2007. Rafi tells me August is the best month because of the weather, and I know enough to know that I should start looking into things yesterday, basically: you can never book too early.

I want to go as inexpensively as possible without necessarily playing bum tracks or staying in crapola hotels. I don't need four or five star, either. I just want to play some good links golf, not see museums and castles and whatnot.

This may be my only post in this thread, too, but if you've ever gone to Scotland and have some tips - for booking agents, ways to save money, good courses to play, etc. etc. etc - lay 'em on me. My ears are wide open.

[Rafcin]

check back with me again after Labor Day, once I'm back from St. Andrews

[iacas]

Here's the information I received from someone who shall remain anonymous:

August is the best month for weather, but it is also the most expensive and crowded time to go. I would consider April or September. You might get some chilly weather, but that's what high-tech clothes and shoes are for. And it would be cheaper and less claustrophobic.

The best way to go would be to work through a golf travel company, like Perry Golf or Premier Golf. They know the landscape, can make an itinerary that really suits you, and have blocks of tee times and hotel rooms at the most popular destinations.

I loved my trip to Scotland in 1996, and think you would like a similar approach. I flew into London (Gatwick), then took a 90-minute flight from there to Edinburgh, Scotland. St. Andrews is about an hour from there by car. I stayed in a small hotel on the main street of St. Andrews. Basically a bedroom with a small bathroom/shower (many hotels have public bath areas, FYI). It was July, and the sun came up at about 4am and set after 11pm, so there's plenty of time for golf. There are tons of places to play in and around St. Andrews, and Carnoustie is only about 30 minutes north. (I played the Old Course twice, the New Course, Carnoustie and a family-owned 18 about 20 minutes south of town whose name I can't recall.

You'll fall in love with the town of St. Andrews and get the chance to experience it over the course of several days at a relaxed pace, which is perfect. You can also set up a trip where you drive all over Scotland and stay someplace different each day, but you don't get the same feel for each stop as if you spent your time in a central locale.

The only problem with July (and August) is that St. Andrews turns into a tourist town. The university is out for summer, and the town is half-American. All the restaurants change their menus to burgers and fries. Just an FYI.

My biggest suggestion: Go for AT LEAST A WEEK. The jet lag is real, and if you go for a couple days you'll be disoriented the entire time.

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I do have one specific question: currently we're only looking at two people going. Would we be better off filling out our own foursome, or is it just as easy/cost effective/etc. for two?

[Rafcin]

my trip is arranged by Links Golf of St Andrews.
http://www.linksgolfstandrews.com
I got 5 or 6 different quotes and they were the cheapest and most flexible (course selection, cheaper hotel, etc.)

[Rafcin]

I do have one specific question: currently we're only looking at two people going. Would we be better off filling out our own foursome, or is it just as easy/cost effective/etc. for two?

Here is my advice: You

DON'T want to pay around 5K, play one of the most famous places to play golf at... and don't enjoy the company. You know how sensitive you are to playing partners

[iacas]

From someone else who knows a lot more than I do, and who was actually on the way back from the UK as he got my email.

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The weather is always a crap shoot in Scotland, so basically August is as good as July or September. My advice is to always plan on rain and feel fortunate when you don't get it. Also remember that golf is played in Scotland in wind, cold and rain, so when to play in what you consider bad weather is largely your decision.

Yes, there are a lot of Americans in Scotland in August but that's just the nature of the beast. I prefer St. Andrews in September because the Americans are gone and the students are back at the University.

As a foursome vs. twosome, it doesn’t really matter. It’s easier to travel with two rather than four, especially if you’re getting a rental car – they’re small. Twosomes basically have the same standing as foursomes on the courses.

It's good to plan ahead as you are because a lot of the hotels and resorts in Scotland are sold out in August. Even a lot of the small hotels and B&Bs; are sold out so you should get the reservations early.

He then gave me a URL I should contact and said it was run by two nice young Scottish gals that would help me tremendously.

[FAHooGolfs]

I'm also headed to Scotland next year, August as a matter of fact. My trip has already been booked and we used a company called Haversham & Baker ( www.haversham.com ). Here's the basics of our trip:

Courses :
Start at Turnberry - Ailsa Course
Royal Troon - 36 holes
Muirfield - 36 holes
Carnoustie Championship Course
Kingsbarns
St. Andrews - Old
St. Andrews - New
Nairn
Royal Dornoch

There's 8 of us going and we're going for 13 days with a motorcoach and personal driver / chauffeur / concierge for the entire trip.

I looked into several companies (Perry Golf, SGH, etc) but was given a glowing recommendation by a guy I work with who has used Haversham 4 times (2x Scotland, 1x England, 1x Ireland) and Haversham was the only company that could get us on at Muirfield. Interestingly enough, the quote I got from Perry was actually $800 more expensive and did NOT include Muirfield.

So far, the service and help I have received from Haversham has been top notch. The agent I'm working with is always in contact with me to tell me about different things to look forward to, making sure I'm with her every step of the process, etc. And when I started planning, I had no idea what I was looking for but she took 2 hours on the phone one day with me and explained everything and really focused on understanding what it was I wanted in order to make the trip an unbelievable experience.

Erik, I'd be happy to talk with you more about my trip or my experiences so far if you're interested... just let me know.

[FAHooGolfs]

Let me add one more quick thing in case I didn't make it clear in my above post... Haversham has no cookie cutter trips planned. You call up, tell them what courses you're interested in, what your budget is, etc... give them all the details of what you're looking for in a trip and they'll build a proposal around it for you.

That was in direct contrast to other agents I spoke with who consistently tried to pressure me into using one of their pre-planned trips and steer me away from courses I really wanted to play (Dornoch, Turnberry, & Muirfield).

[sole wolf]

We went over Labor Day 3 years ago and we loved it. It was me and the wife and we played a few courses. One was on the Firth of Moray (Fortrose and Rosemarkie) and it is typical to see Dolphins playing and jumping while you play. We also spent 2 days in St Andrews and played the Eden course and I played the new course.

We flew out of detroit and switched planes in Amsterdam then flew into glasgow. Cars are small but you can get a 4 door, be careful driving... it is tricky! (Tip: everything is metric except the speed limit which is mph) If you do get a car and do a driving tour (recommended as the highlands are beautiful) have the same person drive the entire week. It is also weird driving when you get back.

Stay at B&B;'s whenever possible, the people are nice and it is cheaper. We always found good ones online and only one was not as described.

I also say go for a week, we went for 10 days and felt robbed when it was time to leave so much more to go see. If you have any questions are want more detail about my trip PM me as I could go on and on all day about it. I do suggest that you see some of the castles (even though you said you weren't interested), not the tourist trap ones but some of the ruins. It is a great experience and there is a lot of breathtaking scenery that you have to see to believe, basically take advantage of the opportunity and leave some freetime open.

me at Eden clubhouse

What a view

Typical weather

Highland Cow

[DDBowdoin]

I'm seriously considering traveling to Scotland next year as a college graduation present... my only problem is that I am 21 and one of the only people dedicated enough to the game to want to experience something as amazing as St Andrews. I found a pretty comprehensive and downright amazing site ( http://www.golfscotland.com/golf-tour-scotland.asp ) apparently they are one of only a few programs to lock in tee times at the old course. My main problem goes back to my age and my dedication to the game, no one I know is willing to spent 4-5 grand for this kind of trip and I don't care about going alone...

is this a good site? a good deal? and is it a bad idea to go alone?

[Rafcin]

...I found a pretty comprehensive and downright amazing site (

Their price is comparable and they're few travel offices offering similar packages, make sure you get ALL the costs listed before you accept and make a downpayment (there is a lot of "hidden" stuff they are adding on - caddies, buggies, taxes, etc).

As far as the other questions - I'd never go alone. This is (most likely - unless you're playing lottery ) once in the lifetime trip - a well tuned foursome is a requirement to fully enjoy the experience. Of course this is a subjective thing... if you're fully focused on the game and nothing around you bothers you - why not.

[DDBowdoin]

yeah its a unique opportunity because it's being fully paid by my parents as my college graduation gift... I feel as if I don't take them up on such an offer it will be a couple of years until I get settled in and have that kind of capital to dedicate to a golf vacaction... remember I'm only 21... I don't have a single family member that plays golf, it's kind of sad..

[DDBowdoin]

just sucks I have no one to go with... I have been trying months to convince my golfing friends but its hard to sell a 4-5 thousand dollar vacation... especially since its 10-13days max...

[iacas]

just sucks I have no one to go with... I have been trying months to convince my golfing friends but its hard to sell a 4-5 thousand dollar vacation... especially since its 10-13days max...

You can go with Don and I.

But only if you bring that gal in your avatar with you...

[Rafcin]

You can go with Don and I.

I'm sure if I bring both chicks from my avatar I not only CAN go with you, you even pay for my trip, huh?

[iacas]

I'm sure if I bring both chicks from my avatar I not only CAN go with you, you even pay for my trip, huh?

Yeah, so back to my (possible) Scotland trip...

[Rafcin]

I'm back... and I loved it. I'm planning on writing up in detail (maybe I can get a spot on the "real" sandtrap page ), but couple of pointers right off top of my head:
1. Kingsbarns - a winner. Layout and conditions are outstanding.
2. Torrance & Devlin - waste of time, horrible experience (nice views though).
3. St Andrews Old, New and Jubilee - how can you go wrong with that...
4. Carnoustie - a bit let down. Great layout, but preped for "public" without (virtually) rough - just another links course. Addtionally they already started getting ready for the open, working on greens and fairways, not the best conditions to play on right now.
More to follow

[joshing_man]

Scotland is not known for its good weather. You are just as likely to get heavy rain and cool temperatures in August as you are in March. If you want to play links courses then the wind will clearly be a big factor but this just makes it all the more enjoyable.

I haven't played the big well-known courses yet but I can highly recommend the place (I would avoid August as this is the busiest time) but many smaller courses can be virtually deserted April to June, you can even leave your Green Fee in a box by the club house if no-one is there!

A nice course is Elgin but it won't challenge the better golfers in the same way as Carnoustie etc.

If you intend driving in Scotland remember it is a small country and the roads are generally small and it takes a while to get anywhere. There are plenty of larger cars available just not the size of some of the US behemoths!

Hope you enjoy the trip.