by John Cornish

Playing the well known Links courses in Scotland can be an expensive activity, especially when converting from the Australian Dollar.

With Royal Troon charging £185 ($450) for a round on the Championship course, their second course and buffet lunch in the visitors lounge, it's enough to make many baulk at even attempting a round at one of these famous venues. If you ever come across a member of Loch Lomond who invites you out for a game at his club, be prepared to shell out £175 ($430) for the members’ guest fee, and pack your waterproofs as they built the course in the wettest part of Scotland. Incidentally, there are no visitors at Loch Lomond, only members and their guests.

The cost of other famous courses; Turnberry (left) (Ailsa course) £175 Kingsbarns £135 St Andrews (Old Course) £110 Prestwick £105 Carnoustie £95 Muirfield (Tu & Th only) £95 Royal Aberdeen £85 Royal Dornoch £79 North Berwick £70 Cruden Bay £65 (These fees (2004) are based on one round during the golfing season, which is usually April to October.) Do not despair though. There are ways of playing these courses for less than this. The best way is to be invited by a member. Muirfield, for example is £5 as a members guest. Afterwards, you can enjoy a wonderful lunch in their historic clubhouse. It's best not to drive home! They also have the best showers of any locker room in the world which is a treat after a rugged Scottish day on the Links. The difficult part is meeting a member and encouraging them to invite you along. Another way of getting on some of these courses is to play in some of the Open tournaments. Many clubs have at least one Open Tournament throughout the year. The clubs also hold Seniors tournaments, mixed events, fourballs, foursomes, almost any combination you can think of. All that's required is a handicap certificate although some tournaments set maximum handicap limits. You can obtain a copy of the Wee Yellow Book (www.weeyellowbook.com), a publication put together by a retired gentleman in Edinburgh. The Wee Yellow Book lists most of the Open Tournaments played around Scotland. The beauty of these events is that you can play these courses for a fraction of their full cost. The Cruden Bay event in June this year cost me £20 to enter, and it is a brilliant Links course just north of Aberdeen and regularly rated between 50 and 60 in the world in most Top 100 lists. Just because a course has hosted the Open Championship or Scottish Open does not mean they're the only courses worth considering on a golfing holiday. When you hear about 'hidden gems' in Scotland, believe it. In the Kingdom of Fife, within half an hours drive of the town of St Andrews are such courses as Lundin Links, Leven, Elie and Crail, not household names by any stretch, but excellent Links courses all under £50 a round. In St Andrews itself, the Jubilee course is the most difficult course in town and the New course (established in 1895, mind you) is the course preferred by many who live in the town, but living in the shadow of its famous next door neighbour. Around Carnoustie are Panmure, Monifieth and Montrose, largely unknown but worthy of a game. Around Inverness are Nairn, host of the 1999 Walker Cup, Nairn Dunbar, Tain, Brora. In central Scotland are little known courses like Boat of Garten, Granton-on-Spey, and Blairgowrie. These will all cost significantly less than the higher profile courses but still give you maximum enjoyment. Perhaps the best value of all is a course near the tip of the Mull of Kintyre called Machrihanish. It's not easy to pronounce and certainly not easy to get to, but on a sunny day is as good as Links golf gets anywhere.

There are wonderful ocean views from many holes and on a clear day, the coast of Northern Ireland is clearly visible. The opening drive is across the bay to a distant fairway before swinging to the left down to the green. Jack Nicklaus rates it as his favourite opening hole in the world. The dunes land is a perfect setting for one of the best Scottish golfing experiences. There are several Open tournaments at Machrihanish this year and will set you back £15, up from £12.50 last year. Not exactly high priced golf for an A1 course. A ferry trip away is the island of Islay (pronounced I -lah) and home to outstanding Single Malt Whiskies and perhaps the most quirky golf course you will find. There are blind shots on 12 of the 18 holes making your second round much easier than your first. Still it is a pure links, well maintained and requiring close attention to your course guide. Excellent, fun course and a good opportunity to keep your scorecard in your pocket and enjoy being in a beautiful remote setting. Probably the luckiest group of souls are the residents of the town of St Andrews. For £110 per year, they can obtain a Links ticket issued by the St Andrews Links Trust, the controllers of the courses in St Andrews. For that outlay, they can play any of the five 18 hole golf courses in town and the 9 hole Balgove course. This includes the Old, New and Jubilee courses. Local Links ticket holders also have the benefit of balloting for times reserved for locals, and perhaps best of all, can play Kingsbarns for £12.50 instead of £135. Yes - my decimal places are correct!

And before your mind starts working in mischievous ways, checks are in place to ensure that those people holding these Local tickets are in fact residents of the town. I've checked their checks! For those who live in North East Fife, but outwith St Andrews can get a Links Ticket for £220 and can still take advantage of the same deal at Kingsbarns. Those who live further afield can purchase a different category Links ticket for £560. This category of ticket is now subject to a waiting list which I believe could take as long as 4 years. This waiting list has been in place since 2003. In 2002 before the waiting list was introduced, a Canadian chap named Jeremy Angel took 5 weeks leave from his job in Montreal and travelled to St Andrews where he rented a flat behind the St Andrews Golf Club. He then set about playing the Old course 50 times in the five weeks, including 144 holes over 3 days. He also played the New and Jubilee courses, and rented a bicycle, threw his clubs on his back and cycled 7 miles uphill to Kingsbarns for a game. He recorded every shot he played on the Old course, fairways and greens hit and putts taken. He was invited into the three main Men's clubs in town and was allowed to hold the Claret Jug. I hope this gives you an idea that golfing in Scotland does not need to be about playing the high profile courses to get value for money and great golf. A little research is required before you travel, but you'll find that if you greet a local with a smile, it will open all sorts of opportunities to you.

John Cornish is an Australian living in Edinburgh. He is a member of Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne and the New Golf Club in St Andrews. He has managed to find his way onto dozens of golf courses in the UK and Ireland, from Open Championship venues to small village courses, and everything in between.

"John Cornish recommends www.golfvacationsireland.com for travel requirements as a former client and also knowing how thoroughly we have 'product tested' courses and hotels in Scotland and Ireland since 2001."


For Scotland specific golf advice, or information about our forthcoming Scottish golf packages please email travel@ausgolf.com.au