Scotland Golf Tours 2008 / 2009
It is almost never to early the begin the planning process for a golfing tour if you want to play at one of Scotland's most famous golfing venues.
Each of the famous British Open Championship venues, such as St Andrews, Muirfield and Royal Troon,
has their own booking requirements and the courses can become booked very quickly.
Key courses that require prompt decisions are :
- Muirfield, where bookings are accepted from 15 months in advance of play
- the Old course at St Andrews, where bookings for 2008 were accepted from 5 September 2007
- and Carnoustie, where for the first time bookings for 2008 opened in August 2007
Muirfield are now accepting bookings for April and May 2009.
There are hundreds of other excellent courses to play in Scotland but if one of
the 'famous five' is on your wish list then you need to be aware of some of the
restrictions that can affect an application for a tee-time and when applications
need to be made by you, or on your behalf.
For all of the courses listed Moss Golf Tours would be happy to put together itineraries
customised to your requirements and including as few, or as many, courses as you wish to play.
Considered by some to be one of the greatest golf courses in the British Isles, the
Carnoustie Championship course is a huge course that rewards good play. The hazards
can be severe and it is a true golfing challenge. Relatively recently returned to the Open
Championship circuit, Carnoustie was the venue for the
2007 Open Championship.
The course is one of the most accessible British Open championship
venues to visitors so is well worth including in your golf itinerary.
The handicap limit for play here is
28 for men and 36 for women.
Carnoustie has hosted the British Open a total of 7 times so far between 1931 and 2007.
There are also two sister courses alongside, the Burnside and the Buddon. The
Burnside is a challenging course which has featured as an Open championship
qualifying venue. Carnoustie is a great location for a very good value day of
36 holes, or for a combination ticket playing all three courses over a 3 day period.
Booking Information
Carnoustie has been allocating tee-times for 2008 since the start of August 2007.
Times are now very limited for the main 2008 season and we recommend requesting times
soon if you wish to play here this year.
If you wish to play Carnoustie as part of a golf tour in 2008, then
please
get in touch and we would be happy to suggest a full itinerary for you.
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If you want to play at the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers,
you have to plan early. With just two slots for visitors each week, visitor tee-times at
Muirfield are reserved very quickly once bookings open. Times can be booked from
15 months in advance of the day of play.
The handicap limit
is 18 for men and 20 for women.
Muirfield has had the honour of hosting the Open Championship so far 15 times
between 1892 and 2002. 1892 was the first time the Championship was played over
72 holes while 2002 marked the first win of the Open for Ernie Els.
Records date back to 1744 when the Club wrote the original 13 Rules of Golf.
A clockwise outward half circles an anticlockwise inward nine, an arrangement
that ensures that players have to make constant adjustment for wind direction.
Not considered a typical links course, there are plenty of bunkers and punishing
rough to snare the ball.
Fourball play is not the norm at Muirfield. Groups wishing to play as a four ball
must start their round from the 10th tee and members of the Honourable Company
of Edinburgh Golfers never play in the four ball format.
Booking Information
Times can be booked from 15 months in advance of the day of play. There are only very
few times now available for summer 2008.
Muirfield are now accepting bookings for May 2009.
If you would like to play Muirfield as part of a Scottish golf tour in 2009, please
get in touch
and we would be pleased to put together a full itinerary for you.
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2005 was the 27th time the
Old course at St Andrews hosted the British Open and the course is one
of the most popular amongst visiting golfers. The Old course sustains over
40,000 rounds a year, so as you might imagine there are particular requirements to
which you must conform to apply for a round here. Demand is ever increasing.
The handicap limits
for play on the Old course are 24 for men and 36 for women.
Booking Information
Applications for 2008 bookings were accepted from Wednesday 5 September 2007.
It was important to be timely in your application to have the best
chance of success in securing a time. No advance bookings are taken for Saturday
play and the course is closed on a Sunday - when the public are free to walk the links.
The guidelines for applications and the forms that must be completed are available
for download from the
St Andrews Links Trust website.
Golfers must also request a round on one of the other seven courses managed by the
Links Trust, such as the
New
or the Jubilee.
The new Castle course will also open for play in June 2008.
The alternative route for play is the daily ballot for which around 50% of the
starting times are kept back each year.
If you would like us to help plan a golf tour for you in 2008, or 2009, which
includes playing the Old course in St Andrews, then please
get in touch
and we would be pleased to put together a full itinerary for you.
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Not quite as limited for tee-times as Muirfield,
Royal Troon however only
accepts visitors three days a week between May and September and the earlier
times are requested, the better. The green fees cover 18 holes on the Old, or
championship, course as well as 18 holes on the Troon Portland course.
The handicap limit
is 20 for men and 30 for women.
An Open Championship venue on 8 occasions to date, Royal Troon offers a classic links layout
of 9 holes out and 9 holes back. The inward nine holes are widely accepted as
some of the most demanding on the Championship rota.
Booking Information
Royal Troon works on a first come, first served basis for times for the following
year. Tee-times for 2008 are becoming limited so a prompt application is recommended.
The particularly busy months are July and August when times are regularly oversubscribed.
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The only restriction currently imposed for bookings on the
Turnberry Ailsa
golf course is that to reserve a tee-time more than two weeks in advance of play you
must be resident at the Turnberry Hotel. As this is a five star international resort with excellent
facilities and high standards of service this is not a particular hardship but should
be borne in mind when budgeting for your trip.
The Turnberry Ailsa is an Open Championship course which came to international
prominence in 1977 due to the four day duel between Jack Nicklaus and Tom
Watson which produced some exhilarating golf. The Ailsa course is regularly
acknowledged as one of Britain's top three courses, with consistent rankings in
the world top 20.
The Turnberry Ailsa course is the venue for the British Open Championship
in 2009. This will be the first time in 15 years that the event has been hosted
here. Turnberry has been the venue for the British Open on just three occasions to date.
Turnberry has the benefit of two championship courses at one venue. The
Kintyre course
featured as an Open Qualifying Venue for the 2004 Open at Royal Troon.
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If you are interested in a golf trip playing one of Scotland's Open
Championship venues then please
get in touch
or use our
custom tour enquiry form and we will be delighted to help you plan your 2008, or your 2009, Scottish Golf Tour.
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