Old Course advance tee times for 2023 to resume on Aug. 24

Your chance for a tee time next year starts on Aug. 24

The Private Advanced Tee Time ballot system to secure a guaranteed 2023 tee time at the Old Course at St. Andrews, will resume this month following a two-year hiatus.

The system, which is the last chance for golfers worldwide to guarantee a tee time at the Old Course in 2023, was suspended because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

”With tee times having been rolled over from 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, this is the first time we have been in a position to run the advanced ballot in two years, so we expect huge demand.” the St. Andrews Links Trust said in a prepared statement.

“The sight of international golfers on our fairways this year following the easing of restrictions has been hugely welcome for us here at St Andrews Links Trust, as well as for golf tourism in general, and can only bode well for a successful 2023,” the statement continued.

Old Course: a keystone of Scottish golf tourism

Prior to the pandemic, golf tourism in Scotland was worth in excess of £300 million [$354 million] annually to the economy, supporting more than 4,000 jobs. The popularity of St Andrews played a significant factor in much of that business.

Restrictions were eased earlier this year, demand for Old Course tee times through the daily ballot conducted 48 hours in advance of the day of play.

Following pent-up demand from golfers unable to travel in the last two years, as well as the hugely successful hosting of The 150^th Open in July, an unprecedented number of entries in the advance ballot are expected.

The ballot will open for a two-week period from Aug. 24 to Sept. 7. Golfers will be able to select up to three date windows for a 2023 tee time alongside one of the other six renowned St Andrews Links courses.

The packages will also include food and drink credit in St Andrews Links clubhouses as well as driving range credit at the Academy. More information on the packages and the ballot process is available here.

With more than 1,000 slots available in the Private Advanced Tee Time ballot on the Old Course, it will mean a welcome boost for golf tourism in Scotland, given the huge global draw of the Home of Golf for the country. In previous years 60 per cent of all advanced ballot applicants have been from North America, the biggest international inbound market for golf tourism in Scotland.

Four ways to play the Old Course

Applicants will receive the results of the ballot in October, allowing them time to plan for their trip in 2023.

“Demand for tee times since the pandemic has been unprecedented and we know from our Authorized Tour Operator partners that they have virtually sold out of packages for 2023 so this represents the last opportunity to try to secure a guaranteed tee time for next year,” a Links Trust spokesman said.

There are only four ways to play the Old Course: