Nearly 2,000 golfers are being offered the opportunity of discounted tee times at the Home of Golf in 2026, including the world-famous Old Course, after St Andrews Links Trust almost trebled the number of tee times available as part of its affordable golf initiative.
Featuring tee times across six of the renowned courses at St Andrews Links, The Drive initiative will see discounts of 88% on regular green fees on selected days, with the Old Course available to successful applicants for just £45.
To support the initiative, St Andrews Links Trust is to devote a whole day’s play on the Old Course in July for Scotland-based golfers as part of an initiative to widen access. The normal price is £355.
The 224 spots on the Old Course on Friday, July 3 represents five times the number of times offered in 2025 on the world’s most renowned course and will be decided by a random ballot which is free to enter.
The Drive aims to widen participation in golf by encouraging players of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to get involved in the sport.
Almost 2,000 tee times will also be spread across the Castle, Jubilee, Craigtoun, Eden and Strathtyrum courses.
The number of tee times available through The Drive has almost trebled compared with 2025 when 716 players from across Scotland were successful in securing discounted rounds. As with 2025, the tee times on the Old Course are expected to be the most popular.
Sam Bunce, 68, from Glasgow was one of the 44 who got to play on the Old Course as part of The Drive last year with his partner, Christine. He said: “I’ve been playing golf for over 40 years, but the Old Course is so iconic. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw the email from St Andrews Links telling me I had been selected out of thousands of people to play as part of The Drive, it was such an incredible opportunity.
“I had to phone them to check it was real. Standing at every single tee was a pleasure, knowing that all the greatest players like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus had been there too waiting to tee off on the world’s oldest course. It was a day I will never forget, I even managed to get a couple of birdies – which made it extra special.”
Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “Our vision for The Drive is not only to provide a bucket-list experience to thousands of people across Scotland, but to widen access to golf and encourage people of all ages, backgrounds and experiences to play.
“To say The Drive’s first year was a success would be an understatement, with more than 22,000 applications made to play our historic courses over two phases. For many, it was their first time playing at the Home of Golf.
“We’re building on that momentum by making a significant investment in the initiative for 2026, tripling the number of opportunities available and opening it up to a more diverse range of courses in our portfolio – including our new heathland course, The Craigtoun.
“St Andrews is welcome to all and this expansion reinforces our commitment to ensure anyone who wants to play golf, can do so. We will continue to provide ticketholders and visitors with the best experience possible, while ensuring that one of the country’s most precious golfing assets is available for the public too.”
Between April and October, 496 tee times will be spread across St Andrews Links’ courses, giving 1,984 golfers the opportunity to play with a staggering 88% off the regular high season green fees.
Applications will open today [Friday, February 27, with a separate application link to enter the ballot for each course. There will be an extra day added to the initiative to celebrate St Andrews Links’ new course, The Craigtoun, formerly known as The Duke’s Course, which offers a unique, heathland experience. Up to 208 players can try out the course for £20 (normally £155).
For a £7.50 green fee, 78 tee times will be available on the Strathtyrum on Sunday, April 26. On the Eden Course, 118 tee times are up for grabs for a £10 green fee on Sunday, June 13 or October 25. A number of tee times on these two courses will be reserved for applications made by disabled groups and families.
All tee times provided as part of The Drive initiative are from existing visitor or commercial allocations and will not impact priority times allocated to Links Ticketholders.
More information and details of how to apply can be found at standrews.com/drive