A round at St Andrews (Old Course)

I'm looking to play here before the end of next year (2009) and have tried to book via agency and accomodation sites but none seem to be able to do anything for less than a GRAND and want me to stay 3 days.

does anyone know of or have contacts that I can go for an overnight and play the next day or even on the day of arrival, I know the green fee is only around £115 so why are these other places trying to rip me off as If I'm some numb nut!!!!!

Im on it Wayne ,I have a good friend who goes up from here regular i will get some info from him.

I'm playing St. Andrew's this coming weekend on my 55th birthday just like I did on my 50th five years ago.  From what they tell me via email this week, you cannot get on a ballot as a single golfer.  But seeing as they send out two, three and four balls, you can easily go up to any group about to tee off and very very politely ask to join their group.

Now, that said....When you join up with another group you should consider yourself extremely lucky.  And don't act like some jerk or ego maniac like that kid who my brother and I let join our twoball.  He was so obnoxious.  And worse yet, he took advantage of OUR caddies by asking for help all the time, then after the round he didn't even offer to help tip our caddies.

The B&B I'm staying in is £45 per night.  I'm taking the train from London Kings Cross to Leuchars for something like $50 round trip and then a cab from there to St. Andrew's four miles away.

Booking one year in advance is for twoballs or more and you have to prepay and sign on for two rounds. 

Weather permitting, I'm going to play all five courses this week.  I say weather permitting because five years ago I played the Jubilee in typical sideways rain and windy conditions and it was the most miserable round of golf of my life.  I'm going up there to have some fun, not try to win the Open under those conditions.

One final note:  If you are trying to keep costs down, then do the leg work yourself and stay away from those package deals.  Plan your trip well in advance and everything will work out.  Send a group email to the B&B page listing all of them and start making inquiries that way.  But get your tee time first via the one year ahead application, then find the place to stay.

And don't ever leave your clubs in a rental car, etc.  What I was told last time I was there was that there are quite a number of professional thieves roaming the streets looking for tourists who leave the clubs in the car waiting to be pinched.

One more thing.  Let me know when you want to go play there and I'll join you.

Another thing.  I just realized when i saw todays date, that it was five years ago to this very day that I played the Old Course for the first time....Ahhhh, the memories will never leave me.