Scooter and I have done many trips over the years with varying groups of friends (including Woody) to links-like courses in the US: Sea Scape in the Outer Banks, Pinehurst, Sand Hills, Prairie Dunes, Pine Valley, Shinnecock & NGLA on Long Island, Kiawah Island and the godfather of all US golf destinations, Bandon--as we moved into the 2000s.

But it was not until we hit our sixties, and not only had more time, but became increasingly enamored with Links Golf, that we took dead-aim at where links golf originated and flourished—Scotland and Ireland.

The wonderful thing about links golf overseas is that unlike the US, Americans—with a few exceptions--can play all the great Top links courses of the World, including those on The Open Rota. The Big Royals-County Down, Portrush, Dornoch, Troon and The Old Course. It is quite a different story here in the States, as the top-tier courses are ultra-private with no public access, and more based upon invitations from a member, e.g., Cypress Point, Pine Valley, or Augusta.

There are two ways to plan and book a links golf trip, via a tour company or do-it-yourself. We are the latter of the two, do-it-yourselfers. Picking courses, getting tee-times, lodging, coordination/travel. It is a good amount of work, but we divide and conquer and spread it over three to four months of time, most of the work is involved in researching the courses, availability for visitors, and timeframes, costs and how far in advance you can or need to book a tee time. The lodging is the easiest phase, and the coordination, transportation falls in line once everything comes together.

The following is a step-by-step playbook on how to research and create a links golf trip, complete with examples. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer, I have included travel companies at the end of this section that specialize in putting together the ultimate trip for you—and manage all the coordination—lodging, tee times, travel & transfers. You will pay for it, but you will not have to lift a finger.

The Anatomy of a Links Golf Trip

• Pick a Time/Season
• What kind of trip is it?
  • A Short, 5-7 days, focusing on one area
  • A Medium Length, 10 days
  • A Longer Trip, 2-3 weeks
  • Is this your first trip and want to check courses off your list, or a
    follow-up and you just want to focus on one area/town
• Pick the area(s) to travel to and/or key courses you want to play
• Research Courses
• Airline Travel
• Lodging
• Coordination

Picking a Season to Travel:

High Season in The British Isles is May to October

✓ Spring, Summer or Fall? All great choices.
✓ Summer is prime time in the British Isles. That is when Americans
flock to Scotland, Ireland and England, so remember it will be the
most crowded, on and off the course
✓ Whereas you can play on links courses year-round, the wettest times
are in the fall and Winter (off Season)
✓ Spring: It is the most beautiful season, as the gorse is in bloom in the
Spring and it accentuates the links courses with bright yellow.

What kind of Trip is It?
✓ A short trip, 5-8 days, to revisit a course or two that you love, or a
deep dive into one area. It could even be the front or back-end of a
tour of Europe (non-golf)?
✓ A week to ten days one or two areas, playing as much golf as you
can fit in?
✓ A long two to three-week journey, to multiple areas, with a day off
here and there to rest your legs and backs?
✓ Note: Most trips with golf tour companies are 8 days/7 nights, with a
travel day on each end, including (6) rounds of golf. They also
typically focus on one area to limit the travel time, e.g., Northern
Ireland, or St. Andrews

Which Area(s)?

• One Town/Area, short trip is the easiest. One hotel or Inn for the
  duration. A simple transfer from the Airport and unpack your bags for
  the duration. Play your favorite courses and soak in the ambiance.
  Less Travel time and less stress
• A week or 10 days enables you to see two or three areas and shoot
  for a minimum of three nights at each stop.
• Example: Fly into Glasgow, train or van down to Machrihanish
  for 3 nights, then back up to the Ayrshire Coast for 3 nights,
  then over to East Lothian or up to The Highlands to cap it off
• A long two – three-week trip, taking on multiple areas, or ‘touring the
  country.’ This enables you to knock off many of your top links’
  courses but takes pre-planning and more coordination.

Research the Key Courses & Availability:
✓ The Must-Plays--and second tier-nice to play
✓ What are the Visitors Policies, days and times open for play

✓ Understand which Courses you need to secure tee times on, and how
far in advance you can do so
✓ This typically comes into play on the top tier courses in the top one
hundred of the World. Examples: The Royals-- County Down,
Portrush, Troon, Dornoch—Muirfield, Carnoustie and Ballybunion are
examples of courses that you should book as far in advance as
possible. They are popular and get booked faster. Can you still get a
tee time three or four months out or even a couple weeks? Sure, but
do not risk it
I have not been to Ireland and Scotland a handful of times yet so I am
still in the exploratory, “I want to play as many of my bucket-list courses as I
can” phase. Everybody has their top links courses that are a must-play, so
start there and build around it. Do your research, and match courses to an
area. Here is where I started my journey. Below are the names of my
bucket-list, top courses and the associated areas:

✓ Scotland: The Old Course & Carnoustie/St. Andrews & East Lothian
Cruden Bay/Aberdeenshire, Royal Dornoch/Highlands, Royal Troon
& Prestwick/Ayrshire, Machrihanish GC/Kintyre, Hebrides, North
Berwick/East Lothian
✓ Ireland: Royal Portrush, Portstewart, Royal County Down/Northern
Ireland, Ballybunion & Lahinch/Southwest, Portmarnock & The
European Club/Dublin, Rosapena, Carne & Enniscrone/Donegal
✓ England: Sunningdale (Old and New) & Swinley Forest/West
London, Rye, Royal Cinque Ports and Royal St. George’s (Sandwich)
East/SE London, Royal Liverpool, Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham & St.
Ann’s/NW-Liverpool

From this list, I have built trips around them. As an example, our next
trip to Scotland will be a deep dive 10 days into St. Andrews & East
Lothian, adding on an overnight in Cruden Bay/Aberdeen.

Here is another example, our upcoming, 3-week, “deep dive into Ireland”
trip. 16 Courses over 18 days yes, it is a Marathon! It covers my top
seven in Ireland, plus a few more:

• 5 Days Dublin: Portmarnock, The European Club, The Island,
  and Jameson Links as a warm-up
• 3 days in Newcastle, Ardglass, Royal County Down
  Championship and Annesley
• Portrush – Royal Portrush, Portstewart
• Rosapena – St. Patrick’s, Old Tom Morris and option-Cruitt
  Island
• Enniscrone & Carne
• Lahinch
• Ballybunion, Old and Cashen

Availability:

Links courses vary in their availability to visitors. Every course’s
website has a section for visitors, and they outline many things, including
availability for play to visitors (certain days and time slots), the correct
attire, policies, what to do when you arrive, greens fees, caddies, and most
importantly booking those tee times.

The majority have an on-line booking system, simply plug-in your dates, times, and reserve. The key is to research how far in advance you can book those tee times.

Royal Dornoch On-Line Tee times

→ Important: The Top 100 Courses in the World fill up those tee times far in advance. So, if for instance you are going to Ireland and want to play Royal County Down, Royal Portrush or Ballybunion, those tee times can be reserved up to a year or more in advance, and they fill up fast.

Remember: Most of the top tier, and middle tier courses in Great Britain require payment in full, up-front. A few take a 50% deposit, and the lower end (pricewise) courses, or harder to get to courses, do not require any deposit at all, e.g., Machrihanish G.C.

Example: We booked our tee times for RCD, Royal Portrush and Ballybunion in May of 2024, for a May 2025 trip. Simply do your homework as early as possible once you know that you are planning a trip.

That said, depending on the area that you are traveling to, the vast majority of Links Courses can be booked tw0 to six months in advance, and those more ‘off the beaten path’ like Machrihanish or Brora, you can even book a few weeks in advance, if not when you arrive.

Note: Links courses have different policies. The Old Course at St. Andrews, for example, runs a lottery system, and book through tour companies. Muirfield requires an application process and is only open to visitors on Tuesdays/Thursdays.

Do your research and you will not be disappointed.

Tip: If you want to do a deeper dive into links courses, or research second-tier or off-the-beaten-path courses, Tom Coyne’s books, A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland are a great starting point.

That is how I found Brora, and I am glad I did, Murcar as well. I never would have known about Cruitt Island either. Another major source is George Peper and Malcolm Campbell’s True Links—a great encyclopedia of Links Courses, by country, up to modern day.

Airline Travel:

This can be done anytime within initial research and putting together the trip. I recommend booking your flight 9 months or more in advance, simply because the prices will only go up. Once you know the main Airport your trip will be planned around, and book it. Those hubs are as follows:

Scotland: Edinburgh or Glasgow

Ireland: Dublin, Shannon, or Belfast

England: London

I was a 1K Business traveler for years and always recommend a direct flight whenever possible, especially when going over the pond—less hassle, less stress, almost zero chance of having baggage mishaps.

I also recommend avoiding London Heathrow whenever possible. It is a huge airport, very crowded, and hectic. If you do fly through Heathrow, give yourself a longer layover as it lessens the chances of not only missing your connection, but more importantly, your bags making it onto that connecting flight.

On our last trip to Scotland, we connected through Heathrow to Glasgow and our flight over the pond was delayed buy about 45 minutes. We made our connection, after a long walk (or sprint) but our bags did not make it to Glasgow. Do not even think about a two-hour layover, be safe and double that. Fork over $100 for a lounge/club, sit down, relax, and know that your bags will make it.

There are direct flights into Dublin from many East Coast cities including Chicago, DC, NYC, Newark, Philadelphia and Boston. It is the same with Edinburgh and Glasgow via United, Delta and American.

Once you are over the pond and land at your destination, air travel can certainly be an effective way to get to more remote destinations in Scotland and Ireland, England is straight-forward.

Those more remote destinations include (Island/Course):

Scotland

• Orkney Islands – Stromness, Orkney, South Ronaldsay
• Shetland Islands - Whalsay, Shetland, Asta
• Skye – Skeabost, Isle of Skye
• North/South Harris – Isle of Harris, Stornoway
• Uist – Askernish, Benbecula, Barra (from S. Uist)
• Tiree – Tiree,
• Coll – Coll
• Jura – Ardfin
• Islay – The Machrie
• Arran – Ferry Only-Shishkine, Machrie Bay
• Kintyre – Machrihanish G.C, Machrihanish Dunes, Dunaverty, Carradale

Ireland: From Belfast, or Dublin flights to Regional Airports include: (Serviced by Aer Lings, Emerald and Aer Arann airlines)

• Derry (North)
• Donegal
• Connemara
• Kerry
• Bantry
• Waterford
• Cork

https://www.aerlingus.com/en-it/flights-to-scotland

https://www.loganair.co.uk/

Lodging:

As soon as you have your flight and at least one tee-time in the area(s) you are traveling to make your hotel/Inn reservations. I like to do a mix of small, quaint B&Bs with larger hotels/luxury resorts. The chances of having access to a spa/pool or massages is much higher at a resort or high-end hotel. It is nice to splurge on a place or two on every trip, especially if it is a ten-day to three-week trip. You must pamper yourself at some point! Especially when you are playing 7-8 rounds in a row.

Tips:

• Always book the Bed and Breakfast rate—it saves you money in the end, and it is always great to sit and dine on property with other guests/golfers, as well as the proprietors of the Inn. It is a wonderful way to learn about the course you are playing, and others that you should be playing in the area—let alone where to have dinner.
• If you are in a small town, stay in a comfortable B&B Inn that is walkable to the course—or even if you are in larger town like St. Andrews, there are options close to the 1st Tee at The Old Course. This makes it easy, and fun, no car, no hassle. One of the nicest walks in golf is the short trip to the first tee after breakfast or lunch, knowing that when you hit the 19th hole afterward, it is a shot jaunt home.
• Have you ever seen video clips from St. Andrews, and the golfers walking to and home from a round at one of the courses, or back from a pub? It both adds to the ambiance of the links golf trip as well as the planning.

Transportation & Logistics:

Last, but not least, it is time for the transportation and logistics. I was extremely fortunate on my trip to Linksland that we did not have any bad glitches, only a couple of audibles. That said, pre-planning always helps. Just like any trip, there are options, and I have done all three:

• Vans/Taxis/Shuttles – depending on the length of your trip, sometimes this is the easiest, especially if you are not doing multiple cities/areas. A simple airport shuttle/van can suffice in most instances.
• Rental Cars: Driving in Ireland for instance is not for the unadventurous and can be ‘white knuckle like’ at times on the narrow country roads. The upside, you can get wherever you want to go easily, whenever you want to go there.
• Trains – I have taken trains in both Ireland and Scotland, as well as Europe and I love it. Easy to do, easy to research and book, and comfortable with no stress. On the only downside, as a golfer, you will have to lug your luggage and golf travel bag. I use trains to go a longer distance where you cannot take a van, e.g., from Glasgow to the Highlands.
• Air - I have flown to different areas that are hard to get-to places in Scotland. It is a terrific way to get to some of the out-of-the-way Islands in The Hebrides of Scotland, e.g. Islay, Arran, South Uist, Skye, etc.
• Ferries – A wonderful way to connect-the-dots to Islands if you have time, and do not want to fly, e.g., Kintyre/Machrihanish, Arran, Islay, etc. It is also a wonderful way to connect a Scotland trip with Ireland, simply take the ferry from Campbeltown to the North Coast of Ireland, Ballycastle (all of 26 miles away) and hit a few courses in the North—Portrush, Portstewart,

Ferrys:

Ferrys come more into play in Scotland, as it has many peninsulas and Islands to the south and west of the country. Just like train travel, they are very dependable. The only caveat is that they do not run every hour or so like a train schedule, so you need to plan around that. For instance, I ferry from the Ayrshire Coast of Scotland to Campbeltown (Kintyre, Machrihanish) might only run a couple times per day. Simply know the schedules in advance.

Tip: If you are taking your first trip to Linksland, and want to combine some of Ireland and Scotland, take the Kintyre Express Ferry from Campbeltown to Ballycastle, play a few rounds in the North of Ireland (Portrush, Ballycastle, Portstewart, Ballyliffin) then ferry back to Campbeltown to continue your journey in Scotland—don’t forget about Machrihanish!

https://kintyreexpress.com/tickets/

https://www.visitscotland.com/travel-planning/ferry

https://www.ireland.com/en-us/plan-your-trip/travel/ferries-in-ireland/

Trains:

I have been taking trains in Europe for years, and I find that train travel in Scotland and Ireland (I have not taken a train in England yet) are easy, relaxing and comfortable. It is quite easy to coordinate, and very dependable. It is a wonderful way to relax and see the countryside. Scooter and I leveraged the train system in Scotland to go from Ayrshire to the Highlands in the North. It was a relaxing, half-day trip that got us to Dornoch.

→→Challenge—lugging a suitcase, backpack and golf travel bag to a train station can be a challenge for 60+ year-olds but we managed. Simply taxi to the station, grab a cart, and you are on your way. Enlist the help of a youngster!

We had already coordinated a taxi/van at our destination to take us from Tain to Dornoch, then up to Brora for the afternoon.

→Quick Story—My wife and I took a train from Dublin north, connecting in Belfast, then on to Portrush for The Open in 2019. Turns out we get on the wrong train in Belfast—right track, only 4 minutes early. The ladies sitting in front of us heard us talking about Portrush. Their eyes bugged out in unison, yelled at the Conductor, who pulled out his tablet, figured it out, told us the route. As we approached the next stop, 3 minutes later, half of our car sprang into action and helped us with our luggage.

“I’m headed that way, follow me, we’ll get you there,” a kind Irishman named Brian said. The Irish and Scots simply want you to enjoy their Country and will go out of their way to make sure that you do!

I have included (below) maps as well as links to websites for train travel in Great Britain.

https://www.thetrainline.com/

https://www.scotrail.co.uk/

https://www.irishrail.ie/en-ie/travel-information/station-and-route-maps

Travel by Car:

Car travel times in the Isles are much shorter than here in the States. It does not take four or five days to get coast to coast. Ireland, as an example, is about as wide as Ohio, and from the Northern tip in Portrush to the Southwestern town of Dingle is a ~7-hour drive.

Driving in Ireland can be a challenge, especially on the small, country roads lined on both sides by stone fences. It is not for the faint of heart. Be forewarned.

For those of you that enjoy the experience and freedom of traveling by car there are a variety of car and van rental companies available at all the major airports and regional airports, just call ahead and do your research. They are called “car for hire.” I recommend that you get additional/extended insurance on the rental cars, as you do not want to run into any trouble. Especially in Ireland as you dodge the stone-walls and on-coming tour buses.

Another option is taxis/shuttles/Vans. You can research your destination and it will have regional and local taxi companies that will take you anywhere from short to longer distances, between towns and cities. We leveraged this on our most recent longer trip within Scotland and it worked quite well. We booked rides well in advance—up to 3 months. In smaller, more off-the-beaten path areas, you can negotiate with them for multiple rides if you are going to be there for a couple day or more.

Here are a couple examples via a google search of Glasgow:

https://www.caledoniancabs.co.uk/taxi-transfer-campbeltown-glasgow/

https://www.airporttaxis-uk.co.uk/Glasgow

Here are some recommendations for Lodging in some of the popular destinations:

Scotland:

Ayrshire:

Number 17 – a short walk to Prestwick’s clubhouse. 8 rooms + a Captain’s Suite, from £125 to £210 https://www.prestwickgc.co.uk/number-17/

The Golf View Guest House,Prestwick -6-room Inn, cozy, close to the action, 5-min walk to the first tee at Prestwick

Marine Hotel -Troon – this is the gorgeous hotel that you see overlooking the course when The Open is at Troon—the same owners as Rusacks in St. Andrews and Slieve Donard at Royal County Down

https://marineandlawn.com/marinetroon/

The Gailes Hotel & Spa

In Irvine, Convenient to Western Gailes, Dundonald and Royal Troon

https://www.gaileshotel.com/

The Lodges at Dundonald Links, 2-4-6 Bedroom luxury lodges

https://dundonaldlinks.com/stay/lodges/

Kintyre/Machrihanish:

The Ugadale Hotel: https://machrihanishdunes.com/stay/the-ugadale-hotel/

The Royal Hotel (Campbeltown): https://machrihanishdunes.com/stay/the-royal-hotel/

Arran/Islay/South Uist:

The Borrodale Hotel (South Uist) https://www.isleshotelgroup.co.uk/borrodale-hotel

The Machrie (Islay)

https://another.place/the-machrie/

St. Andrews & East Lothian:

Rusacks Hotel:https://marineandlawn.com/rusacksstandrews/

The Old Golf Hotel: https://www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk/

The Dunvegan:https://www.dunvegan-hotel.com/

Aberdeenshire:

Cruden Bay- St. Olaf’s - https://stolafgolfhotel.co.uk/

Aberdeen - The Brig Inn: https://www.thebriginn.com/

Highlands:

Dornoch - The Royal Golf Hotel: https://www.highlandcoasthotels.com/royal-golf-dornoch/

Castle Stuart: https://cabothighlands.com/dining-lodging (Cottage/Lodge/Farmhouse

Inverness: https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/invcy-courtyard-inverness-airport/ (at the Airport & Train Station, 20 min from Castle Stuart

Ireland:

Dublin

Portmarnock Resort - https://www.portmarnock.com/

Newcastle (Royal County Down)

The Slieve Donard: https://marineandlawn.com/slievedonard/

Portrush

The Golf Links Hotel:https://golflinksportrush.com/

The Portrush Atlantic: https://www.portrushatlantic.com/

Rosapena

The Rosapena Hotel & Golf Resort:https://www.rosapenna.ie/

Donegal

The Ocean Sands – Enniscrone:https://theoceansandshotel.ie/

Lahinch- The Vaughn Lodge - https://vaughanlodge.ie/

Ballybunion-Cliff House- https://www.cliffhousehotel.com

England: (Coming Soon) – Liverpool, West/South/East London and Coast) Golf Tour Companies

Whereas we are do-it-yourselfers when it comes to our Links Golf Trips, there are certainly many options for golf travel companies. What you are paying for is the coordination, tee times, transportation, as well as hotel reservations. The key here being tee times and transportation. All these Tour Companies book a block of tee times at the most popular courses well in advance. No web-surfing, car rentals, taxi/shuttles or train stations.

The following are well-known, established travel companies that would be great options:

• https://www.hiddenlinksgolf.com/
• https://www.perrygolf.com/ Specialize in Cruises
• https://www.premiergolf.com/
• https://www.pioneergolf.com/ Scotland Born; US based
• https://carrgolf.com/ Based in Dublin, Ireland
• https://luxuryirelandtours.com/ Build your own Tour
• https://standrewsgolftravel.com/ They claim Guaranteed Old Course Tee Times