June 2024 Scotland Schedule - Have room for a couple more rounds

[Olson12]

So I took the reigns and planned my first ever trip to Scotland with the help of this forum.  The worst part about planning this trip is realizing I now have to wait 8 months until the trip.  We've scheduled 1 round on most of the days so have room to add another round in the afternoon based on the suggestions here.  

 

We'll be flying into Edinburgh and renting a van. Starting in Ayrshire and ending in St. Andrews 11 days total.  Let me know your thoughts.  

 

Friday June 14th - @ 3:20	Gullane #1
Saturday June 15th	TBD
Sunday June 16th @ 11:48am	Prestwick Golf
Monday June 17th @ 7:06am	Turnberry Resort - King Robert the Bruce Course
Monday June 17th @ 1:28pm	Turnberry Golf - Ailisa Cource
Tuesday June 18th Morning Round?	TBD
Tuesday June 18th @ 2:10pm	Western Gailes
Wednesday June 19th @ 7:50am	Kingsbarn
Thursday June 20th @ 8:32am	Eden (Camping out for Old Course in the AM)
Friday June 21st @ 7:52 am	Jubilee
Saturday June 22nd @ 8:40 am	Castle
Sunday June 23rd	Travel

Edited November 16, 2023 by Olson12

[jvincent]

I'm planning a trip for 2025 to the Prestwick area.

 

Have you considered Barassie or Dundonal for your two free slots?

[Olson12]

24 minutes ago, jvincent said:

I'm planning a trip for 2025 to the Prestwick area.

 

Have you considered Barassie or Dundonal for your two free slots?

 

 

The most recent reviews of Dundonal kept it of my list.  Especially for the price and about it not being a traditional Links course. 

[tad950]

Crail Balcomie is a lot of fun. A little quirky 😄. 

Edited November 13, 2023 by tad950

[swo83]

Cant recommend North Berwick enough if you’re near Edinburgh.  Returned from a trip in October (played Turnberry and others as well) and NB was in my top 2.

[Olson12]

1 hour ago, swo83 said:

Cant recommend North Berwick enough if you’re near Edinburgh.  Returned from a trip in October (played Turnberry and others as well) and NB was in my top 2.

Maybe we can play that the day we land.  Depending on how we feel

[hammergolf]

7 hours ago, Olson12 said:

So I took the reigns and planned my first ever trip to Scotland with the help of this forum.  The worst part about planning this trip is realizing I now have to wait 8 months until the trip.  We've scheduled 1 round on most of the days so have room to add another round in the afternoon based on the suggestions here.  

 

We'll be flying into Edinburgh and renting a van. Starting in Ayrshire and ending in St. Andrews 11 days total.  Let me know your thoughts.  

 

 

Friday June 14th - (depends on arrivals/Travel)	Travel
Saturday June 15th	TBD
Sunday June 16th @ 11:48am	Prestwick Golf
Monday June 17th @ 7:06am	Turnberry Resort - King Robert the Bruce Course
Monday June 17th @ 1:28pm	Turnberry Golf - Ailisa Cource
Tuesday June 18th Morning Round?	TBD
Tuesday June 18th @ 2:10pm	Western Gailes
Wednesday June 19th @ 7:50am	Kingsbarn
Thursday June 20th @ 8:32am	Eden (Camping out for Old Course in the AM)
Friday June 21st @ 7:52 am	Jubilee
Saturday June 22nd @ 8:40 am	Castle
Sunday June 23rd	Travel

Great trip!

[hammergolf]

5 hours ago, Olson12 said:

 

 

The most recent reviews of Dundonal kept it off my list.  Especially for the price and about it not being a traditional Links course. 

Troon is great, but West Kilbride, Glasgow Gailes, and Irvine are very good options as well.

[buckI]

If I look at your itinerary correctly then you would want to be in the Ayrshire area.   Agree with Hammer as Troon would be a great option but not sure times are still available.   What was the bad review of Dundonald?  It looked pretty good for the women’s Scottish Open.

[Olson12]

1 hour ago, hammergolf said:

Troon is great, but West Kilbride, Glasgow Gailes, and Irvine are very good options as well.

 

55 minutes ago, buckI said:

If I look at your itinerary correctly then you would want to be in the Ayrshire area.   Agree with Hammer as Troon would be a great option but not sure times are still available.   What was the bad review of Dundonald?  It looked pretty good for the women’s Scottish Open.

indeed we are too close to the open.  Last day of public play is June 13th so we had to drop it.  Carnoustie was also fully booked the week we were there. 
 

the review that took it off the list was someone on this forum said it felt very American and felt like a course you could find easily in the US. 

[hammergolf]

1 minute ago, Olson12 said:

 

indeed we are too close to the open.  Last day of public play is June 13th so we had to drop it.  Carnoustie was also fully booked the week we were there. 
 

the review that took it off the list was someone on this forum said it felt very American and felt like a course you could find easily in the US. 

Are you flying into Glasgow or Edinburgh?

[Olson12]

27 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Are you flying into Glasgow or Edinburgh?

Edinburgh.

 

is it realistic to try and play the same day after traveling from the US? 

[buckI]

If you have any flexibility with Western Gaines and could move that to Saturday that inmy opinion gives you more options.   You could play New, Crail Elie , drive near Carnoustie and hit Panmure or Montrose.   Just a thought.

[El Gringo]

8 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

Edinburgh.

 

is it realistic to try and play the same day after traveling from the US? 

Yes, especially if you are staying in East Lothian. Musselburgh Old or Gullane 3 could be good options the day you land. Just have to find an East Lothian Saturday game to make it worthwhile. Gullane may take Saturday visitors. 

[hammergolf]

35 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

Edinburgh.

 

is it realistic to try and play the same day after traveling from the US? 

Yes, in fact I highly recommend it. By playing a round the day you drive it will help you beat jet lag the first day. Land in the morning, go to the course, play a round. Then have a nice dinner and you’ll be ready for bed at 9 or 10pm. You’ll sleep like a baby and wake up the next morning already adjusted to the time change. There’s also some good options on the way driving over to Ayrshire.

Edited November 14, 2023 by hammergolf

[Olson12]

3 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

Yes, in fact I highly recommend it. By playing a round the day you drive it will help you beat jet lag the first day. Land in the morning, go to the course, play a round. Then have a nice dinner and you’ll be ready for bed at 9 or 10pm. You’ll sleep like a baby and wake up the next morning already adjusted to the time change. There’s also some good options on the way driving over to Ayrshire.

This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for!  Am I doing too much if I want to sneak in a drive to Dunbar?  Or should we just stick to something on the way? 

[Olson12]

32 minutes ago, buckI said:

If you have any flexibility with Western Gaines and could move that to Saturday that inmy opinion gives you more options.   You could play New, Crail Elie , drive near Carnoustie and hit Panmure or Montrose.   Just a thought.

 

Tuesday is the only day we can get on at Western Gailes.

[hammergolf]

10 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

This is exactly the kind of advice I was looking for!  Am I doing too much if I want to sneak in a drive to Dunbar?  Or should we just stick to something on the way? 

Where do you plan on staying Saturday night when you are arrive? If you’re planning on staying in Ayrshire it will add 40 mins on your drive to Ayrshire if you played Dunbar, so not that bad. Or you could stay in Edinburgh or Glasgow for the night to cut the drive in half. Then make the 1hr drive to Prestwick Sunday morning. 

Edited November 14, 2023 by hammergolf

[Olson12]

1 minute ago, hammergolf said:

Where do you plan on staying Saturday night when you are arrive? If you’re planning on staying in Ayrshire it will add 40 mins on your drive to Ayrshire if you played Dunbar, so not that bad. Or you could stay in Edinburgh or Glasgow for the night to cut the drive in half. Then make the 1hr drive to Prestwick Sunday morning. 

Our Airbnb is in Ayr.  So we would complete the drive that night.  But I’m open to moving dates and staying in the Edinburg area for Friday night to play Dunbar Friday and another course in the area Saturday. 

[hammergolf]

1 minute ago, Olson12 said:

Our Airbnb is in Ayr.  So we would complete the drive that night.  But I’m open to moving dates and staying in the Edinburg area for Friday night to play Dunbar Friday and another course in the area Saturday. 

You’ll be pretty tired after the red eye flight and playing a round of golf. If it was me I would either stay in Gullane or Edinburgh. Get a good nights rest, then drive over to Prestwick the following morning. However, if you can’t adjust your dates, It won’t be a killer drive to Ayr from Dunbar, it’s about 2hrs so doable. 

[Olson12]

4 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

Our Airbnb is in Ayr.  So we would complete the drive that night.  But I’m open to moving dates and staying in the Edinburg area for Friday night to play Dunbar Friday and another course in the area Saturday. 

 

really I am open to staying wherever we’re gonna get good golf in.

[hammergolf]

3 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

 

really I am open to staying wherever we’re gonna get good golf in.

What time does your flight arrive? If it gets in early then I would play late morning then drive to Ayr. You’ll hit the proverbial wall around 5-6PM so if you can to Ayr before that you’ll be good. Get you a nice meal, then sleep in since your tee time on Sunday is around noon. It’s mostly motorway on the drive to Ayr from EDI. Ayr is a great base. It tends to be a little cheaper there than Prestwick or Troon. Definitely give yourself an extra 30 mins or so to look at all the history in the clubhouse at Prestwick. 

[Olson12]

22 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

What time does your flight arrive? If it gets in early then I would play late morning then drive to Ayr. You’ll hit the proverbial wall around 5-6PM so if you can to Ayr before that you’ll be good. Get you a nice meal, then sleep in since your tee time on Sunday is around noon. It’s mostly motorway on the drive to Ayr from EDI. Ayr is a great base. It tends to be a little cheaper there than Prestwick or Troon. Definitely give yourself an extra 30 mins or so to look at all the history in the clubhouse at Prestwick. 

No flights booked yet.  Have a google alert setup to keep track of prices as we get closer.  

[cardia10]

Dundonald was ok for our group. Great "experience" but the golf was the most American style of the trip. Glasgow Gailes is a great first round 18 or 36 as it isn't super long, an easy walk, but gets you into that links style of play. On your first leg, only the Turnberry part is any distance away at all.  For food, try Wildings near Turnberry. We stayed at the South Beach Hotel in Troon and found that they packaged all these west coast courses with rooms and were significantly cheaper than booking with any website tour companies. Also, I would have never said this before my trip, but after not getting my clubs until the day we flew out, I'd 100% pay up for ship sticks if your whole group wants to guarantee they have their own clubs. The courses all have nice rentals, but it is nice having your own items. Pack what you need including golf shoes, glove, balls and waterproofs in your carry on so if you have a mishap, you can still play.

Edited November 14, 2023 by cardia10

[McMunch]

When in Fife definitely try to play at Crail. The Balcomie course being the old one and its great. Great history. Great clubhouse. Its just down the road from Kingsbarns so real close to St. A..

I'd swap out Eden for Crail if it was me buts thats personal preference.

 

Also in the area 1/2 hours or less are Lundin, Elie and Leven...loved Lundin GC. Dumbarnie's in the mix too. Cant go wrong anywhere really. Enjoy your trip.

[hammergolf]

13 hours ago, Olson12 said:

No flights booked yet.  Have a google alert setup to keep track of prices as we get closer.  

A good plan would be if EDI is the cheaper flight to play Dunbar the day you arrive. If Glasgow is the better option, then play Irvine, Glasgow Gailes, or Kilmarnock. Only thing I would highly advise is to avoid British Airways or connecting through Heathrow at any cost. It’s a toss up at best if your clubs arrive when you land in Scotland. 

[Olson12]

9 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

A good plan would be if EDI is the cheaper flight to play Dunbar the day you arrive. If Glasgow is the better option, then play Irvine, Glasgow Gailes, or Kilmarnock. Only thing I would highly advise is to avoid British Airways or connecting through Heathrow at any cost. It’s a toss up at best if your clubs arrive when you land in Scotland. 

 

Flying Delta or United so it goes from Az --> NY/NJ --> EDI

 

Avoiding all flights (although cheaper) that go through Heathrow.  

[Olson12]

2 hours ago, cardia10 said:

Dundonald was ok for our group. Great "experience" but the golf was the most American style of the trip. Glasgow Gailes is a great first round 18 or 36 as it isn't super long, an easy walk, but gets you into that links style of play. On your first leg, only the Turnberry part is any distance away at all.  For food, try Wildings near Turnberry. We stayed at the South Beach Hotel in Troon and found that they packaged all these west coast courses with rooms and were significantly cheaper than booking with any website tour companies. Also, I would have never said this before my trip, but after not getting my clubs until the day we flew out, I'd 100% pay up for ship sticks if your whole group wants to guarantee they have their own clubs. The courses all have nice rentals, but it is nice having your own items. Pack what you need including golf shoes, glove, balls and waterproofs in your carry on so if you have a mishap, you can still play.

 

Did you fly through Heathrow?

[hammergolf]

13 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

 

Flying Delta or United so it goes from Az --> NY/NJ --> EDI

 

Avoiding all flights (although cheaper) that go through Heathrow.  

Very good plan. Another option that might be cheaper is to connect through Chicago. 

[hammergolf]

12 minutes ago, Olson12 said:

 

Did you fly through Heathrow?

No, I fly direct out of Chicago most of the time unless I find a really good deal out of JFK or EWR. If I have golf clubs I avoid any connection through London. 

Edited November 14, 2023 by hammergolf