1st Time Visiting UK: Best Cities To Stay To Play Golf?

[zenbudda]

I will be in the UK from May 30-June7.

June 3 - June 6 I will be staying in London.

May 30 - June 3 I have a choice to stay anywhere in the UK.

My questions are:

1. Where should I stay to have the easiest/quickest access to public courses that have hosted The Open (price is not a concern)? I'm thinking Edinburgh or Glasgow so I will have fairly easy/quick access to a lot of the main courses (St Andrews, Royal Troon, Prestwick, Turnberry, Muirfield). Whatever area you suggest, are there non-golf things to do (for my wife)?

2. Where near the London area should I play (price is not a concern)? I don't mind playing the less pricier courses around London.

3. What is your recommended #1 non-golf thing to do "in the UK" for a first time UK visitor?

 

[cnnmaverick]

I went to college in St Andrews so I may be biased but I think it would be a great place to stay and play. Mind you as a single you'll have to enter the lottery for the old course but you should likely get on. Outside of Old, there's a number of quality courses - New, Jubilee, Strath, Eden, Castle. A little further out Kingsbarns and Torrance are VERY solid courses and literally 15min drive.

 

St Andrews is about 40min from Edinburgh so easy to get there and get. Lots of history in the town, walk around, enjoy the atmosphere and the beaches especially in July. Castle and ruins are interesting. I recommend the Old Course Hotel for the wife if she wants to have a spa experience.

Outside of this, Edinburgh is a great town to visit for a day with Royal Mile, Castle etc.

 

For London : pick up a travel guide or check TripAdvisor. more than enough to soak in for a few days

[Hawkeye77]

Can’t enter ballot as a single.

[Hawkeye77]

St. Andrews/Carnoustie stay St. Andrews for sure.

 

Royal Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry, hey you said cost no object, stay over on the coast.

 

I’d stand in line to play St. Andrews and after that play some other courses in/near St. Andrews, Carnoustie if you must play more Open sites.

 

Edinburgh as a base doesn’t make a lot of sense driving wise.

[Hawkeye77]

Your wife can tag along on most courses, but plenty for her to do in St. Andrews and can also hop a train to Edinburgh and see the castle and all things nearby.

[scott_Donald]

1.

St Andrews fits the bill for their courses. Come to Aberdeen if you want to play there. Inverness if you want to play there. If The West cost courses maybe Ayr or Trump Turnberry.

 

what itinerary are you thinking? where do you want to play and from there think logistics.

[BB28403]

Clifton Hills Golf Range my friend. You can thank me later . Mights have a round at Torquey golf club? Get up dan!

[jameshay]

If you want to stay in an actual City and not a town. Stay in Glasgow and you can get the train or drive to Ayrshire. Trains are cheap and frequent.

 

You then have Turnberry, Troon, Prestwick, Dundonald, Western Gailes, Glasgow Gailes, Prestwick St Nicks, Kilmarnock Barassie among others to play and the benefit of staying in a City with things to do, places to go and good nightlife., shopping, music etc.

 

You can also get the train to Edinburgh, only takes 40 minutes and they are at least every half an hour if you want to visit the Castle and the like.

[milesgiles]

If you have 4 clear days you could play all rota courses with a helicopter.. more realistically And enjoyably I’d concentrate on one area, staying in Liverpool gives you easy access to lytham, hoylake and birkdale and can throw in two or three excellent qualifiers. I’m not completely convinced there is much to do in St. Andrews for non golfers I could be wrong.. Edinburgh is one of our best cities but a bit of a yomp to St. Andrews. I know Glasgow fairly well, blue collar town like Liverpool, but pretty cool and lively. Good access to Ayrshire.

[Hawkeye77]

Plenty to see and do in St. Andrews and area, and Edinburgh an easy train if there is more wanted by non golfers.

[Hawkeye77]

Liverpool is intriguing.

[zenbudda]

Thanks for all the suggestions. We are going to try for St Andrews (stay and play) and hopefully i can get in st andrews and carnoustie at mimimum. Soooo many courses i want to play! And sooo many pubs i want to drink at lol.

[James the Hogan Fan]

Don’t forget Sandwich! Royal St. George’s hosts the Open next year and there are a number of good courses around. (27 at Prince’s, 18 Royal Cinque Ports; both former Open venues from 80+ years ago) It’s about two hour’s from London by car so you could pull it off on one of your London days.

Just have a look, I took my trip there this March.

 

My non-golfing girlfriend found many things to do in the surrounding Ramsgate, Margate, and Broadstairs area. There are some beautiful and historic sites all dotting that area. You could, for example, assuming a rental car, drive from London to Royal St. Georges, dropping your wife off to explore Sandwich. You play your golf, and when she tires of Sandwich, she hops a bus (30-45min) to Canterbury. You play and drive back, meeting her in Canterbury for dinner and a riverboat tour of the Stour. Then drive back to London.

 

[Ty_Webb]

Liverpool you have Hoylake, Birkdale and Lytham all right there, plus Hillside and Formby for a couple of others. No idea what there is to do there outside of golf.

 

Southern Scotland around Edinburgh you've got St Andrews and Muirfield, then Troon and Turnberry on the other side. Carnoustie if you head north a bit.

 

Down on the Kent coast, you've got RSG and Deal and Princes as James the Hogan Fan noted. Also Rye if you can get on it about an hour away. Rye would be a great little town to drop the wife off in. She could also go check out Hastings.

 

Not Open rota courses, but you could go play Hunstanton and Brancaster on the Norfolk coast. They're both really good.

 

While you're in London, I would say, if money is no object, go check out the Surrey heathland courses - Sunningdale, Walton Heath, Swinley Forest and then the Berkshire is close by too. Other options near there would be Woking and Worplesdon. Both v good.

[zenbudda]

St Andrews (all courses) are closed for an event (tournament?). Just booked our hotel at St Andrews and will play Carnoustie championship course. Havent figured out the London area yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Hawkeye77]

> @zenbudda said:

> St Andrews (all courses) are closed for an event (tournament?). Just booked our hotel at St Andrews and will play Carnoustie championship course. Havent figured out the London area yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

>

You should recheck that if your dates are May 30 - June 3, the St. Andrews Trust courses, including The Old Course, are not 100% closed when you are there.

[scott_Donald]

> @zenbudda said:

> St Andrews (all courses) are closed for an event (tournament?). Just booked our hotel at St Andrews and will play Carnoustie championship course. Havent figured out the London area yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

>

 

Shocked that all the courses are ever closed except when it snows!

[zenbudda]

> @Hawkeye77 said:

> > @zenbudda said:

> > St Andrews (all courses) are closed for an event (tournament?). Just booked our hotel at St Andrews and will play Carnoustie championship course. Havent figured out the London area yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

> >

> You should recheck that if your dates are May 30 - June 3, the St. Andrews Trust courses, including The Old Course, are not 100% closed when you are there.

 

Maybe i misunderstood her, but i asked if the courses were open and she said no.

[Hawkeye77]

> @zenbudda said:

> > @Hawkeye77 said:

> > > @zenbudda said:

> > > St Andrews (all courses) are closed for an event (tournament?). Just booked our hotel at St Andrews and will play Carnoustie championship course. Havent figured out the London area yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

> > >

> > You should recheck that if your dates are May 30 - June 3, the St. Andrews Trust courses, including The Old Course, are not 100% closed when you are there.

>

> Maybe i misunderstood her, but i asked if the courses were open and she said no.

 

Check the website under busy dates and email if any particular questions. Ballot looks open on some days for The Old Course and may still be able to walk up if no ballot and it doesn't say course closed. I'd check it out. Other courses should have times as well based on website, but the whole place isn't shut down.

[milesgiles1]

> @zenbudda said:

> St Andrews (all courses) are closed for an event (tournament?). Just booked our hotel at St Andrews and will play Carnoustie championship course. Havent figured out the London area yet. Again, thanks for the suggestions.

>

 

 

So you understood all St Andrews courses were closed and decided to book a hotel there? Not sure if srs..

 

 

[duffer987]

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