More than 14,500 applications have been made by Scottish golfers for the chance to play the historic courses at St Andrews at a reduced rate as part of an initiative to widen access to the Home of Golf.
Between May and October, 179 tee times are being made available as part of The Drive, meaning golfers resident in Scotland have the opportunity to play at a reduced price.
The first wave of available tee times has seen incredible demand, with 14,547 golfers applying for the 81 available four-ball times to play on the famous Old Course and the Eden Course on dates in May and June. With the majority of applications for two-ball tee times this means golfers had a one-in-90 chance of securing a tee time.
The remainder of the tee times as part of the pilot project will be on the Castle and Jubilee Courses in September and October this year, with applications opening for those times on August 6.
The first year of The Drive will see a total of 716 golfers given the opportunity to access tee times across the Old, Castle, Jubilee and Eden courses at an 87.5% reduction on the regular high season green fees.
Those who have been successful in securing an Old Course tee time in the free-to-enter ballot will pay just £42.50. The Eden Course will cost just £9.50. A round on the Castle Course will cost £22.50, down from £180, while it will cost golfers £18.75 to play the Jubilee Course, down from £150.
Given the initial success of the initiative, the Links Trust is already looking at opportunities to expand tee time allocation for The Drive in 2026.
Neil Coulson, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “We are delighted so many golfers across Scotland have embraced The Drive and are so keen to come to play our famous courses.
“As the Home of Golf, we believe in widening access to the sport and this new initiative is part of our drive to provide opportunities for golfers of all aged and abilities. Given the huge numbers of applications it is clear the demand is there for Scottish golfers to experience St Andrews Links and we are already looking at how we can expand the initiative into 2026 and beyond with more times.
“We now look forward to welcoming those who have been successful in applying for tee times on the Old Course and the Eden Course, and hope golfers across Scotland can enjoy some excellent golf.”
As the custodians of the Home of Golf, St Andrews Links Trust launched The Drive initiative to support its charitable objectives to promote golf participation by encouraging players of all ages and abilities to get involved in the sport. It is part of an ongoing review of access to the St Andrews Links courses amid unprecedented local and global demand for golf to ensure they remain accessible for local residents, ticketholders and visitors.
All tee times provided as part of The Drive are from existing visitor or commercial allocations and will not impact priority times allocated to Links Ticketholders.
The first tee times fulfilled as part of The Drive initiative will be on May 21, with 44 golfers playing the Old Course for just £42.50 each.
Full details and how to apply are available at standrews.com/drive