Latest news with #NeilCoulson
Daily Record
21-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Over 14,500 apply for a chance to play historic St Andrews golf course for just £42.50
Only 81 tee times on the Old and Eden Courses were available, but golfers will get another chance to get a coveted spot More than 14,500 Scottish golfers have jumped at the chance to tee off at the world-famous Old Course in St Andrews for a fraction of the usual cost. The St Andrews Links Trust, which oversees all seven public courses in the town, has revealed a staggering 14,547 applications were submitted for just 81 four-ball slots on the Old and Eden Courses this May and June. That equates to a one-in-90 shot at playing the iconic Old Course, and for only £42.50. Usually priced at £340 during peak season, the heavily discounted rounds are part of the Trust's new 'Drive' initiative, designed to broaden access to golf and encourage participation across all ages and skill levels, Scottish Daily Express reports. The offer launched with 179 tee times available to 716 Scottish golfers, offering up to 87.5 percent off summer green fees across the Old, Castle, Jubilee, and Eden courses. It marks an attempt to make the Home of Golf more accessible at a time when prices across Scotland's premier courses have soared. A recent study found average green fees have jumped 67 percent over five years at 30 of the country's best-known venues. At Gleneagles, for example, a summer round on the King's Course has risen from £140 to £330, while the Duke's Course in St Andrews now costs £220, up from £100. The first wave of lucky golfers will play today, Wednesday, May 21, with 44 teeing off on the legendary Old Course at just £42.50 each. Others will play the Eden Course for only £9.50. Later this year, more affordable rounds will be available on the Castle and Jubilee Courses, with September and October slots opening for applications on 6 August. Under the initiative, players will pay £22.50 to play the Castle Course, usually £180, and £18.75 for the Jubilee Course, which normally costs £150. According to the Trust, the overwhelming interest shows just how much demand there is among local players to experience St Andrews. Most applications were for two-ball tee times, underscoring the competitive nature of the ballot. 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. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. '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 ages and abilities. "Given the huge number 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.' While the Drive scheme is still in its pilot phase, the Trust has confirmed it is already exploring ways to grow the programme for next year, potentially offering more players the chance to walk the same fairways as legends.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Thousands of golfers apply for discounted rounds on world-famous links courses
More than 14,500 applications have been made by Scottish golfers for the chance to play the historic courses at St Andrews Links at a reduced rate as part of an initiative to widen access to the Home of Golf. Between May and October 2025, 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 6 August 2025. READ MORE: Hints of 'more opportunities' for cut-rate Old Course play St Andrews Old Course golf rounds to be offered at £42.50 I embarrassed my sons on the golf course open to all 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. A golfer on the 18th hole at the Old Course (Image: Official Photo St Andrews Links® The Home of Golf) 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 ages and abilities. Given the huge number 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 Wednesday, May 21 with 44 golfers playing the Old Course for just £42.50 each. Full details and how to apply are available at:
The Herald Scotland
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Thousands apply for discounted rounds on world-famous links courses
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 6 August 2025. READ MORE: Hints of 'more opportunities' for cut-rate Old Course play St Andrews Old Course golf rounds to be offered at £42.50 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. A golfer on the 18th hole at the Old Course (Image: Official Photo St Andrews Links® The Home of Golf) 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 ages and abilities. Given the huge number 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 Wednesday, May 21 with 44 golfers playing the Old Course for just £42.50 each. Full details and how to apply are available at:
Scotsman
20-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
Whopping figure revealed for cut-price St Andrews tee times
More than 14,500 Scottish golfers applied for The Drive initiative launched by Links Trust Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... More than 14,500 applications have been made by Scottish golfers for the chance to play on the historic courses at St Andrews at a reduced rate as part of an initiative to "widen access to the home of golf". The whopping figure was revealed 24 hours before 44 players tackle the Old Course for just £42.50 each as part of an initiative called The Drive. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Between this month and October, 179 tee times are being made available by St Andrews Links Trust to give golfers resident in Scotland 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. A player tees off the on the 18th hole on the Old Course, where 44 Scottish golfers will play on Wednesday for just £42.50 each | St Andrews Links Trust The remainder of the tee times as part of the pilot project will be on the Castle and Jubilee Courses in September and October, with applications opening for those times on August 6. Due to the initial success of the initiative, the Links Trust is already looking at opportunities to expand tee time allocation for The Drive in 2026. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We are delighted so many golfers across Scotland have embraced The Drive and are so keen to come to play our famous courses,' said Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust. Initiative set be expanded into 2026 and beyond '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 ages and abilities. 'Given the huge number 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.
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Scotsman
The massive surge in 48 hours for cut-price St Andrews tee times as Old Course round heavily discounted
'Really strong' interest in eye-catching intiative offering discounted green fees at iconic venue Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... More than 10,000 applications from golfers across Scotland had been submitted in just over 48 hours for massively discounted green fees at St Andrews. Under a Drive initiative launched last week by St Andrews Links Trust, golfers who reside in Scotland are being offered hundreds of tee times for a fraction of the normal cost. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A round on the Old Course, host of a record 30 Opens and set to stage the Claret Jug event again in 2027, is up for grabs for just £42.50 - an eighth of the usual high-season price of £340. In total, 179 tee times are being made available at reduced prices for golf enthusiasts who live in Scotland across dates from May to October. A golfer tees off on the 18th on the Old Course, where a few lucky people will be playing for just £42.50 this year | St Andrews Links Trust The allocation means 716 golfers in total will be able to access a tee time on the Old, Castle, Jubilee and Eden courses at a fraction of the usual cost. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The closing date for the chance to play the Old Course on 21 May, when 11 tee times are on offer, is today (Tuesday) and, as expected, the initiative has generated huge interest among golfers all over the country. A spokesperson for St Andrews Links Trust told The Scotsman: 'The response to The Drive initiative has been really strong with more than 10,000 applications from across Scotland for the discounted times so far. This shows the incredible appetite from golfers in Scotland to experience the Home of Golf. 'Golfers have until 29 April to apply for the discounted Old Course tee times for play on 21 May. Applications for our Eden Course rounds from 27 May to 3 June will close on 6 May. 'As a reminder, the discounted times as part of The Drive initiative are available on specific days and it's important golfers read the details on our website and apply through the correct form at We have seen a small number of golfers enter the daily Old Course ballot, which is not eligible for these discounted times.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Under the initiative, a round on the Castle Course will cost just £22.50 - down from the usual green fees of £180. A game on the Jubilee and Eden courses, meanwhile, will cost just £18.75 (down from £150) and £9.50 (down from £75) respectively. Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: 'As the Home of Golf, St Andrews Links Trust takes its responsibility to the sport incredibly seriously. That is why we are so excited to launch a new initiative offering golfers across Scotland the opportunity to play our historic and iconic courses at a lower price. 'Widening access to golf is a key objective for us, and over the coming years we hope we can continue to provide opportunities to golfers of all ages and abilities. 'Golf has become increasingly popular in recent years and with this demand for our courses has surged to unprecedented levels. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
