I am studying in Spain and plan to travel to Ireland and Scotland in 2 weeks. Can anyone recommend some public golf courses for my buddy and me in or around Dublin,Ireland and Edinburgh, Scotland. Also, suggest anything we absolutely must not miss in our travels.

While not a golfer, I seem to remember/ think St. Andrews, accessable from Edinburgh, is a public course. Check out their web site. Viewed it several weeks ago simply because family member is course manager here in USA. I recall there's a public right of way through the course or part of it although access may be limited to certain days.<BR>You will need a car or link train/bus to get there.

The majority of courses in Scotland and Ireland are public - even St Andrews and many of the other world famous ones.<BR><BR>There are a LOT of courses within an hour of Edinburgh - including many in Fife. Getting on to the Old Course is not impossible - they have a daily lottery. You phone the course in the morning and at 5PM you call them back to find out if you were lucky. If you are in Edinburgh a few days you can try for the lottery each day. if you make it - trave to St Andrews the next morning. (You must have a handicap cert or letter from your home club secretary). There is no Sunday play on the Old Course.<BR><BR>But all along the Fife coast are WONDERFUL courses - Crail, Lundin Links, Kingsbarns and a host of others.

Every village in Scotland has a golf course, it sometimes seems. Certainly of the Open courses, St Andrews and Carnoustie are public. Some of the more idiosyncratic would include<BR><BR>Machrie on Islay; Colonsay; the one on Skye where Beth and I saw them playing in the snow on New Year's Eve; Braemar, Cruden Bay; Braemar; and lots more.<BR><BR>Many are club owned but provide for public access. There are rules of etiquette, but little snobbery.

Muirfield is impossible to get on - members only + guests, but as others have said most courses are effectively public, even St Andrews. Instead of Muirfield which is only about 30 minutes from Edinburgh you could go for the adjoining Gullane courses - I think there are 3 or 4 courses in the town of Gullane. Also could go down to North Berwick, a little bit further down the coats. Braid Hills in south Edinburgh has nice views, and there is a course just outside Colinton in south west of Edinburgh, set in the PEntland Hills (sorry forgotten name, but still on Edinburgh suburban maps) also has really beautiful views.

Dublin has expanded rapidly since golf clubs started in the late 1800`s so there are actually lots of clubs in the city itself.One of them,Elm Park,is only 2 miles from the centre of the city.Most clubs will allow you to play on payment of a &quot;green fee&quot; although not perhaps at weekends.It is far cheaper to play in the municipal clubs-details on www.golfdublin.com.