My brother the golf nut has the British Open in his sights next summer and since I had been planning to take my parents there next year we may make this a big family trip (saints preserve us).

How early does one need to secure tickets to ANY event? I assume there are proper tickets, it's not like the Tour de France where you just stake yourself out somewhere to watch it happen.

If one dawdles and misses out on tickets, are there still things to amuse a golf fiend just by being in the town at the same time?

I've never attended a golfing event much less something as big as this, so I have no idea what to expect. Has anyone reading this attended an Open and what are your thoughts/any advice for him (us)? I expect we will be staying in Edinburgh so we don't all have to go watch each day.

Thank you!

All the info you need is on the website (no you can't just stake yourselves out)

http://www.opengolf.com/Championship...mpionship.aspx

How many of you in total? There is a limit of 4 tickets of any one sort per day . . . .

Meant to add -- there is TONS to see/do in the area besides golf. But if it was me, I would stay closer than Edinburgh and attend the Open more than one day.

I have never known the Open Championship to sell out, or having to restrict ticket sale on the day. So you can get on the course no problems, and most stands (except a couple on 17th and 18th) are also free and unreserved. If you book early, you get a small discount.
While a lot of people stay around Edinburgh and travel for a day to St Andrews, don't attempt to do this by car - roads are pretty narrow in places and you'll be guaranteed to hit a huge jam both going and returning. Best to catch a train to Leuchars, nearest station 5 miles away, from which there are frequent buses and taxis to Old Course. The Open is very well organised, and though crowded, you will have your fill of the action both on and off the course - such is the attraction of the Home of Golf (had a holiday there last month). You won't regret it.

Alec, perfect, that is incredibly helpful!

I've been to Edinburgh before, I know there are loads of things to see and do - but he will want to soak up as much golf as he possibly can.

Thanks for the website, Janis.

The Open:
There are likely to be approx. 50 k visitors per day to the course and it may be good to arrive early if you want to see some flites up close.
With regards to the tournament: Bear in mind that due to the large number of people attending they appear to cordon off the fairways at quite a distance, so coming really close to the players may not be as easy as at other tournaments. While I normally enjoy following a specific group of players around a course, at least on the final day at the last Open at St. Andrews I thought spending the afternoon on the stand that overlooks the middle of the 18th fairway was the best option. From there you could see the action on the 17th and the 18th and even the 18th green is close enough to see the players finish.

Where to stay:
I would recommend to stay in town if you are at all interested in the golf. There is quite a buzzing atmosphere and St. Andrews has a brilliant seaside location and offers good access to other nearby villages and even Edinburgh - at least if you have a car (I did and cannot comment on public transport).
I can recommend the Fairmont St. Andrews. I stayed there during the last Open (when it still was privately owned and run, but I would not at all expect the change to becoming a Fairmont to be detrimental). It's a bit outside town, but they run a frequent and free shuttle bus into town (at least they did, you may want to make sure). It's a modern hotel in a stunning seaside setting, set amidst 2 of its own golf courses in case you want to squeeze in a round yourself.
Should you decide on it, ask for a room not facing the obnoxious milky glass roof of their atrium, which blocks what could be a fascinating view as far as the Firth of Forth for quite a couple of rooms on one side of the building even on the highest floor.

Eating:
You may want to book well ahead. We did not and ended up eating at the hotel most of the time as most all establishments that looked nice were completely booked.

Driving time to Edinburgh:
Edinburgh is about a 1.5 hour drive away, a bit longer if you take the more scenic route via Crail and Anstruther.

St Andrews is a great place to be during the Open, and you don't want to be driving in every day as Alec mentioned, the traffic is awful. Definitely book restaurants in advance, as the town is heaving! You could always head off to Edinrburgh one day and leave him to it.

Even this summer, with no Open, St Andrews was full to bursting and you couldn't get into most, decent-looking restaurants without booking at the weekend.
While a car is otherwise useful for getting round other towns and villages, it will be a big millstone round your neck when staying IN St Andrews. There isn't much parking, and streets and nearby roads get gridlocked during the championship (no motorways or dual carriageways nearby). If you stay within the town boundaries, the Old Course is at most 20-30 minutes walk away. What I'm saying is try not to bring a car into St Andrews. If you are staying nearby, look out for shuttle service or buses (quite good). If staying in Edinburgh or Dundee (another possibility and much closer), use the train (not bus from Edinburgh due to traffic).
As for getting accommodation in St Andrews, most places lay down a minimum stay of a week or at least the last four days, and you should expect to pay many times more than usual, A £50-a-night hotel may be charging £200, for example. A week's hire of a flat or cottage may run to £3000 and up. Even university accommodation is expensive. Book now for a still reasonable choice.

hsv, alihutch, alec, thank you so much!

Now I'm getting excited about this and I don't even golf. I just got off the phone with my brother. He still isn't certain of time off next summer, but this is really high on his list of things he wants to see so as the year progresses we will continue plotting.

If you're still reading this, one idea I gave him was to stay in Scotland with his wife (he only has the week) and the rest of us would head off to the trip I had already started planning in England. He'd like to golf a few times while he is there and obviously wouldn't be able to do it at St. Andrews then. Any other golf courses you'd highly recommend, whether for historic value or just drop-dead beautiful scenery?

"<i>Any other golf courses you'd highly recommend, whether for historic value or just drop-dead beautiful scenery?</i>"

There are MANY courses that fit one or both of those criteria. Too many to even start to list. Carnoustie may be really crowded because of its proximity to St Andrews. Same w/ the courses in Fife. Many golfers try to combine a trip to the Open w/ playing nearby and semi-nearby courses.

But there are all sorts of great courses -- up on the Aberdeen coast, north of Inverness, on the western/Ayshire coast and everywhere in between. Royal Dornoch, Troon, Prestwick, Cruden Bay are all great courses that are far removed from Fife/St Andrews. But every town and many villages have good courses.

If he has a specific course(s) he wants to play, we can help him work out an itinerary. OR -- if he has specific sites/places he wants to visit, we can help him locate the best courses in those areas.

Can be planned either way round -- pick courses and then decide what else to see - or - decide what to see then pick courses.

Accommodations will be tight for the Open, I'm sure,,,,even now. We've been to St. Andrews and the area about 4 times (with a car) and loved every minute (as is true for ALL of Scotland, 9 times), and it is awfully pleasant when the open is NOT on....)
My cousin, who is a teaching golf pro, attended the open the last time it was in St.Andrews and had a wonderful experience.

Many people in the area open their homes for accommodations...I think hotels are probably booked a year or way more in advance. Some stay down the coast a few miles around Anstruther, Creel etc....and have great "B&B" private home accommodation. (and the owners even drove my cousin back and forth to the tournament)
It WOULD Be fun to be in St. Andrews for the open and experience the excitement of it all,,,,,but it WILL be crowded and touristy!
And afterwards (or before) there are indeed LOADS of beautiful golf courses in the rest of Scotland,,,close by OR even "cross country" that one might want to play.
janisj has some good ideas.

Thanks Mari and Janis.

About five years ago I gave him a photography book about golfing in Scotland (perhaps the whole UK, I can't remember now) so I'll ask him what strikes his fancy.

BTW if you call it "The British Open" a golf bore will ruin your life.

CW, point taken! Come to think of it, my brother just said "the Open". Aren't there other opens though - or are those the ones you distinguish by name... I guess I'll learn a lot between now and next summer.

As a golf "nut" I would think he would rather play the courses rather than watch other's play.

Personally, I would stay home and watch "The Open" on television. I would then take the family trip to Scotland and play St. Andrew's, Carnoustie, Royal Dornach, etc.

I went to the Masters two years ago. I walked the course and got to enjoy Augusta National. As far as watching any play, you are better off sitting on your couch with a beer. Picture Tiger Woods on the tee, then picture about 14 rows of people standing in front of you.

<<< Aren't there other opens though >>>

Yes, but they are all <something> Open

Book your accommodation in St Andrews now. It is not going to be a problem to cancel; really it is not.

The advice about the train is spot on, but even Leuchars is 6 miles away and that 6 miles can take for ever during the Open. I recall that last time it was in St Andrews a) people were staying in Carnoustie and commuting by boat; and b) people were staying on the QE2, and commuting by helicopter.

Really, pick a couple of days of your week and STAY in St Andrews. Then get out and play golf elsewhere.

I probably should mention that our plans morphed considerably this year.. We will be in Italy and Switzerland, not Scotland.