From The 152nd Open Championship to the Women's Scottish Open and the PGA Seniors Championship, 2024 is the year golf comes home to Scotland
Looking to enjoy Scotland this summer watching the game the country invented? You're not alone. Scotland and golf is a marriage made in heaven. In this post I'll take you on a journey across Scotland to some of its most famous courses as I showcase to you the Scottish golf events to be at in 2024. Comment at the end of this blog post and tell me which event you want to be at.
Here is your ultimate guide to the hottest golf events in Scotland this summer.
1. Get tickets to the Genesis Scottish Open
Date: 11-14 July
Location: Renaissance Golf Club
Ticket range: £35 - £450
First stop, Scotland's Golf Coast. The Genesis Scottish Open returns to the Renaissance Club in July 2024, its home since 2019 and confirmed to stay at the East Lothian course until at least 2026. It will once again create a brilliant sporting occasion just to the east of Edinburgh.
The East Lothian coast is known as 'Scotland's Golf Coast' and is a wonderful golfing destination. Twenty-two courses lie along the coastline stretching from Edinburgh to Dunbar passing through towns that are synonymous with golf. Musselburgh, Gullane, and North Berwick create the ultimate golfing destination.
What makes the Scottish Open such a special event is the fact that due to the Scottish Open being played the week before the 152nd Open, which is also being staged in Scotland in 2024, you can look forward to huge field of stars with Rory McIlroy leading the way looking to defend his title.
If you have missed out on tickets for the 152nd Open Championship, the Scottish Open is a great alternative with much of the same field playing to get used to Scottish Links golf ahead of the final Major of the year.
You can't go wrong with the Scottish Open, it's a brilliant venue and close enough to Edinburgh so you can get the best of city life as well as one of Scotland's most impressive golf destinations. Make sure you look for tickets and book your visit.
Why visit the Scottish Open at the Renaissance Club
I attended the Scottish Open in 2022 and picked a fine day for it, with glorious sunshine basking down on the course. With a general admission ticket, you'll enter through the Championship Village with food stalls and bars waiting to serve you, a big screen showing all the action and plenty of seating options. Around the course you'll find bars and more food outlets at various points around the course. Walking the course is also a delight, especially on a clear day. You'll need to pay extra to get a spot on the 18th green but even without this, you'll feel right in the middle of the action wherever you position yourself.
How to get to the Scottish Open
Edinburgh is a great location to stay if you are visiting the Scottish Open with easy train links from the city centre and free shuttle busses getting you to the golf course for ticket holders. If you are taking the train from Edinburgh Waverley, you'll need to take the train to Longniddry where shuttle busses will take you the rest of the way. The whole journey will take you around 45 minutes.
There are also scheduled bus services from Edinburgh in the form of the 124 (every 30 minutes) and X5 (every 60 minutes) services. They run from Edinburgh City Centre direct to the Renaissance Club. Journey time for both is around 70 minutes.
Public car parks are also available for those driving and if you would like to cycle to the Scottish Open, you can do with bicycle parking available in the public car parks.
2. Get tickets to the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon
Date: 14-21 July
Location: Royal Troon Golf Club
Ticket range: Resale and Hospitality options available
The 152nd Open Championship is back in Scotland after last being hosted in the country in 2022, at St Andrews. This time The Open will be staged at Royal Troon which is on Scotland's west coast southwest of Glasgow.
Attending an Open Championship is one of the greatest sporting events you will experience. Perfectly organised, full of life and an atmosphere that goes unmatched in the world of golf.
I was at The Open in 2022 at St Andrews and was blown away by the event. I did have another stroke of luck with the sunshine as there was barely a cloud in the sky, but even if that wasn't the case, it still would have been a special day.
Each year The Open conducts a ticket ballot for fans wanting to attend and as you can expect, it's hit and miss as to whether you are successful. But, if you have missed out for 2024's edition there are some last-minute options to make sure you are at The 152nd Open.
First up, The Open's ticket resale program is now available and remains open until the final day of the Championship. The ticket resale program allows fans who were successful in the ticket ballot to sell their tickets to other fans if for whatever reason those ticket holders can no longer attend. The tickets are sold at their original price so you won't be overcharged this way, unlike some other resale ticketing sites. It's worth noting that junior tickets aren't available on the ticket resale platform but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on what is available as it could be your route to The Open. You will need to be a member of The Open's One Club to take part in the ticket resale. It's free to sign up.
The other option for tickets to Royal Troon is through hospitality and its good news as there are still tickets available. Tickets range from £300 to £2000 for day-visits.
Why visit the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon
For any sports fan, The Open is a must-attend event at least once. It's simply once of those sporting weekends that has to be experienced. From the iconic yellow scoreboards, the best links courses in the world and perhaps the biggest merchandise store in sport, you'll feel like you are in a golfing theme park.
Royal Troon will host it's tenth Open Championship in 2024 meaning there will be even more to celebrate around course as they mark the occasion.
How to get to The Open Championship
The 152nd Open Championship is being held at Royal Troon which is the coastal town of Troon, southwest of Glasgow.
By train from Glasgow's Central Station the journey on the direct trains will take you around 45 minutes with services via Kilmarnock a little longer. When you arrive at Troon's railway station it's a 20 minute walk to Royal Troon Golf Club.
By bus, the 922 service is a direct link between Glasgow's Buchanan Bus Station and Troon's West Portland Street with a 20 minute walk onward to Royal Troon. You can also get the X7 from Glasgow to Ayr then the X77 to Kilmarnock and then the 14 service which will take you right up to Royal Troon.
There will be no public parking at Royal Troon so you are advised not to travel by car.
3. Get tickets to the Senior Open
Date: 25-28 July
Location: Carnoustie Golf Club
Ticket range: £25 - £35
The Senior Open is a great way to see the legends of golf still play the game. There have been plenty of household names that have won the event since its beginning in 1987. Players such as Gary Player, Tom Watson, Bernhard Langer, Fred Couples, Darren Clarke and Miguel Angel Jimenez have all won the Senior Open.
In 2024 the Senior Open will be played at the prestigious Carnoustie Golf Club on the east coast of Scotland, less than an hour's drive north from St Andrews or just over an hour's drive south from Aberdeen. The east coast of Scotland is a golfing paradise.
Carnoustie is steeped in golfing history with evidence the game has been played on its links dating back four centuries. Old Tom Morris, affectionally known as the 'Grandfather of Golf' is to thank for a lot of the challenges Carnoustie presents after he transformed the previous 10-hole course into an 18-hole golf course before James Braid adjusted the length in the early 20th century to create what awaits players today.
The price of tickets to the Senior Open range from £25 to £35 on tournament days.
Why visit the Senior Open at Carnoustie
As much as you will be able to watch some of the legends of golf battle it out for glory, a visit to Carnoustie is worth it just to say you have walked the course. In 2019 Carnoustie won the award for 'World's Best Golf Course' and with features such as the Barry Burn it's a golfing destination that has to be ticked off.
How to get to the Senior Open at Carnoustie
Carnoustie is perhaps the only golf course which has a train station practically on its fairways. The Golf Street Train Station is incredibly basic with only four services stopping at it Monday-Saturday. There are no Sunday services. In 2023 the train station had fewer than 1000 passenger movements.
The scheduled services are southbound at 06:15 to Dundee and 07:51 to Glasgow. Northbound there is a 18:14 and 18:51 to Arbroath.
The railway between Dundee and Arbroath actually played a pivotal role in the popularity of Carnoustie as when the rail link was built in 1828 golfers descended on Carnoustie eager to play the course.
When Carnoustie hosted The Open Championship in 1999 extra trains stopped at the station to help with the movement of crowds.
Carnoustie however does have another train station about 2km north from Golf Street and with the town itself being close to Dundee there are good rail and bus connections.
Carnoustie is well connected by northbound and southbound trains and busses meaning it's within easy reach of Aberdeen from the north and Edinburgh from the south. If you are travelling form Aberdeen by train both Scotrail and LNER will get you to Carnoustie, with services either stopping in Carnoustie are a quick change at Dundee required. Train times range from an hour to close to two hours depending on the connections.
Equally if you are travelling from Edinburgh, trains to Dundee are regular with Scotrail and LNER and to Arbroath with local connections to Carnoustie.
Bus services such as Flixbus and Megabus also serve Dundee. The M92 Megabus service departs from Edinburgh and Aberdeen to Dundee where it's then just a quick connection to Carnoustie.
4. Get tickets to the PGA Seniors Championship
Date: 1-4 August
Location: Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen
Ticket range: £18 - and upwards for bespoke experiences
From Carnoustie up the coast to Aberdeen and the Trump International Golf Links now for the PGA Seniors Championship. We really are on a great tour of Scottish golf courses here, aren't we? And we haven't even got to the Home of Golf yet.
Now, this is a cool event to attend because The PGA Seniors Championship is your chance to actually play the tournament, instead of just watch, with various packages available. Those packages may well come at a cost but if budget doesn't concern you then take a look at this and you could be playing alongside the likes of Sir Nick Faldo.
Firstly, tickets are priced at £18 on each day of the tournament and juniors (under-16) go free, so for a sports fan it's great value.
But, if you want to be out there playing with a legend here are your options.
On Tuesday 30th July which is pro-am day, you can enter a team that will have use of the practice facilities, have breakfast in the players lounge, get a gift bag, enjoy hospitality AND play a full-round with a legend all for the price of £3,600 (per team of three).
On Wednesday 31st July for the celebrity pro-am day, you can play with a celebrity and a legend, have breakfast with the stars, enjoy hospitality and receive bespoke gifts for £2,500 per person.
AND if one round wasn't enough and you want to feel like a real pro, you can play 3 rounds under tournament conditions with a legend from Wednesday to Friday, including a round with a celebrity on pro-am day plus invitations to all the private events and more gifts for £12,000 per person.
That all makes for quite the sporting experience especially when you look at who is playing and who you could be playing with.
The legends range from Ryder Cup captains such as Thomas Bjorn, Paul McGinley, Colin Montgomerie and Ian Woosnam and other stars of the game such as Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, John Daly and Sir Nick Faldo.
The celebrities from the world of sport, business and entertainment who will be playing consist of Damon Hill, James Anderson, Teddy Sheringham and Brian McFadden.
So whatever ticket you buy, whether it be the £18 ticket or the £12,000 ticket, you're in for a treat.
Why visit the PGA Seniors Championship
Trump International Golf Links opened in 2012 although it didn't please many in Aberdeen who rejected the idea of the natural sand dunes being replaced with a new golf course. Planning permission was granted however and two courses now lie along the coast.
With the line up of players playing it promises to be a great watch for sports fans and visiting Aberdeen for any golf fan is worth. To the south of Trump International Golf Course is the sixth oldest golf course in the world, the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club which is well worth a look around.
How to get there
Trump International Golf Links is located just north of Aberdeen and is about a 30 minute bus journey from the centre of the city if you take the 61, X63 or X65 services. It's about a 20 minute drive from the city.
5. Get tickets to the Women's Scottish Open
Date: 15-18 August
Location: Dundonald Links
Ticket range: TBC
The 2024 Women's Scottish Open will once again return to Dundonald Links in Ayrshire, it'll be the third successive time the tournament has been staged at the venue.
As of yet, tickets for the tournament have yet to go on sale but if 2023's prices are anything to go by it will be good value and a great event to take kids too and see if they get inspired by the game. Adult prices were £10 per day in 2023, juniors were £7.50 and under 16's go free.
6. Get tickets to the AIG Women's Open
Date: 21-25 August
Location: St Andrews
Ticket range: £37.50 - £42.50
Finally! We have arrived at St Andrews, what a tour of Scotland's golf courses so far. Fitting then that for our last two events we are in St Andrews, the Home of Golf.
It's the Women's Open that takes us to the famous Old Course. I love St Andrews. There is golfing history everywhere you look, incredible beaches and golf courses to soak up and a lively centre of town with bars and restaurants that are always full of atmosphere.
Add to that a major sporting event on the Old Course and the town comes even more alive.
This is the third time the Women's Open has been staged at St Andrews.
Tickets are available for the AIG Women's Open and are well priced. For Day One and Day Two adult tickets are priced at £37.50 whilst Day Three and Day Four are priced at £42.50. Youth tickets are slightly cheaper whilst kids go free on all days.
You can also opt for a 5-day ticket for £135 and a weekend ticket for £75 which both give a discount on the daily prices.
Wednesday's pro-am will cost £17.50.
Why visit the AIG Women's Open
The Women's Open does a great job of providing entertainment on and off the course with live music, player interviews in front of fans and a heap of different experiences the whole family can enjoy within the Festival Fan Village including the Golf It zone, which is mini-golf.
How to get to St Andrews
Even though St Andrews is a little detached from the main rail routes, it's still relatively easy to reach by car or bus.
The closest train station to St Andrews you can reach from Edinburgh and Aberdeen is Leuchars and from there bus services will take you to St Andrews in about 15 minutes.
7. Get tickets to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship
Date: 3-6 October
Location: St Andrews, Kingsbarns, Carnoustie
Ticket range: Thursday-Saturday: £0 Sunday: TBC
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championships is a wonderful event that mixes professional golfers and amateurs often in the form of celebrities. In the past the likes of Hugh Grant, Michael Douglas and Michael Phelps have all competed.
The best part of the event for sports fans is Thursday-Saturday the event is free to attend with only the Sunday being charged.
Players rotate across all three courses until the final round is played at St Andrews on the Sunday. England's Matthew Fitzpatrick won the event in 2023.
Why visit the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships
The Alfred Dunhill Links Championships models itself on America's AT&T Pepple Beach Pro-Am, but to have the event across three of Scotland's most historic golf courses really adds to the spectacle.
St Andrews, the home of golf is a joy to visit for sports fans. The Old Course where tournaments are played, including the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, is considered one of the world's oldest golf courses. Meanwhile, Kingsbarns Links which is just down the road is one of Scotland's newer golf courses having opened in 2000. It has since cemented its place as one of the world's best golf courses and has been ranked inside the top 100 courses in the world. Carnoustie is also a golf course that just has to be visited, simply to soak up the history.
How to get to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships
With three courses staging the event each year you have a number of options on where to go and where to stay. Your best bet would be stay in St Andrews with Kingsbarns 20 minutes south on the bus and Carnoustie an hour north using public transport via Dundee.
It makes for a great golfing weekend when staying in St Andrews with all of its golfing history, bars, hotels and historic golfing shops dotted around the town and you'll be safe in the knowledge you'll be seeing an outstanding DP World Tour event for free for the majority.
Which of Scotland's golf events in 2024 do you want to visit? From brilliant value tickets to some of the world's most historic golf courses, it promises to be a huge summer for the sport in the country the sport was invented.
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