How much does it cost to play the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns?

It would be quite the week, wouldn’t it?

Pitching up in St Andrews to tackle the Old Course, with Kingsbarns just eight miles down the coast, then back across the Tay to Carnoustie.

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It’s up there with the perfect golf trips, combining the sport’s most treasured turf, a true championship test and a modern take on links golf.

This is exactly what awaits many players and their celebrity partners at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship this week.

Feel-good is one way to describe it, when it’s not raining, of course. That can certainly happen in Scotland in autumn, but it rarely dampens the mood of dog walkers and golf lovers who travel to Fife and Angus to spectate at one of the DP World Tour’s most popular events.

Matt Fitzpatrick is on the start sheet, as are Tommy Fleetwood, Bob MacIntyre, Tyrrell Hatton, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka and Bubba Watson.

Many of us will be watching, jealous of the stars strolling these magnificent courses. So, how much does it actually cost to play each one, and what would a trip including all three come to?

The opening hole on the Old Course at St Andrews | Source: St Andrews

ALSO: Where does the Old Course rank in the NCG Top 100s: GB&I List?

Old Course at St Andrews

Until October 18 2026, the price to play the Old Course is £355, as we are still in the high-season period. It is the same price for an adult and an under-16. You can find these figures here.

Between October 19 and 31, it is £250 for an adult and under-16 – this is what’s known as the shoulder season.

From November 1 until March 31 2027 is the low season when fairway mats are in use. It is £180 for adults and under-16s. Given the current industry-wide state of green fees, this feels like good value if you’re happy using mats.

There are a few ways you can secure a tee time on the Old Course, such as through the ballot, being a Links Ticketholder, and golf tour operators.

The ballot allows golfers in the area the chance to play the Old Course. It is drawn two days ahead of play, apart from Sundays and tournament days. You can find out more here.

ALSO: Where does Carnoustie rank in the NCG Top 100s: GB&I List?

Carnoustie

Carnoustie has three different golf courses, but we’ll start with the Championship. This venue has hosted The Open eight times, most recently in 2018 when Francesco Molinari hoisted the Claret Jug.

Until October 31, you will pay £360 as an adult, £180 for those aged between 14 and 18 (juniors), and £90 for someone 13 years old or younger (juveniles).

Juniors and juveniles pay £180 and £90 respectively all year round.

The winter period is between November 1 and March 31 at Carnoustie, during which golfers must use mats to protect the fairways.

In 2027, it will be £342 to play between March 29 and April 30, and £450 between May 1 and October 31. All year in 2027, it will be £225 for juniors and £112.50 for juveniles.

The Carnoustie website also offers a package where you can play all three courses within three consecutive days. For the Championship, Burnside and Buddon, it is £349.50 between April 1 and April 30, and £480 between May 1 and October 31.

ALSO: Where does Kingsbarns rank in the NCG Top 100s: GB&I List?

Kingsbarns

Kingsbarns is the most expensive stop on this road trip. Until November 8, you will pay £486 for a round. This comes down to £430 between March 27 and April 30 in 2027, and then back up to £524 between May 1 and July 11.

Between July 12 and July 20, Open week at St Andrews next year, the fee rises to a lofty figure of £590. And then this time next year, within a period that starts on July 21 and ends on November 7, it comes back down to £524.

The first reference to golf at Kingsbarns dates to 1793, where members of the Kingsbarns Golfing Society played on a nine-hole course from 1815 until 1850, when it was shut.

The ground was converted to farmland, but a new nine-holer was laid out by Willie Auchterlonie in 1922. The links closed during World War 2 and closed again in 1948 after a brief return to action.

It wasn’t until 1997 that Mark Parsinen and Art Dunkley partnered with course architect Kyle Phillips and began to construct the current Kingsbarns course. It joined the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship lineup in 2001.

So, how much would the trip cost?

If you were to play all three golf courses right now, the total would come to £1,201 for an adult.

As we only have Old Course green fees confirmed until the end of March 2027, there is another price we can calculate: between March 29 and March 31, playing all three courses would cost £952.