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WEDNESDAY JULY 3

DEPART USA

Depart home today.Board your overnight flight to the United Kingdom.

NOTE: There are easy connections to Edinburgh from London, Manchester, Dublin or even Amsterdam. Expanding Horizons will assist with flight selection and/or early arrival options for those wishing to see Edinburgh beforehand.

DAY 1, THURSDAY JULY 4

ARRIVE EDINBURGH / PLAY CRAIL BALCOMIE
OR OLD COURSE ST. ANDREWS (Old Course Ballot)

Upon arrival at Edinburgh Airport you will be met and transferred to St. Andrews (1 hour’s drive / 50 miles).We will also pickup from Edinburgh city hotels or a designated pickup point.

Depart from Edinburgh. Drop bags at The Old Course Hotel. Get ready to play Crail Balcomie.This is the home of the Crail Golfing Society, formed in 1786, the 7th oldest golf club in the world. A long history and hugely enjoyable golf make Balcomie Links one of Scotland’s finest golf experiences. This current links track was laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1895, when course design was governed by the natural lie of the land.Balcomie has the unusual combination of three par 5s, six par 3s and nine par 4s, producing a tough course par of 69.Extraordinary holes abound. Old Tom Morris’s layout enchants and delights.It also tests a golfer’s skill and nerve.Length seekers who believe Balcomie will be a soft touch do so at their peril.The wind is constant and ever-changing.The 13th hole is extraordinary, a long par 3 at 210 yards, played up and over a vertical cliff to an invisible, viciously sloping green.Made famous in Michael Murphy’s seminal book ‘Golf in the Kingdom’, this is the site of Seamus MacDuff’s cave. Just ahead the 14th hole is called “The Cave”, a 173-yard par three, recognized as one of Scottish golf’s most scenic holes.

*OLD COURSE ST. ANDREWS – A ballot for Old Course play this day will be submitted 48 hours prior for members of the Tom Phelan Golf Group.Players whose names are drawn will be playing today’s round at the hallowed Old Course St. Andrews.

Tonight enjoy a welcome dinner at the Road Hole Restaurant. (D)

Overnight: Old Course Hotel St. Andrews (4 nights, Eden Rooms)

DAY 2, FRIDAY JULY 5

PLAY CARNOUSTIE GOLF LINKS

Today bring your “A” game.Called “Golf’s Greatest Test”, Carnoustie Links is a perennial course favorite for the British Open.” Golf has been played here since the 16th century.Carnoustie natives established the Professional Golfers Associations of both America and Australia. The Original Course had just ten holes, crossing and recrossing a deep stream christened the Barry Burn.Prior to the 1999 Open, the Championship course was modified significantly, with all bunkers rebuilt and all greens expanded and enhanced.

Many pros say Carnoustie’s back nine is one of the finest in all of golf. The par five 6th hole measures 520 yards from the white tees and is considered one of the world’s best holes. At Carnoustie Padraig Harrington denied Tiger Woods a chance to win his 3rd consecutive Open.

The most impressive feature here is Barry Burn. The deep burn (stream) has several ball retrievers strategically placed.Each is close to 20 feet long, allowing players a chance at retrieval when their balls find the watery bottom. This deep, meandering water hazard became the most famous ditch in the world, when Jean Van de Velde’s encounter with it cost the Frenchman the 1999 Open championship. (B)

DAY 3, SATURDAY JULY 6

PLAY OLD COURSE OR CASTLE COURSE ST. ANDREWS

The latest addition to the St Andrews Links portfolio, the Castle delivers a different view, different terrain and an entirely different test. This undulating roller-coaster of a course delivers great fun and tremendous variety.  The terrain has been sculpted to create a natural looking course with rolling fairways and severely undulating greens. Hugging the rugged coastline, the course offers stunning views out to sea and down to the historic St. Andrews town.  The wind is even more influential here due to the courses elevation.  Shot direction and strength will be key to any round here.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For today our Expanding Horizons representative will place Old Course ballots with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club for all players on this tour. If our ballot is successful, a green fee cost of GBP295 pounds per player will be collected in Scotland (2024 prices may change). A fuller explanation of the Old Course St. Andrews ballot process is found on the Itinerary page.

DAY 4, SUNDAY JULY 7

PLAY KINGSBARNS LINKS / ST. ANDREWS DINNER

Just six miles from St. Andrews, Kingsbarns Links sits along 1.8 miles of shoreline.Since opening in 2000, it has been rated as one of the best courses in Scotland and ranked in the Top 100 courses in the World. The Kingsbarns Golfing Society was established in 1815.Members played on the original 9-hole course until it closed in 1850. Old Tom Morris laid out a new track in 1857, and in 1997 modern-day construction began under architect Kyle Phillips.Since 2001, Kingsbarns has co-hosted the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the European Tour pro-am also played at The Old Course and Carnoustie Golf Links.

Best Par 5:12th Hole – 606 Yards – The grandest hole at Kingsbarns greets you at the 12th. The toughest walk on the course leads you to the tee box where players must hike up a steep hill.This larger-than-life cape hole bends right to left around the North Sea and features a huge fairway.

15th Hole – 212 Yard Par 4 – One of the most scenic and stunning holes in Scotland greets you on the 15th. Tipping out over 200 yards but playing as short as 110 yards from the front tee, “Rocky Ness” sits on a peninsula that juts out into the sea, with the green traveling away from the player at a 45-degree angle.

Tonight, we take a short walk to Rusack’s Hotel, to enjoy a stylish meal at the renowned 18 Restaurant, specializing in beef, game and seafood with unrivalled views across the Old Course 18^th fairway and West Sands Beach. (B,D)

DAY 5, MONDAY JULY 8

TRANSFER TO GLENEAGLES

This morning after check-out transfer to (1 hour / 52 miles) to Gleneagles Hotel. (B)

Overnight: The Gleneagles Hotel (3 nights, Country Rooms)

DAY 6, TUESDAY JULY 9

PLAY THE KINGS COURSE – GLENEAGLES

James Braid’s long-revered Perthshire masterpiece is one of the most beautiful settings for golf in Scotland. Carved through the pine trees, the King’s Course rises and falls over springy moorland turf. The King’s opened for play in 1919 and has frequently been used for big events, among them several Scottish Opens. In 1921, a group of American professionals, including Walter Hagen, took on a team from Britain around the King’s Course. Six years later that contest evolved into a little event called the Ryder Cup.

The 3rd hole is then played totally blind over a steep crest, and whatever you may feel about such challenges, you’ll still experience a real sense of excited anticipation as you come over the brow to find out if you picked the right club and your approach is as good as you thought it was. (B)

DAY 7, WEDNESDAY JULY 10

PLAY PGA CENTENARY COURSE – GLENEAGLES

The Gleneagles’ PGA Centenary Course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, was built with the goal of attracting big-time, championship golf.That mission was accomplished when the 2014 Ryder Cup was held here. Measuring almost 7,300 yards from the back tees, this is Scotland’s longest inland course and one of its toughest. Each hole has five sets of tees. Accomplished golfers will obtain the most satisfaction out of playing the Centenary, however higher handicappers who can tolerate some frustration can do well. No matter your ability, every player will be confronted by a fair but very serious examination of golf skills. Some holes demand semi-blind shots.Every hole here displays an array of pot-bunkers, fairway traps, streams, ponds and enough hungry rough to demand a strategic approach from start to finish.(B)

DAY 8, THURSDAY JULY 11

DEPART GLENEAGLES / EDINBURGH AIRPORT

After check-out transfer to Edinburgh Airport for onward flights. (B)