So, you’re watching The Open and wishing you could play Royal Troon someday yourself, right? You aren’t alone.
Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland, is hosting the Open Championship for the 10th time in its storied history this week. The club’s Old course — which is used for The Open (and the 2020 AIG Women’s Open) — ranks 66th on GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World ranking, and for good reason. (The club also has an 18-hole Portland course and a nine-hole par-3 called the Craigend course.)
The Old Course, an 1887 Willie Fernie design, is known for its superb collection of par-4s, a diabolical finishing stretch and one of the most famous par-3s in the world, the 123-yard 8th called the “Postage Stamp.” The latter is a tiny green nestled between five pot bunkers that will get plenty of TV attention, especially if swirling winds make the shortest hole in the Open rota a menacing task.
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But let’s get back to the important stuff. How do you play Royal Troon yourself? Luckily, like many Scottish courses, even the private ones are accessible to the public. That doesn’t necessarily make all of them easy to get on (unless you know a member), but it is possible. Demand, as you might guess on some of these bucket-list courses, is high.
According to Royal Troon’s website, there’s limited availability for public tee times on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. From April 15 to Oct. 9 in 2025, greens fees on the Old course are £365 (or $475), although it’s slightly cheaper ($370) for PGA members. A tee time on the less-expensive Portland course — which was redesigned by Alister MacKenzie in 1921 — is $163.
Guests can also purchase a day ticket — $547 per golfer or $443 for a PGA member — which includes a round on both the Old and Portland courses.
There’s still some availability for this summer, too. For more information or to book your own tee time at Royal Troon, click here.
Finally, like many private clubs overseas, there are a few requirements to play. At Royal Troon, men must have a handicap under 20, and women need a handicap under 30. And of course, if stopping in the club’s Smoke Room or Dining Room after your round, make sure to wear your jacket and tie.
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