45 pounds green fee for a top golf course in St. Andrews: the Links Trust in St. Andrews is setting the tone with this price at the start of 2026. This fee applies to the Craigtoun Course, which was previously known as the Dukes’ Course and was part of the Old Course Hotel. The Links Trust, which has been struggling for years with the increase in visitor numbers at the Home of Golf, has now added the course to its existing portfolio of six golf courses. This had become necessary because the Links Trust was commissioned by the British Parliament under the St. Andrews Links Confirmation Act 1974 to operate the golf courses in St. Andrews and to use the economic profit for one purpose only: “The promotion of public participation in sport”. In this case, golf.
Cheap greenfees for Scots
The 45 pound green fee therefore applies to permanent residents of the Fife region in the low season. Scottish golfers have to pay 55 pounds. In the high season, prices rise to 70 and 80 pounds, which is still a green fee that makes golf accessible to large sections of the population, especially as there are further discounts for children and young people.
International visitors who want to play the first-class parkland course can also look forward to more moderate prices: The Links Trust has reduced the green fee by 30 percent compared to the previous year, from 220 to 155 pounds, so that it is at the same level as the prices for the New and Jubilee Course.
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For 2026, the Links Trust expects a total of more than 300,000 rounds of golf to be played on all courses. After St. Andrews, as the Home of Golf, has increasingly had to deal with the problem of overtourism in recent years and the Links Trust has increasingly struggled to provide sufficient affordable golf for local and Scottish residents, the addition of the Craigtoun Course is an attempt to enable the sustainable development of golf in the town for all target groups.
As the Links Trust’s total turnover for 2025 was reported at 45.5 million pounds and the surplus was 10.8 million pounds, the investment is possible for the operator and also necessary due to its obligation as a foundation. In fact, the comparatively moderate prices will make the destination even more attractive to tourists. Although the green fee for the Old Course in 2026 is £340, it’s downright cheap compared to other top courses around the world. The Valderrama Golf Club will cost 600 euros in 2026, while a round on the Royal Portrush Open course or at Sunningdale in London will cost over 400 pounds.
