Here’s an interesting sightseeing option while staying in the town of St. Andrews: The Secret Bunker is located about ten minutes southeast of St. Andrews (and about three miles north of Anstruther). It  (which was originally a radar station in WW II) was constructed during the Cold War as a both a civil defense center and a safe house for…

  We’re only about 100 days from the start of the 2015 Scottish Open, which will be played about 45 minutes east of Edinburgh, in the village of Gullane.  The Gullane Golf Club has three courses, with the tournament being played over a combination of two of them – Gullane No. 1 and Gullane No. 2.  Mainly over the No. 1…

The Alisa Course, home to four Open Championships, will close for playing in late-September 2015 for alternations to a few holes.  It is schedule to reopen in June of 2016.  Early plans include turning it’s iconic par four 9th hole into a par three. The resort / hotel is expected to also go significant renovations.  

We are consistently asked if there’s any whisky distilleries near the town of St. Andrews that folks can easily visit and tour. The answer has always been “not really”.  The three distilleries we usually recommend are all over an hour and fifteen minutes away (Tullibardine, Edradour, and Glenturret (The Famous Grouse).  All are absolutely worth the drive. And please make…

In General The St Andrews Old Course is a municipal course, as are two other outstanding links in town, the New Course and the Jubilee Course. A fourth tournament caliber course, the Castle Course, opened in June of 2008. Demand to play the Old Course far exceeds the number of times available, so if you’re looking to play there –…

Yesterday the Royal & Ancient announced that Royal Birkdale will host the Open Championship in 2017.  They also announced that Carnoustie will be the host in 2018. Carnoustie is a course that many of our golfers play while spending time in St. Andrews.  Eric and Nathan of our staff have played it recently, and it’s one heck of a test…

The Royal and Ancient announced that golf’s oldest championship will be returning to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.  This will be the first time since 1951, and that was the only time it took place outside of Scotland or England since the Open began in 1860. This will certainly boost visibility for golf in Northern Ireland and its excellent courses….

Do you have a special teenage golfer in your life? Did you ever dream that spending an all-expense paid week in Scotland with them was possible? With the support of Allianz and St. Andrews your dreams might just come true! Apply now through May 30th, 2014 and with a little bit of luck you can win an all-expenses paid trip…

This past October I was fortunate enough to travel to Scotland for a week-long business trip in order to visit our vendors and further explore the country a bit as well. My first two days of the excursion included immaculate, rainless rounds on the Old Course at St. Andrews and Kingsbarns. During the Old Course round, the wind picked up…

A couple years back I took a “business” trip to Scotland to walk through the hotels we use most, chat with our drivers, and of course visit and play as many courses as possible.  When I booked flights and laid out my itinerary (which was admittedly far too ambitious for anyone to relax) I planned to arrive in Glasgow, hop…

  Last night Donald Trump officially became the owner of the Doonbeg Resort, which is roughly 400 acres and boasts a five-star resort and a Greg Norman designed 18-hole championship course.  The new name:  Trump International Golf Links, Ireland. We at Pioneer Golf find it to be a nice companion when playing at Lahinch, a top 50 course in the…