'Like winning the lottery' - how it felt playing Old Course at St Andrews for £42.50

The opportunity was provided through The Drive, an initiative introduced this year by St Andrews Links Trust to “widen access to the home of golf” in terms of playing the historic courses in the Fife town.

Between 9.10am and 10.50am on a near-perfect golfing day, the lucky players who effectively hit the jackpot headed out on the most-famous course in the world and, over the next few hours, walked in the footsteps of the greats of the game.

Paddy Donaghy, a 57-year-old who is a member at Crow Wood on the outskirts of Glasgow, played with his future son in law, David Tait. “I’ve been playing golf since I was 10 years old, so that’s almost 40 years now and I’ve never had the chance to play the Old Course,” said a beaming Donaghy.

“I heard about The Drive on the Scottish news and thought I’d put my name in to see what happens. The moment I received the email I couldn’t believe it, it was like winning the lottery, a bucket list ticked. It has 100 per cent been my number one golfing experience to date.”

John Ballantyne, a 66 year-old who plays his golf at East Kilbride, enjoyed the dream experience with his son, Andrew. “I played here a long time ago when I was younger and I could never really justify the cost of coming back,” said Ballantyne. “But, for £42.50, I thought let’s jump at that. I’m over the moon. I’m proud that I’ve got my son here for the first time on the Old Course, it’s great for the both of us playing together on the world’s most-famous course.”

Between May and October, a total of 179 tee times are being made available by the Links Trust to give golfers resident in Scotland the opportunity to play the courses under its umbrella at a reduced price. The Old Course offer, for example, was an eighth of the usual high-season price of £340.

“I think this is a great initiative,” said Livingston man Alan Stewart, who is a member at Uphall at the end of his round. “For amateur Scottish golfers, this is the pinnacle to be able to come and play here. It’s a bucket-list experience and I was so excited I barely slept last night.”

Brother and sister Grant and Laura Veitch both played the Old Course for the first time together. "I’ve been playing golf since I was six-years-old and playing here is It's obviously a bucket-list must,” said Laura, a member at Aberdeen Ladies GC. “To drive over the Swilcan Bridge on the 18th and then get a wee bit of applause when holing a putt, that was good fun and such a special experience."

Grant, a member at Deeside, added: “I think it’s a brilliant initiative, we’ve been here to watch the Open before but never played and it’s a once-in-lifetime opportunity that can’t be missed.”

Through the initiative, a total of 716 golfers in total will secure a tee time this year across the Old, Castle, Jubilee and Eden courses at a fraction of the usual cost.

“It was almost too good,” admitted Edinburgh-based James Boothby, who played with his dad David, a member at Strathpeffer. “To walk past all the famous points on course and think how many players you’ve watched on there and then try to hit the same shots, it’s a fantastic experience.”