The Experience Golf

The Experience Golf is a St Andrews-based golf tour operator and a long-standing Authorised Provider of Old Course tee times through the St Andrews Links Trust. Founded in 1995 as The Old Course Experience, it builds escorted golf tours across Scotland, England and Ireland for golf clubs, PGA professionals and societies, and is the Official Tour Operator for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

Founded	1995 (as The Old Course Experience; rebranded 2024)	Ownership	Part of Lyvera Group — led by Nathan Payne, Head of The Experience Golf
Specialism	Scotland, England and Ireland — centred on St Andrews	Services	Escorted tours, guaranteed Old Course tee times, Open Championship and Ryder Cup packages, PGA professional programmes
Accreditations	Authorised Provider of Old Course tee times, St Andrews Links Trust; Official Tour Operator, 2027 Ryder Cup	Head Office	St Andrews, Fife, Scotland

Guaranteed Old Course tee times since 1995

The Experience Golf was founded in 1995 as The Old Course Experience, selling its first commercial tee times at St Andrews Links the following year and welcoming its first escorted tour group to the town in 1996. Open Championship packages followed in 1999, and the company rebranded to The Experience Golf in 2024. It is now led by Nathan Payne, Head of The Experience Golf, as part of the Lyvera Group.

Golfers on the 18th fairway of the Old Course at St Andrews with Rusacks Hotel behind

A fourball walking off the 1st tee of the Old Course in front of the R&A clubhouse, St Andrews

The company holds long-standing status as an Authorised Provider of Old Course tee times through the St Andrews Links Trust — a rare credential that guarantees access most operators can only queue for through the daily ballot. Since 1995 it has welcomed more than 60,000 golfers on its tours and experiences, and carries a 4.9 rating on Trustpilot.

Golf tours across Scotland, England and Ireland

Tours are built across Scotland, England and Ireland, with St Andrews at their centre. Beyond the Old Course, itineraries take in the Castle Course and Dumbarnie Links in Fife and Ballybunion on Ireland’s Atlantic coast, combined with escorted travel, accommodation and full logistics. The Experience Golf has also been appointed Official Tour Operator for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor.

Fairmont St Andrews hotel above gorse-lined links at sunset

A dedicated programme for PGA professionals

The company runs a dedicated programme for PGA professionals, giving club pros a direct route to package St Andrews and Open Championship trips for their own members rather than book through a generalist operator.

Sample Itinerary: St Andrews — The Home of Golf

A typical Experience Golf trip opens with a guaranteed tee time on the Old Course, the ground on which the game as it’s played today first took shape, followed by a round on the Castle Course. Designed by David McLay Kidd and opened in 2008, it sits on the cliffs above the town with views back across St Andrews Bay towards Carnoustie.

Aerial view of a coastal links course at sunset

From there the itinerary moves to Dumbarnie Links, a Clive Clark design opened in 2020 on the Balcarres Estate around twelve miles south of St Andrews, built along the Firth of Forth and already picking up awards as one of the best new courses in the UK. Evenings are spent in St Andrews itself, among the golf shops, the British Golf Museum and the R&A clubhouse that overlooks the 18th green.

For groups wanting to extend the trip, the itinerary can cross to Ireland for a round at Ballybunion, a links course dating to 1893 that Tom Watson remodelled in 1995 and that has featured in Golf Digest’s world top ten outside the United States, before returning to Scotland or England to close out the tour.

The Experience Golf works with golf clubs, PGA professionals and societies to build tailor-made trips around guaranteed access to St Andrews, rather than selling a fixed package.

Two golfers standing on the Swilcan Bridge on the Old Course, St Andrews

The Experience Golf team overlooking the Old Course in St Andrews

Frequently asked questions about The Experience Golf

Can The Experience Golf guarantee a tee time on the Old Course?

Yes. The Experience Golf is a long-standing Authorised Provider of Old Course tee times through the St Andrews Links Trust, so Old Course rounds are guaranteed within its packages rather than depending on the daily ballot.

Where is The Experience Golf based?

The company’s head office is at Craigtoun Park, The Office at The Duke’s, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8NX, Scotland. The office is open Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:30 UK time.

Which countries does The Experience Golf cover?

Tours cover Scotland, England and Ireland, centred on St Andrews. Courses include the Old Course, the Castle Course and Dumbarnie Links in Fife and Ballybunion in County Kerry.

Does The Experience Golf offer Open Championship and Ryder Cup packages?

Yes. It has run Open Championship packages since 1999 and is the Official Tour Operator for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor in Ireland.

Who does The Experience Golf work with?

It builds tailor-made trips for golf clubs, PGA professionals and golf societies, and runs a dedicated programme that lets club professionals package St Andrews and Open Championship trips for their own members.

Who owns The Experience Golf?

The Experience Golf is part of the Lyvera Group and is led by Nathan Payne, Head of The Experience Golf. It traded as The Old Course Experience from 1995 until its 2024 rebrand.