I did not book a tee time for any course in St Andrews, Scotland, prior to my arrival in the city on Monday, Sept. 7.

That might sound like a strange way to plan a trip to one of the most famous golf destinations in the world, but it was intentional. I knew I wanted to play the Old Course, but I wasn’t traveling with a group of two, three or four golfers and didn’t want to build the entire trip around an expensive package or guaranteed tee time. Instead, I decided to take my chances as a single.

Everything I had read while planning the trip suggested that the best strategy was to give myself several days in St Andrews and enter the Singles Daily Draw whenever I could. There was no guarantee that I would get on, but staying from Monday through Friday gave me multiple opportunities. The only tee time I had booked before arriving in the area was a Thursday round at Carnoustie.

So I arrived in St Andrews with five nights booked, one round of golf confirmed, and no idea whether I would actually play the Old Course.

Getting Into the Draw

The Singles Daily Draw was much easier to enter than I expected.

The process is entirely digital, with kiosks available for golfers to enter their information and submit themselves for the Singles Daily Draw. I entered my information at the Old Course Starter’s Hut, right next to the first and 18th holes. From there, I walked over to the St Andrews Links clubhouse near the Jubilee Course to ask about tee times at the other courses.

This wasn’t some complicated process that required calling the golf shop or finding a secret contact. I entered my information, submitted the draw and then waited to see what happened.

I also wanted to make sure I wasn’t spending my entire St Andrews stay simply waiting for a text that might never come.

Since I had always wanted to play the Castle Course, I asked whether there were any tee times available for Tuesday. There was one, at 10:30 a.m., so I booked it.

I also mentioned that I had entered the Singles Daily Draw for the Old Course.

The staff told me that was completely fine. If I ended up getting an Old Course tee time, they could see that on their end and the Castle Course booking could be canceled.

That gave me a backup plan while I waited.

Then I Became Number One

The Singles Daily Draw closes in the afternoon, and this is where the waiting really begins.

I knew that selections would start going out later that day, but I didn’t know whether my phone was going to buzz with the message I wanted.

Eventually, it did.

Just not with the message I wanted.

I hadn’t been selected initially. Instead, I received a message telling me that I was number one on the waiting list.

That was simultaneously exciting and frustrating.

I wasn’t selected, but I was also about as close as I could possibly be without actually having a tee time.

I figured there was still a chance that someone would decline their opportunity or that another opening would become available.

Then I waited.

And waited.

Stephanie, my girlfriend, also decided the appropriate soundtrack for the situation was Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” She kept singing it while we waited.

And, as it turned out, I did not wait for very long.

Twenty Minutes Later

Roughly 20 minutes after getting the waiting-list message, my phone buzzed again.

This time, it was the message I had been hoping for.

I had been selected.

I had gone from having no Old Course tee time, to number one on the waiting list, to actually having a spot.

And suddenly, Tuesday morning was no longer going to be a round at the Castle Course.

It was going to be the Old Course.

8:30 a.m. at the Old Course

The next morning, I showed up for my 8:30 a.m. tee time.

One of the things I liked most about the experience was how quickly the four of us went from complete strangers to playing partners.

None of us knew each other beforehand. One of the other golfers had arranged his spot through an outside company, while the remaining spots were filled with individual golfers.

That’s one of the things I think is worth knowing if you’re considering trying this yourself: if you get onto the Old Course as a single, don’t expect to know who you’re playing with.

For me, that was part of what made the morning fun.

We introduced ourselves, figured out who was hitting first and then stood on the first tee.

After spending months thinking about how I might somehow get onto the Old Course, I was finally there.

And I had gotten there by putting my name on a list.

So, Would I Do It This Way Again?

My experience obviously isn’t a guarantee that someone else will get onto the Old Course, but I do think giving myself several days in St Andrews was the right strategy.

I had deliberately booked Monday through Friday in St Andrews without an Old Course tee time because I wanted to give myself multiple opportunities to enter the Singles Daily Draw. I also made sure I had other golf planned, with Carnoustie already booked for Thursday and the Castle Course available as a backup once I arrived.

As it turned out, I didn’t need multiple attempts. My first entry into the Singles Daily Draw was enough. I went from having no Old Course tee time, to being number one on the waiting list, to being selected all within the same evening.

Less than 24 hours after arriving in St Andrews, I was standing on the first tee at 8:30 in the morning, looking down the fairway toward the Swilcan Bridge.

Sometimes, the tee time is worth waiting for. Even when the wait is only 20 minutes.