Photo by Mark Pozzobon

Mondays may be the best day to try to play St. Andrews' Old Course during your Scotland golf vacation.

My son and I are taking our first Scotland golf vacation in June and attempting to get a tee time at St. Andrews' Old Course via early arrival or the ballot box. Any advice on which day(s) we might have the best chances? Also, are there any "sleeper" courses that we should play as we drive from the airport to our accommodations in Crail?

Congratulations on your upcoming Scotland golf vacation. We wish we could say that you'll have no problem getting a tee time, but of all the St. Andrews golf courses, certainly the toughest tee time to secure is one at the Old Course.

That being said, your chances in June are much better than they would be in the peak months of July and August — just be sure to check the St. Andrews Links Trust website (standrews.org.uk) for NB or "no ballot" dates when there is no public play on the Old Course. As of the date of this tip, June 2008 was showing NB dates of the 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 21st and 28th.

As for a particular day, on Thursdays and Saturdays local golfers have more morning tee times reserved than on other days, but a representative for SALT told us that, "generally, the chances are the same throughout the week, with over 50 percent of tee times reserved for the daily ballot."

In our experience, Monday is one of the best days to try for, which requires you to submit your ballot before 2:00 pm on the preceding Saturday (because the Old Course is closed on Sunday). You could also improve your chances by agreeing to split up and play as singles.

As for "sleeper" courses to play on your Scotland golf vacation, you may want to consider Ladybank Golf Club. While it is not one of our personal favorites, may people love this parkland course. Frankly, given that all the golf courses are so close to one another in the general St. Andrew's orbit, we wouldn't be so focused on playing a course that's "on the way" to Crail.

Within striking distance of Crail are some of the true greats including: the King's Course at Gleneagles, the Championship Course at Carnoustie Golf Links, and the Devlin course, a wonderful headlands layout at the Fairmont St. Andrews.

We hope these tips help you to experience the best of St. Andrews golf and, especially, that you get to play the Old Course on your Scotland golf vacation.

Did you know?Golf Vacation Insider and Golf Odyssey are the world's only golf publications that travel anonymously and do not accept advertising, discounts, or "freebies" from the golf courses, resorts or restaurants they review.

Not already a subscriber to Golf Vacation Insider? Click here to receive our free newsletter filled with insider travel tips on the world's finest golf courses and resorts. As a bonus, we will send you a free copy of Planning the Ultimate Golf Vacation, a 40-page book filled with insider tips from the editors of Golf Odyssey.