Tee Time Booking Windows at the World's Famous Courses
The single biggest mistake on a bucket list golf trip is leaving the booking too late. The world's famous courses release their tee times on wildly different schedules: Pebble Beach opens to resort guests eighteen months out, the Old Course runs a ballot drawn two days before play, Muirfield takes bookings up to two years ahead, and Augusta National cannot be booked at all. Here is exactly how far ahead to plan each one, with a quick reference table and the rules that decide whether you get on.
Photograph: Old Course, St Andrews, via Google.
Why the windows matter
A famous course is only on your trip if you secure the time, and the time depends entirely on each course's own system. Broadly there are four models. Resort courses, such as Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst, release their best times to guests who book a room, often a year or more ahead, so the room is the key. Public icons that ration access, above all the Old Course at St Andrews, split their times between an advance release and a short notice ballot. Traditional members clubs, such as Muirfield, take a limited number of visitor bookings, often a long way out. And a handful of the most private clubs, led by Augusta National and Cypress Point, cannot be booked at all and require a member's invitation.
The practical lesson is to work backwards from the hardest course on your list. If you want the Old Course in peak summer, or a Pebble Beach time tied to a stay, you should be planning twelve to eighteen months ahead, and building the rest of the trip around those fixed points. Get the marquee windows right and the supporting rounds fall into place easily.
Booking windows at the famous courses, at a glance
| Course | Booking window | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Old Course, St Andrews | Advance release each September for the following year; daily ballot two days ahead | Public icon. Advance times go fast; the ballot is drawn around 48 hours before play; no play Sundays. Guaranteed times via authorised operators |
| Pebble Beach | Up to 18 months ahead for resort guests | Resort. Guests of the Lodge and the Inn at Spanish Bay book to 18 months, Casa Palmero to 12; non guests get very limited short notice access |
| Augusta National | Cannot be booked | Private. Play is strictly by member invitation; the only routine public access is as a Masters patron via a separate ticket lottery |
| Muirfield, East Lothian | Up to around two years ahead | Members club with set visitor days, traditionally Tuesdays and Thursdays; apply well in advance for the limited visitor times |
| Bandon Dunes | Opens to resort guests with the stay, often a year ahead | Resort. Booking a room unlocks the tee times across all five courses; peak summer dates go early |
| Pinehurst | Opens to resort guests with the stay | Resort. Guests book the famous courses, including No. 2, as part of a stay and play package; book early for peak months |
| Royal County Down and top Irish links | Several months to a year ahead in peak season | Members clubs with visitor times; summer and group bookings need long lead times; some access via operators |
| Cypress Point | Cannot be booked | Private. One of the most exclusive clubs in the world; play is by member invitation only |
Booking windows verified indicatively in June 2026 from course and resort sources; each course sets and may revise its own system and release dates, and peak season demand tightens every window. Always confirm current rules directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
How to actually lock in the hard ones
For the Old Course, run two plays at once. Apply for an advance time the moment the following year's release opens in September, and if you miss out, build flexibility into your dates so you can enter the daily ballot on the ground, which is drawn two days before play. Authorised tour operators also hold a pool of guaranteed Old Course times, usually sold as part of a package, and for a trip you cannot afford to leave to chance that is the surest route. Remember there is no play on Sundays.
For the resort icons, book the room first. At Pebble Beach the eighteen month window belongs to guests of the Lodge and the Inn at Spanish Bay, so the stay is what unlocks the tee sheet, and the same logic applies at Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst, where the package is the access. For traditional members clubs such as Muirfield, write to the club as early as you can, often a year or two ahead, and keep your dates flexible around their visitor days. And for the truly private clubs, Augusta National and Cypress Point among them, accept that no notice and no budget will book them: they need a member, and that is the whole point.
Planning a multi course trip? A specialist planner holds the windows so you do not have to. Tell us your dream courses.
Let us hold the windows for you
We track the release dates, enter the ballots, hold guaranteed Old Course times and tie the resort icons to the right stay, so the hard courses are secured and the trip is built around them. Tell us your dream courses and roughly when, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Booking window questions
How far in advance should you book famous golf courses?
It varies enormously by course. Pebble Beach lets resort guests book up to 18 months ahead, the Old Course at St Andrews opens its advance applications each September for the following year and runs a daily ballot drawn two days before play, Muirfield takes visitor bookings up to around two years out, and Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst open to resort guests when you book the stay. As a rule, for a marquee course in peak season you should be planning a year or more ahead. Always confirm current rules directly before booking.
How does the Old Course ballot work?
The Old Course at St Andrews keeps a share of its tee times for a daily ballot. You enter by two days before the date you want to play, and the draw is made and published that afternoon, so you learn around 48 hours ahead whether you have a time. There is no play on Sundays. Advance, non ballot times are released each September for the following season and are snapped up quickly, and a number of guaranteed times are available through authorised tour operators. Always confirm current ballot rules directly before travelling.
Can you book a tee time at Augusta National?
No. Augusta National is a private club where play is strictly by invitation of a member, and there is no public tee time, ballot or booking window. The only routine public access to the grounds is as a patron at the Masters in April, for which tickets are allocated by a separate application and lottery well in advance. For everyone else, Augusta National cannot be booked at any notice.
Should you use a tour operator to book famous courses?
For the hardest to access courses, a specialist operator is often the surest route. Authorised operators hold guaranteed Old Course times, can package access to private and members clubs with a stay, and know the release dates and ballots better than a first time visitor. For resort courses such as Pebble Beach, Bandon Dunes and Pinehurst you can book directly once you have a room, but for a multi course trip across hard to get names, a planner saves the windows for you. Always confirm current rules directly before booking.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Tee time releases, green fee changes and the booking windows that matter. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Booking windows verified June 2026 from course and resort sources. Last reviewed June 2026.