time for 9 holes of golf on RS Scotland tour?

I was on the Scotland tour last year. I don't think you'd have much time to arrange a round during the tour, even with the built-in free time. I suggest scheduling a few extra days either before or after the tour so you can have your golf game with plenty of time. I'm sure some others can suggest a course or two. Enjoy Scotland, this is a very nice tour!

No, I don't think so. Just finished this tour. We had about 2, maybe 2.5 hours at St Andrews for lunch and touring so that wouldn't really work. My brother did walk along and on the Old Course which he thought was interesting. Since you are stopping here mid-day the timing can be slightly different and you don't stay overnight here so you'd need to be back to the bus to get to the overnight stop.

I guess you could skip activities one day where there is a 2-night stop and do something. There were a bunch of American golfers staying at the tour hotel in Inverness so if you skipped the full day touring there you might be able to work something in. You'd miss the cruise on Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle, Clava Cairns and Cawdor Castle though and I thought this was a great day.

How about adding a day before or a day at the end in Edinburgh to work something out?

I felt there was very little free time on this tour compared to other RS tours I've done. Just the 1/2 day in Edinburgh to start with which was not bookended by other activities.

Would you bring your clubs with you? Can’t always rent them.

Would you bring your clubs with you?
Depending on the course, you can’t rely on renting them.

We were on this tour in April. We did not have time for golf. We had about 2.5 hours in St Andrews. The only time was to play the pitch and putt if you desired. We did not, just had lunch, clubhouse purchases, and walked around the town.

If you want to play, you probably would have to do it before or after your tour.

TripAdvisor has a golf forum. If you decide that you'll pass on one of the day's activities, so you know your location, you can post to that forum to see if there is a course in the area that would rent clubs. And here's the VisitScotland list of courses. If I remember correctly you stay in the Aberfeldy area for a couple of nights. Here's the Aberfeldy course. It still would be best to stay over or come early.

You can find golf everywhere in Scotland. Check out the Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh. But don't confuse it with this. At the very least maybe you want to go here.

thanks for all of the responses. In all likelihood after I sample a few wee drams I would not be able to see, much less strike, the golf ball anyway.

Don't know, seemed my drives went longer and straighter after sampling the local beverages.

Yes, the tour is too packed with activities so that even with the free time allowed it would be very difficult to fit in a round. I golfed after the tour in Inverness with some business partners who happened to be there at that time.

You know, I just thought of something. Was there some kind of putting green at Cawdor Castle? I know the golf course was right across the driveway from where the bus parked and where the gift shop and small cafe were located as we were all standing at the fence watching ducklings on the course. I ~think~ there might have been some kind of opportunity to do something there but I'm not a golfer so didn't listen. However, if you go to Cawdor Castle's website there may be something on there about it. Also talk to your guide at some point the first day or 2 to get their take on it.

With the time at St Andrews you would have time to play The Himalayas Putting Course and I highly recommend it. It is just a pound or two in a gorgeous setting between the Old Course and the sea.