Travel: The Open Championship, St Andrews

It's been a good couple of years for Scottish golf fans. Last year's Open Championship in Turnberry was a corker, with even non-golfers getting involved to root for veteran competitor Tom Watson. This summer the competition will be in Scotland again, at St Andrews, and anticipation is already beginning to build.

Will Tiger be there? Will Seve make an appearance at his favourite tournament? He's certainly planning to, if the remarks he made after being presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards last December are anything to go by.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of The Open Championship and a series of special events have been programmed to mark the historic occasion in July.

So if there was any year to push the boat out and make the most of the hospitality packages on offer, it's probably this one.

Perhaps the most fun-packed day out is the Clubhouse package we road-tested at Turnberry last year. A Clubhouse package in the Hospitality Village allows you to follow play on the links before heading back to the comfort of the Clubhouse whenever you fancy a cup of tea and a sit down.

Our day began with bacon rolls and plenty of coffee after an early start to travel from Edinburgh to the course for the start of play on the Saturday of the competition. All was yet to play for – Tiger hadn't made the cut, which disappointed some of the junior fans – and Tom Watson was the popular front-runner. But could he hold off the chasing pack?

We nipped back to the Hospitality Village for lunch and found the sociable neighbours on our table included a pair of visiting Canadians and a couple enjoying a 70th birthday treat courtesy of their family.

Some minor Scottish celebrities were spotted – SPL footballers mainly, but new for 2010, guests on the Clubhouse package will have the chance to meet Tony Jacklin, who has been appointed The Open's Official Hospitality Ambassador. Each day of the Championship he'll visit the Hospitality Village at lunchtime to take questions as well as give autographs and pose for photographs.

Anxious not to miss too much of the action we headed back out onto the course after lunch, but if the hospitality is to your liking you can stay right where you are and watch all the action on the big screen.

The atmosphere was more than convivial – towards the end of lunch an order for a lager shandy returned as a large brandy, much to the amusement of the rest of the table. By this point, all were friends and our septuagenarian birthday boy kindly accepted the drink on our behalf.

Access to and from the course was easy and meant we could nip in and out and catch the big names, and other favourite players, at key moments. The competition is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and the professionalism of the arrangements certainly reflects that. There was quite a cosmopolitan atmosphere with golf fans from many countries. St Andrews will probably draw even more of a crowd given its history and the fact that travel to and from the course is more straightforward than Turnberry; many of the spectators will choose to get there by train.

Golf is that most mannerly of sports and the civilised vibe of the day is helped immeasurably by the fact that no mobile phones are permitted on the course – people actually talk to each other as a result. It's also worth bearing in mind that cameras are not allowed on Championship days.

This year's plans have been under development for many months. There can't be many golf fans who would turn down an invitation to the Sportsman's Dinner at the Links restaurant beside the first tee on Wednesday 14 July, with Tony Jacklin as the guest speaker.

Before the dinner, which is hosted by BBC Sport's John Inverdale, guests will have the opportunity to watch past Open champions as they play the first, second 17th and 18th on the Old Course. An invitation to compete has been extended to all 32 living Open champions.

If money is no object, you might like to look at the Road Hole VIP Fine Dining package which includes dinner at the lauded restaurant of the top floor of the Old Course Hotel and reserved grandstand seats at the 17th or 18th.

Golf's oldest major has seen countless changes in its 150 year history. From a prestigious competition with the first prize of the Challenge Belt subscribed for by members of Prestwick Golf Club, it has grown into a global golfing event. Surely even Mark Twain couldn't describe The Open as a good walk spoiled?

The Facts To find out more about the packages available at The Open Golf 2010 visit www.opengolfofficialhospitality.com or tel: [phone].

Visit www.holidays.scotsman.com for more UK holidays

This article was originally published in The Scotsman on 20 February 2010