Show up and check in with the starter as early as 4:30 AM!

You can also enter the lottery and they draw the names the day before you play.

Yeah no lining up option anymore, you need to turn up day before in person and enter the singles ballot. If you are successful you will find out at about 5:30pm that day (i.e day before you'll play). If you book at any of the other StA courses they will happily cancel or move your booking at those courses if you are successful in the ballot.

Its not exactly the same, but book to play New or Eden would be my suggestion. Both have holes that play right along The Old so you get a little of the feels.

Good luck!

Good to know lining up at 4:30 is no longer an option. Curious if there are days of the week with better odds on getting lucky. If there 20 slots a day and the pool ran from 25 to 80, I’d shoot for the 20 of 25 day. I was led to believe lottery entry from The Old Course Hotel entrants were luckier than others. At least when I stayed at the Hotel, they handled submitting my name and I got on. That was 2018. The world changed after COVID.

Played the Old Course twice as a single...was paired with other threesomes each time, once with two St. Andrews University team golfers and their coach. One of the more memorable rounds of my life. So it is possible if you are diligent and a bit lucky. But I agree with Waz...New or Eden are good options and while not the Old Course, are OK alternatives if it doesn't work out getting on the Old. Best of luck!