Highlands can be a great addition to a St. Andrews based trip, or a destination in and of itself, with spectacular courses that include Royal Dornoch, Nairn, and Castle Stuart. This is also a great location for Whisky tours and other famous Scottish tourist attractions.
Aberdeen is home to several fantastic and challenging links courses including Royal Aberdeen, Trump Aberdeen, and Cruden Bay. With excellent lodging options as well, this is a great region to spend a few days in combination with another region.
St. Andrews, known as the “Home of Golf” is where most golfers start their golfing experience in Scotland. We can help you get one of the limited guaranteed tee times at the Old Course, and build a great week of golf around that. Couple it with nearby Carnoustie to hit two Open Championship venues in one week. Most trips include a few rounds in the St. Andrews area along with a few more in one of the neighboring regions.
East Lothian is a golfer’s paradise, home to some of the greatest courses in Scotland, like Muirfield, North Berwick, and Gullane. With many hotel options near the courses, and the beautiful sights of Edinburgh just around the corner, this is a region you must visit on one of your trips to Scotland.
Ayrshire is a great place to start or finish your golf trip to Scotland. You may want to even schedule your entire trip in this great region which is home to two of the current Open Championship venues, Royal Troon and Turnberry, along with Prestwick, the original home to the Open Championship. While you're there, take a ferry or flight to the nearby Islands of Arran or Islay to play some of Scotland's best hidden gems.
St. Andrews Region
ST. ANDREWS – OLD COURSE
Founded: originally in 1552, current layout 1764
Designer: Old Tom Morris
Championship Length: 6,721 yards
PAR: 72
Type: Links
The Old Course at St. Andrews is ranked #9 in Golf Digest's World's Top 100 Courses and is home to 30 Open Championships including the 2022 Open. The "Home of Golf" is the oldest golf course in the world dating back to 1552. About 200 years ago, the original 22 holes were reconfigured to 18 holes and the greens were enlarged. Little has changed since and The Old Course remains a public course. The iconic #17, the "Road Hole", is considered one of the hardest par 4s in the world. After enjoying the rich history of this course, grab a pint at the The Jigger Inn, the most famous 19th hole in golf.
Website: www.standrews.com
CARNOUSTIE
Founded: 1842
Designer: Allan Robertson, Tom Morris, James Braid
Championship Length: 6,948 yards
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Ranked #24 in the world and host to 8 British Opens, this is one of the longest and toughest of the Open venues. Considered by some as "golfers greatest test", the layout is such that no two consecutive holes face the same direction, a factor that does nothing for the golfer in finding their rhythm in the stiff winds. A golfer will traverse the snaking burns 5 times and the bunkers are formidable. Before you play, warm up in a state-of-the-art indoor practice area at The Links House, Carnoustie's new clubhouse. After your round, enjoy a pint and a meal at the restaurant which overlooks the 1st and 18th holes.
Website: www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
KINGSBARNS
Founded: 2000
Designer: Kyle Phillips, Mark Parsinen
Championship Length: 7,224 yards
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Ranked #46 in Golf Digest's World's Top 100 Courses, the holes hug a crescent shaped stretch along the Fife coast six miles from St. Andrews. The course lies on three separate levels to provide fantastic ocean views from every fairway. Kingsbarns blends modern course design with the natural, rugged terrain of links golf, the undulating fairways leading seamlessly to fast greens. Though it only opened for general play in July 2000, the links appears to have been in site for centuries as golf was played on this very site as far back as 1793.
Website: www.kingsbarns.com
ST. ANDREWS – NEW COURSE
Founded: 1895
Designer: W. Hall Blyth, Old Tom Morris
Championship Length: 6,604
PAR: 71
Type: Links
The oldest ‘new’ course in the world, the second course at the Home of Golf was built by Tom Morris in 1895 and plays no second fiddle to the Old Course. A classic links experience, the locals tend to favor the New Course as it has tighter and more defined fairways. It shares some similarities to the Old Course like shared fairways and a double green at the 3rd and 15th. If the New Course were not situated next to the Old, then its star would shine even brighter.
Website: www.standrews.com
ST. ANDREWS – JUBILEE
Founded: 1895
Designer: W. Hall Blyth, Old Tom Morris
Championship Length: 6,604
PAR: 71
Type: Links
St. Andrews' Jubilee's raised tees provide unparalleled views across St. Andrews Bay and is considered the most challenging of the St. Andrews courses. The Jubilee was first laid out as a 12-hole course for “beginners and lady golfers” in 1897, commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria. Shortly thereafter, it was converted to 18 holes. In 1988 Jubilee underwent a complete renovation to an exceptional championship layout that was inspired by the fact that it was splendidly nestled between the New Course and the sea.
Website: www.standrews.com
ST. ANDREWS – CASTLE COURSE
Founded: 2008
Designer: David McLay Kidd, Mick McShane
Championship Length: 6,759
PAR: 71
Type: Links
The newest addition to St. Andrews Links, The Castle Course opened in 2008 becoming the seventh course at the Home of Golf and part of the largest public golfing complex in Europe. It is different from the other St Andrews Links courses, as it is set on a rugged cliff-top with spectacular views over St Andrews. The Castle Course's is a roller-coaster of a course with its undulating fairways delivering tremendous variety. The feature hole is #17 which is a par 3 played across a ravine on the edge of cliffs with the town's spires and towers as a backdrop.
Website: www.standrews.com
THE DUKE'S
Founded: 1995
Designer: Peter Thompson
Championship Length: 7,512 yards
PAR: 71
Type: Heathland
The Duke's was originally designed by the legendary Austrailian golfer Peter Thomson, five-time Open Champion of the 1950s and 1960s. The Duke of York opened the course in 1995 by playing the inaugural round. Tim Liddy completely redesigned the course with five completely new holes in 2006, now making it one of the finest heathland championship courses in the British Isles. The rolling fairways and undulating greens provides a round full of interest and challenge. Enjoy “Braw View”, the par four 13th, one of the most scenic holes in St Andrews.
Website: www.thedukescourse.co.uk
CRAIL - BALCOMIE
Founded: 1895
Designer: Tom Morris
Championship Length: 5,861 yards
PAR: 72
Type: Links
The Crail Golfing Society is the 7th oldest club in the world. Old Tom Morris refashioned the Balcomie Course in 1895 and he extended it to 18 holes in 1900. The course has views of the North Sea from every hole. There are several tricky shots over rocky bays and long par 3s that play to greens perched atop steep cliffs. The course has a memorable opening hole that plays from on top of a cliff down toward the sea to an inviting fairway and then hugs the coast for the next four holes.
Website: www.crailgolfingsociety.co.uk
DUMBARNIE
Founded: 1786
Designer: Clive Clark
Championship Length: 7,600 yards
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Dumbarnie Links is a Clive Clark design that just opened in 2020. Despite its newness it is already one of the best courses in Scotland. Dumbarnie was designed to be fun with the goal of inspiring rather than intimidating a golfer. Eight holes play directly towards the Firth of Forth which is visible from every hole and has breathtaking panoramas from several tees. Less than a year after opening its tees for play, they hosted the 2021 Women's Scottish Open. The land has been owned by Lord Balniel's family for over 400 years. Even though he was uncertain when first approached about building a course, Lord Balniel said of the result, "... we could not be more pleased... not only by the beauty ... but the focus on wildlife, plants and birds".
Website: www.dumbarnielinks.com
Highlands Region
ROYAL DORNOCH
Founded: 1877
Designer: Old Tom Morris
Championship Length: 6,748
PAR: 70
Type: Links
Ranked #3 in the world, the championship course design is credited to Old Tom Morris and is considered one of his finest achievements. Written records document that golf was played here as far back as 1616, long before the club was founded in 1877. A trademark of the course are the raised, domed greens which present challenging approach shots. The famous "Foxy" hole (number 14), is a natural par 4 with no bunkering and a table-top green. Foxy is named "one of the world’s great par fours" by Links magazine and is ranked as one of the Top 500 Golf Holes in the World by Golf Magazine. Wild, isolated and absolutely beautiful, it is one of the most natural courses in the world.
Website: https://royaldornoch.com/
NAIRN
Founded: 1887
Designer: Andrew Simpson
Championship Length: 6,774
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Nairn has been touched my many of the great architects. A few years after Nairn was originally designed by Andrew Simpson, Old Tom Morris extended the layout and then James Braid made further alterations. Nairn's mystical setting along the Moray Firth and delivers views of the sea from every single hole. The sea is in play on six of the first seven holes. The fairways are framed by gorse and heather and are fast, firm and narrow, requiring accurate tee shots. Nairn's trademark fast & true greens are tricky as some are raised and some are nestled in hollows and are protected by bunkers & hazards.
Website: www.nairngolfclub.co.uk
CASTLE STUART
Founded: 2009
Designer: Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse
Championship Length: 7,009
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Ranked #72 in the world, each nine moves to a mezzanine level where the views are spectacular and several infinity greens seem perched on cliffs directly over the sea. The course has a natural feel and each hole plays in isolation because of clever mounding design, causing each hole to be revealed after playing the previous one. Warm up on the fantastic range and huge putting green in front of the great Art Deco clubhouse. Voted Best New Course in 2009 by Golf magazine, and home to four Scottish Open’s since then, Castle Stuart has quickly become a centerpiece amongst the other great Highlands courses.
Website: https://cabothighlands.com/golf
BRORA
Founded: 1891
Designer: James Braid
Championship Length: 6,211
PAR: 70
Type: Links
The least well known and most northerly course, Brora deserves to be discovered. James Braid laid out the current course in 1923 with possibly the most holes playing so close to the sea than any other course in Scotland. Considered his finest work, Brora Golf Club is headquarters of the James Braid Golfing Society. Brora is considered a throwback in time... along with sharing the land with a hundred or so woolly sheep, the course features a mixture of bent grass, beach sand, burns, gorse and even a railway. The 9th, a 162-yard par three called Sea Hole, is special as it is beautiful and the North Sea is a rather large lateral water hazard.
Website: https://broragolfclub.co.uk/
Aberdeen Region
CRUDEN BAY
Founded: 1899
Designer: Tom Morris and Archie Simpson
Championship Length: 6,609
PAR: 70
Type: Links
Ranked #51 in the world, Cruden Bay winds its way in a figure of eight through towering dunes, some as large as 3 story buildings. The design of the course maximizes the original lay of the land with elevated tees cut high into dunes and punchbowl greens nestled in beautiful dells. Cruden Bay is a truly entertaining course with drivable par 4s, back to back par 3's, blind drives, and panoramic views of the sea. Many of the holes are secluded from each other by the sand hills, creating a feeling of intimacy.
Website: https://crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk/
TRUMP ABERDEEN
Founded: 2012
Designer: Dr. Martin Hawtree
Championship Length: 7,428
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Ranked #67 in Golf Digest's World's Top 100 Courses, Trump Aberdeen sits on a rugged stretch of the Aberdeenshire coastline. Covered in sandy dunes, the landscape is the ideal terrain for links golf. The layout of the golf course follows the natural contours of the land, dipping into the scenic valleys and tumbling across gentle hills. The course is routed in a classic pattern of two out-and-back loops of nine holes. The golf course has a varied layout that offers both spaciousness and seclusion. Golfers will enjoy plenty of variety from hole to hole as well as panoramic views of the sea. Like any traditional links course, the strategically placed bunkers and prevailing coastal winds present the most formidable challenges.
Website: www.trumpgolfscotland.com
ROYAL ABERDEEN
Founded: 1780
Designer: Archie and Robert Simpson, James Braid
Championship Length: 6,861
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Royal Aberdeen Golf club, founded in 1780, is the 6th oldest golf club in the world. The course is ranked #59 in Golf Digest's "World's Top 100", with front nine regarded as one of the finest first nines in all of golf. Eminent golf writer Sam McKinlay is quoted as saying, "there are few courses in these islands with a better, more testing, more picturesque outward nine than Balgownie". The opening hole is a favorite, located right in front of the large clubhouse windows and four deep fairway bunkers must be avoided before traversing a sunken valley to a table top green with a back drop of the North Sea sparkling in the distance. The course has greater changes of elevation than found in other links courses.
Website: www.royalaberdeengolf.com
East Lothian Region
GULLANE
Founded: 1884
Designer: Willie Par, Tom MacKenzie, Martin Ebert
Championship Length: 6,873
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Gullane Golf Club's No. 1 course is ranked one of the top 20 Golf Courses in Scotland. It is also one of the oldest with records showing that golf has been played here for over 350 years. It wasn't until 1884 that the course was officially laid out. The Scottish Open was played here in 2015 & 2018 and is an Open qualifying course. Gullane is blessed with the most exquisite turf – winter rules are not needed here.The course starts and finishes right in the middle of town. The tee box on the 7th is played from the very top of Gullane Hill where there is a 360-degree panorama featuring some of the best views in golf.
Website: www.gullanegolfclub.com
MUIRFIELD
Founded: 1891
Designer: H.S. Colt, Old Tom Morris, Tom Simpson, Donald Steel, Tom MacKenzie
Championship Length: 7,245
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Host of 16 Open Championships, the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup, and the Curtis Cup, it’s no surprise that Muirfield is ranked 7th in the world by Golf Digest and it's the oldest golf club in Scotland, originally called The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers (HCEG). In March of 1744, the HCEG drew up the first 13 rules of golf which were the original bases for the game of golf. The design layout is a masterpiece and highly unusual for links courses of this era; it famously runs in two circles, the front nine clockwise and then the second nine running anti-clockwise inside the front. Its routing means that you never have a wind into you for too long and you are constantly shifting perspective on the course.
Website: www.muirfield.org.uk
NORTH BERWICK
Founded: 1832
Designer: David Strath
Championship Length: 6,101
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Ranked #23 in the world and the 3rd oldest course played on its original fairways, it has several holes that are copied around the world. At 189 yards the par 3 15th, called "Redan", is THE most copied hole. Many consider the Redan to be the best par-3 design in golf. Its brilliance lies in the options it gives golfers of every skill level. It is also accessible because the rough is kept short and the length of the course is a modest 6,400 yards. North Berwick will keep a golfer entertained by negotiating berns, stone walls, deep bunkers, blind shots and hitting over the beach.
Website: www.northberwickgolfclub.com
LUFFNESS NEW
Founded: 1894
Designer: Old Tom Morris
Championship Length: 6,581
PAR: 70
Type: Links
Luffness' old course was originally played on land to the west and north of the current course from 1867, but a dispute arose and Henry Hope, the owner of the Luffness Estate, resolved it by building a course entirely on his land. Luffness is a challenging traditional links course which offers a true test of golf without being the longest of courses. The greens are small and true and always in excellent condition.
Website: www.luffnessnew.com
KILSPINDIE
Founded: 1898
Designer: Willie Park Jr. & Ben Sayers
Championship Length: 5,494
PAR: 69
Type: Links
Scotland is a land of hidden gems – and for golfers Kilspindie Golf Club is one of the finest, lying hidden among the nature reserve of Aberlady Bay, the quaint village of Aberlady, and the teeming waters of the Firth of Forth. Playing these traditional Scottish links, you may witness sea-birds diving for food, migratory geese, and seals sunning on the sand. In the distance, you can see the profile of Edinburgh, its Castle, and the long extinct volcanic cone of Arthur’s Seat.
Website: www.kilspindie.com
Ayrshire Region
ROYAL TROON
Founded: 1878
Designer: Willie Fernie, James Braid
Championship Length: 7,208
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Ranked #53 in Golf Digest's World's Top 100 Courses and host to 9 Open Championships (including 2024), Royal Troon is the site of one of the most dramatic duels in Open history with Henrik Stenson prevailing over Phil Mickelson to win his 1st major title. The 6th is the longest par 5 in the Open circuit and the 8th (the "Postage Stamp") is the shortest par 3 on the Open circuit (123 yds). Troon's history dates back to 1878 when Charlie Hunter, keeper of the green at Prestwick, laid out the first 5 holes. When it hosted its first Open in 1923, Troon moved out of the shadow of Prestwick, its famous neighbor. In 1978, Troon's centenary year, Royal Troon became the only club in Great Britain to have been granted Royal status under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Website: www.royaltroon.co.uk
PRESTWICK
Founded: 1851
Designer: Old Tom Morris, Donald Steel, Tom MacKenzie, Martin Ebert
Championship Length: 6,908
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Ranked #89 in the world, Prestwick was host to the first 12 Open Championships, starting in 1860. The first 10 years of the Open, the players competed for The Challenge Belt, a red, moroccan belt. It wasn't until 1872, that the Claret Jug became the prize of The Open. Prestwick has since hosted 24 Opens in all. It is perhaps Scotland’s true “Old Course,” with holes that have survived intact since that first championship in 1860. Prestwick's most famous hole, #17 par 4 called "The Alps", is the original 2nd hole from 1851 and the oldest existing hole in championship golf. It was designed by Old Tom Morris himself and is considered a mean, menacing hole. The blind approach over the Alps dune and across the massive bunker fronting the green is simply one of the greatest shots in golf. Prestwick is packed with blind shots, drivable par 4s, desert-sized bunkers and rollercoaster greens and is a living link to golf's past.
Website: under construction
TURNBERRY
Founded: 1946
Designer: Tom MacKenzie, Martin Ebert
Championship Length: 7,489
PAR: 70
Type: Links
Ranked #13 in the world and host of 4 Open Championships, Turnberry Ailsa is the home of the famous “Duel in the Sun” between Watson and Nicklaus at the 1977 Open. Trump acquired the resort in 2014 and hired the famous European golf architect firm, Mackenzie & Ebert. They completed a meticulous historic study and review of the Ailsa course resulting in the creation of five dramatic and stunning new holes plus a range of renovations covering virtually every corner of the course. Considered a masterpiece, it is consistently ranked as one of the top courses in UK & Ireland.
Website: www.turnberry.co.uk
WESTERN GAILES
Founded: 1878
Designer: Willie Fernie, James Braid
Championship Length: 7,208
PAR: 71
Type: Links
Western Gailes is celebrated as the quintessential links course. While it is not as famous as other links courses, its authenticity and innate challenge of the links experience make it one of the most respected. The holes offer variety with changing wind directions, tricky bunkers & burns, natural routing between dune ridges and greens set in shallow amphitheaters. Western Gailes is a stiff test of links golf and often used as the final qualifying course when The Open is being held at Troon or Turnberry.
Website: https://westerngailes.com/
Islands
THE MACHRIE
Founded: 1891
Designer: Willie Campbell
Championship Length: 6,782
PAR: 73
Type: Links
Golf on whisky-rich Islay dates back to Willie Campbell’s original Machrie Links in 1891. However, the fact that The Machrie is Ranked among the top courses in Scotland and the British Isles was not always so. A change of ownership in 2010 brought with it what turned out to be a spectacular rebuilding of the hotel and renovation of the course making it a golf destination in and of itself. With the expertise and ambition of Dean Muir – former deputy course manager at Muirfield, they preserved much of its original quirkiness & intrigue while widening the fairways, creating interesting greens, eliminating some blind shots, and maximizing vistas of the beautiful coastline. Wild and desolate, The Machrie is a wonderful modern interpretation of the classic links game.
Website: https://themachrie.com/
MACHRIHANISH - OLD
Founded: 1879
Designer: Old Tom Morris
Championship Length: 6,226
PAR: 72
Type: Links
Ranked #46 in Golf Digest's World's 100 Greatest Courses, it is remote but a journey well-rewarded. The club was founded in 1876 with 10 holes. In 1879, Old Tom Morris expanded it to 18 holes. Jack Nicklaus has described the first hole at Machrihanish as his "favorite opening hole in the world", hitting over the beach to a distant fairway. The front nine is exceptional and the entire experience is magical. The greens are firm, fast, true and are positioned in the most varied of locations. Some are sunk in punchbowls while others are on a raised plateau or flattened dune tops. There are blind tee shots, fabulous sea views, undulating rippling fairways and exciting rugged dunes. It is a visually stunning course with sweeping views of the sea and rolling sand dunes. It's not easy to get to but it is worth it.
Website: https://www.machgolf.com/
SHISKINE
Founded: 1946
Designer: Tom MacKenzie, Martin Ebert
Championship Length: 7,489
PAR: 70
Type: Links
Founded in 1896, Shiskine is a unique 12 hole seaside course. It sits on the remote Kyntire Peninsula where sunsets are dramatic. Shiskine is not long or a championship course, but it is pure fun to play. The opening hole is an elevated tee in which you have to hit across the beach. Its “blind” holes with names such as the “Crows Nest” and the “Himalayas” are entertaining.
Website: https://www.shiskinegolf.com/