From iconic links courses along the rugged coastline to picturesque heathland courses nestled in native forests with dramatic mountain backdrops, Scotland boasts some of the world’s most stunning golfing landscapes. Nowhere are these more awe-inspiring than The Highlands, where you will find over 50 courses to choose from. The courses are sympathetically designed to take advantage of the natural terrain, with strategic bunkers, undulating fairways, and fast greens demanding precision and skill. Many of these courses have a storied past having been designed and frequented by golfing legends and ranking amongst the best on the planet.
With masterpieces such as Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Nairn Golf Club and the modern classic, Cabot Highlands, the Highlands are high on the bucket lists of discerning golfers. These courses are jewels in the crown not only of Highland golf but of world golf and are the ultimate challenge for experienced mid to low-handicap and scratch golfers.
Golf Road, Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland IV25 3LW
01862 810 219 | royaldornoch.com
Widely considered to be one of the finest golf courses on the planet, Royal Dornoch should be on any serious golfer’s bucket list. Rubbing shoulders with St Andrews’ Old Course on world ranking lists, Royal Dornoch is every bit as good and – whisper this – probably even surpasses that other famous Old Tom Morris classic.
With a history dating back to the 1600s – but with the golfing challenge kept stiff due to considered changes in recent years – Royal Dornoch is unforgiving. Hugging the picturesque Dornoch Firth, with views north to Caithness, its 18 incredible holes traverse a narrow tract of land along the beach. It’s a classic nine out, nine backlinks and the water is never out of sight.
All the par 3s here could be included on lists of the best golf holes in Scotland but pushed to choose the outstanding hole it would be the arduous 445 yard, par 4, 14th. The only hole on the course without a bunker, between tee and green there is a maze of grassy mounds and promontories requiring the golfer to be as cunning as the hole’s name – Foxy – suggests. Pars are to be cherished; birdies to be celebrated.
What makes Royal Dornoch so special is its authenticity. It is true to the principles of links golf, making the best of the natural contours of the turf and with renowned ‘upturned saucer’ greens that test even the finest golfers. Always in spectacular condition and an incredible test of golf, almost all who play here vow to return.
Accommodation:
https://www.visitdornoch.com/stay-a-while/
http://www.dornochtownandcountrylettings.co.uk/properties.php
Dalcross, Inverness IV2 7JL
01463 796 111 | cabothighlands.com
Cabot Highlands (formerly known as Castle Stuart Golf Links) is a relative newcomer to the Highland golf scene, having opened in 2009. But rave reviews that saw this Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse creation knocking on the door of the world’s top 50 courses have made it a must-play for keen golfers.
This homage to ‘golf as it was’ – think rumpled fairways, natural bunkers and paths bordered with ancient railway sleepers – is fantastic. Its 18 brilliant golf holes, strung along a narrow two-tiered tract of land, hug the south shore of the Moray Firth. In fact, it is so good that the European Tour was inspired to come to the Highlands for the first time in 2011 with the Scottish Open – showcasing the course to a global audience.
There are many, many brilliant holes on this perfectly paced layout but the drive-able par 4, 3rd hole is a standout. The epitome of risk/reward golf, many visitors – especially those who may never return – are tempted to drive the green. The reward for a well-executed blow of some 290 yards is an eagle putt. The punishment for a wayward drive may be wet feet or a near-impossible up and down to the narrow infinity green.
The original links are soon to be joined by a hotly anticipated new Tom Doak-designed 18 enjoying a similarly rewarding site – which is sure to match, or surpass – its world-class neighbour.
Accommodation:
Seabank Road, Nairn, IV12 4HB
01667 453 208 | nairngolfclub.co.uk
A rival to Royal Dornoch in terms of setting, Nairn Golf Club’s shore-side location on the Moray Firth offers views stretching over to the Black Isle and, north, to Sutherland and Caithness. Luminaries of golf course design, Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Ben Sayers, have all been drawn to this idyllic spot – each leaving their impressions on the current layout.
A true links, with the opening holes hugging the shore, the sea can be as little as ten metres away. But don’t be disarmed by the views because a sliced drive will land you in the water on six of the first seven holes. That’s not to say that your round will be any less challenging if you find the fairway. They undulate more than at any other course in Scotland and it is not uncommon to find a lie in a fairway hollow – or mogul – that will pose a tougher shot than if you’d come to rest in a bunker.
The 221 yard, par 3, 14th hole epitomises this challenging track, which has hosted the prestigious Walker – and Curtis – Cups. Boasting panoramic ocean views, it is one of the most difficult holes on the course. Usually played in a cross wind, it can require anything from a four iron to a driver from the tee and it is virtually impossible to hold the green. The impeccable putting surface – probably the purest in the Highlands – undulates like a fairground rollercoaster and three or four putts are common. Yet once the ball nestles in the hole, you’ll want to go back and play it again.
Accommodation near Nairn Golf Club:
Several other Highland courses provide challenges and experiences comparable to the greats at Dornoch, Nairn and Cabot Highlands These can be overlooked due to their proximity to their legendary Highland neighbours. Any golfing pilgrimage to the Highlands would be incomplete without a round at the Old Tom Morris or James Braid-designed courses at Tain and Brora, They’re just part of the list of lesser-known, Championship golf courses that deliver truly authentic Highland golf experiences.
Golf Road, Brora, Sutherland, KW9 6QS
01408 621 417
Frequently overlooked in favour of its famous neighbour – Royal Dornoch – Brora Golf Club is a world-class links in its own right. Considered one of James Braid’s masterpieces, the first thing that strikes you is its beachside location and the occasional sheep or cow grazing on the pristine fairways. But don’t be under any illusion that this is not a serious test of golf.
Once you drag your attention away from the vistas, you are in for a treat: the opening nine holes hug the bay in true links golf tradition and the conditioning of the course matches anything you will find anywhere in the country. Highlights of the round include the incredible views from the 2nd tee, the approach to the beach-side 9th green and the drive from the elevated 17th tee. Using a distant lighthouse as a marker, it may just be one of the best driving holes in all of Scotland.
Accommodation:
Chapel Road, Tain, Ross-Shire, IV19 1JE
01862 892 314
Across the bay from Royal Dornoch, Tain Golf Club is no less prestigious. Challenging and always in immaculate condition, it’s a small wonder it is known as “Old Tom Morris’s Northern Jewel”.
This classic Highland links plays almost exactly as it would have done in Morris’s time. It’s a treat for links aficionados, meandering along the River Tain and the Dornoch Firth with brief forays into pine-filled heathland. All fairways have signature links hills and hollows – all natural – with marram grass and gorse aplenty to snare wayward shots.
One hole – the par 4 11th known as Alps – typifies Tain. Two mighty blows – the second a blind shot, often into a strong head or crosswind – are required to reach the long shoreside green. After putting, you must ring the bell to signal that the green is clear for following golfers and proceed to the memorable closing run.
Accommodation:
Stotfield Road, Lossiemouth, Moray, IV31 6QS
01343 812 018
Another hidden Old Tom Morris Highland gem, Moray Golf Club Old Course remains largely unchanged from how the great golf architect imagined it. Genius though Morris was, one look at the natural dunes and undulating linksland here will tell you that nature and the divine must take equal credit for producing what is arguably the best course in the Highlands that’s missing from golf tourists’ must-play lists.
But play it they must. Lossie, as the locals call it, is a tremendous golfing challenge. There are difficult holes throughout, none more so than the long par 4, 8th hole. A dogleg, with no less than seven bunkers, the hole is further protected by vivid gorse, broom and purple heather. But it’s the 18th hole that people talk about most. At 400 yards this par 4 isn’t long but it is extremely difficult due to the rock cliff along the right boundary and the five fairway bunkers attracting wayward drives. The elevated green – long and narrow – sits atop a plateau – and provides a trepidatious close to a memorable round of golf.
Accommodation:
Dalfaber Drive, Aviemore, PH22 1ST
01479 812 920
Dave Thomas, who designed the four-time Ryder Cup venue – The Brabazon at The Belfry – created Spey Valley Championship Course and called this the ‘jewel in the crown’ of his glittering career. It’s hard to disagree. Located in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, Spey Valley is full of surprises.
The first is that, despite being 30 miles from the coast, the layout has a links feel. It’s not just the firm fairways and tight lies, it’s the way the course was designed, working with the natural landscape. But make no mistake, this proudly heathland course ranks right up there alongside the finest inland courses, such as Gleneagles.
Four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka holds the course record here (62), but us mere mortals can only dream of troubling his unbelievable score. Holes like the par 4, 7th – with a risky bunker and a fairway that dips and rises, bordered by ball-eating heather – make low scores the exception.
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Accommodation:
Lochloy Road, Nairn, IV12 5AE
01667 452 741
Many believe that Nairn is home to one truly great Championship links course. But it’s actually home to two. Nairn Dunbar Golf Club which stretches along the Moray coast on the other side of town from its famous neighbour is equally worthy of a place on your must-play list.
Nairn Dunbar’s declaration, ‘to enable people to enjoy their golf in a friendly sustainable environment’, may seem folksy and simple but it both typifies the welcome here and the club’s trailblazing approach to sustainable golf course agronomy – and belies the fact that this is a brilliant golf course.
Despite being just a couple of hundred yards from the sea, Nairn Dunbar doesn’t enjoy the sea views of Nairn’s other course giving more of a heathland feel. But it’s none the worse for it. Holes 4 through 8 are brilliant – four long, tricky par 4s with out-of-bounds tantalisingly close on each before the signature semi-blind 163-yard, par 3, 8th with its memorable bowl green.
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Accommodation:
Ness Road East, Fortrose, IV10 8SE
01381 620 529
Most Highland golf courses enjoy iconic settings but historic Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club trumps the lot. Enjoying one of the finest settings in golf on Chanonry Ness – a mile-long spit of land jutting into the Moray Firth. The course makes the most of this unique setting with the firth often in play as the course wends its way down one side of the promontory and back along the other.
Established in 1793, and later improved by the revered James Braid, Fortrose is the 15th oldest golf club in the world. Steeped in history and, while not as long as modern, muscular Championship tracks, it requires guile to navigate and skill to play the frequent crosswinds that blow here. The short, sub 500 yard, par 5, 4th hole ‘Lighthouse’ is typical of Fortrose. Whether to lay up before a natural, undulating hollow on the fairway – leaving a 200-yard plus approach to a sloping green – or hit blind into the hollow and hope for the best – leaving a shorter iron up to the green. The choice is yours. It’s fun. How golf should be.
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Accommodation:
Balphadrig Road, Inverness IV3 8AX
01463 225651
‘Kings’ on the western reaches of Inverness is a new championship course – with an interesting history. Established in 2019, it occupies an impressive site by the Caledonian Canal (golfers can be bemused to see yachts pass through the tree line near the 1st and 18th holes). The course emerged as a result of the demise of Torvean Golf Club, which was sacrificed when the Inverness West Link road was built. The name ‘Kings’ pays homage to the sacred lands the course occupies, in the lee of Craig Phadrig, a rocky outcrop, once the stronghold of King Brude, the Pictish monarch.
Designer, Stuart Rennie, has done a brilliant job of incorporating and improving a couple of holes from the original Torvean course. But more than that, he has created a brilliant golf challenge on a site fringed with mature woodland meandering its way across a gently sloping site. Holes 4, 8, 12 and 16 are stiff challenges for even the best golfers, while each of the par 3s requires guile to navigate. The 18th’s island-feel green provides a grandstand finish.
Accommodation:
Culcabock Road, Inverness IV2 3XQ
Invernessians are spoiled for choice when it comes to golf. Cabot Highlands, Nairn and Royal Dornoch are just some of the exceptional links courses on their doorstep. But the city also has two very fine championship courses that visiting golfers should make time for.
‘Culcabock’ as Inverness Golf Club is referred to by locals, is an historic and brilliant parkland course. Reminiscent of Augusta with its tall pines, lush vegetation and immaculately manicured fairways and greens, the course’s dramatic elevation feels come as a surprise in its city setting.
Over its 140 year history, George Smith, JJ Fraser and James Braid have all contributed to Inverness’s design. The result is parkland golf at its best with tall trees and a meandering stream in play on many holes.
Accommodation:
Birnie Rd, Elgin IV30 8SX
01343 542338
Highland golf is all about the wild, natural coastal links, right? Well, yes and no… Elgin can rightly claim to be one of the Highlands’ finest inland championship tracks. Lined with mature trees, with multiple elevation changes throughout, this immaculately presented and challenging course deserves more recognition – as can be said about other nearby courses in this golf-rich corner of Moray.
Lush fairways and carpet-like greens make a round here a pleasure. Founded as a 9-holer in 1906 and sympathetically extended to the full 18 in 1924 before an extensive redesign in the 1960s, the course blends the best features of parkland and heathland golf. It is not long by modern standards at just 6,500 yards from the medal tees, but it plays longer. The tough 450 yard plus par 4 2nd is far from the only long-playing par 4 on the card.
The 220-yard par 3 6th is excellent but can be brutal with left to right slanting terrain, a narrow green entrance and penal fall offs to the back and right of the putting surface. The prelude to the 6th is the onerous par 5 5th. Two mighty blows will likely leave you short of the elevated, plateau green with a tricky pitch to come. Par should be considered an excellent score.
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In all corners of the Highlands, you will find off the beaten track golf courses where the golf will be fun and unique and the welcome warm for all standards of golfer. These hidden gems are as much part of the region’s rich golf tapestry as its great courses, but are every bit as memorable to visit. These well-kept secrets – like Durness in the North West Highlands where Orca or Basking Sharks may be glimpsed in the turquoise waters below the course – are where golfers can come and let their hair down.
Nethybridge Road, Boat of Garten, Inverness-shire, PH24 3BQ
01479 831 282 | boatgolf.com
A James Braid classic, Boat of Garten sits in the heart of the Spey Valley nestled amidst native pines and juniper bushes that fuel The Highlands’ gin industry. The moment you step onto the course you will be blown away by the stunning mountain backdrop of the Cairngorms. Borrowing much from its surrounding landscape, the course is the golfing equivalent of a roller coaster.
Weaving in and out of birch, broom and heather, with numerous blind tee shots and elevated tees and greens, Boat of Garten is a bit of a throwback – but no less of a challenger. The 350 yard, par 4, 8th sums this up perfectly. Many approach shots will fall short of the elevated green and take what is known locally as a ‘Boat bounce’ back down the hill past you. For every arduous uphill hole, however, the golfer is rewarded with a tee shot such as at the 12th.Braid’s declared it a favourite of the many courses he designed and standing here, taking in the awe-inspiring view, you’ll be hard-pushed to disagree.
Accommodation:
Ferry Road, Golspie, KW10 6ST
01408 633 266 | golspiegolfclub.co.uk
Golspie Golf Club on the Sutherland coast, just north of Dornoch, is a well-kept secret among golfing cognoscenti. And as with all hidden gems, many are tempted to keep it quiet.. But this is a course that deserves to be shouted about.
Occupying a beautiful swathe of coastal land, there’s a proliferation of great seaside holes but the course also segues into the pine forest and heathland redolent of Gleneagles. It’s a heady combination of lush green and tight links fairways leading to lightning-quick greens.
The 175-yard, par 3, 6th hole typifies the fun to be had at Golspie. The two-tiered tabletop green sitting atop a natural promontory has to be seen to be believed and can demand anything from a 7 iron to a 3 wood, depending on which way the wind is blowing.
Accommodation:
Balnakeil, Durness, Sutherland, IV27 4PX
07739 797 312 | durnessgolfclub.org
The term “golf on the edge” could have been coined for Durness Golf Club. While all Highland golf courses have spectacular settings, Durness takes things to the next level. Britain’s most north-westerly course, this recent addition to Highland golf sits on Scotland’s famous North Coast 500 driving route, looking out over the turquoise waters of Balnakeil Bay and the wild Atlantic beyond.
Visiting here is like stepping back in time. Think honesty box for green fees and a homely clubhouse. And it’s all the better for it. Not for nothing has Golf Magazine ranked Durness among the world’s best 9-hole golf courses.
Durness can be played as an 18 too and visitors will find a course that makes the most of its coastal, clifftop setting whilst also taking you into the wild terrain of the neighbouring North West Highlands UNESCO Geopark.
It would be remiss to write of Durness and not mention the tremendous 105 yard, par 3, 9th. Playing across a sea inlet to a tiny, sand-protected green, it could be the most fun par 3 in Scottish golf.
Accommodation:
Lodge Rd, Hopeman, IV30 5YA
01343 830 578 | hopemangolf.club
Hopeman Golf Club is another hidden gem that is often overlooked due to its proximity to better-known nearby courses – in this case, Moray Old. But it is well worth seeking out. Originally 9 holes, it was later extended to 18 recent upgrades have made this a must-play. Gorse and broom abound here and, when you reminisce about Hopeman, you’ll think of vistas of vivid yellow, the coconut aroma of gorse flower and a stern golf challenge.
Walking off the green of the excellent 11th hole and onto the tee of the 12th the majesty of Hopeman truly reveals itself. The panorama is breathtaking.with Sutherland and Caithness laid out to the north across a vast expanse of ocean. Hitting, from on high, to a small green 120ft below, this is justly regarded as one of Scotland’s finest par 3s.
Accommodation:
Reay, Caithness,KW14 7RE
01847 811 288 | reaygolfclub.com
Situated in a location not commonly associated with great golf, Reay Golf Club is another North Coast classic. The most northerly golf course on the Scottish mainland, Reay is the epitome of a hidden gem. Tucked amongst the dunes fringing Sandside Bay, the course enjoys jaw-dropping views of the Pentland Firth and North Atlantic from each and every hole.
Legendary golf architect James Braid’s fingerprints can be found at this, like so many other Highland courses. Clinging to Scotland’s northern reaches, it is authentic and tough – often played in a stiff breeze that requires real creativity with shot choices. Think punched irons and bump-and-run pitches.
The thought-provoking 581-yard, par 5, 4th hole, ‘Sahara’, require a strategic approach to access the well-protected green in regulation, while the fierce and deceptive 200-yard, par 3, 7th plays across a burn to the raised green and is all carry, with no room for error.
Accommodation:
Glencoe, Ballachulish, Argyll, PH49 4AA
01855 413 200 | woodlands.scot/golf-course
Another one for the ‘great-golf-courses-where-you-least-expect-to-find-them’ list, Woodlands Golf Course, in Glencoe in the West Highlands, enjoys a lochside location amidst some of the most dramatic scenery in the country.
Not only has Woodlands been voted the best 9-hole course in Scotland, it has also earned a well-deserved place on the world’s Top 50 list. This oasis, in an otherwise empty golfing hinterland, is superb. The location beside 250-year-old Ballachulish House – with its connection to the Glencoe massacre – adds a historic Highland atmosphere to a round here and the 9-hole layout is no less dramatic. The par 3, 2nd, where the green sits atop a naturally elevated rocky outcrop, is a standout piece of golf course design.
It may be off the beaten track for golfers but a trip to Glencoe to play Woodlands is one that will live long in your memory.
Accommodation:
Great North Road, Muir of Ord IV6 7SX
01463 870825 | muirofordgolfclub.co.uk
At a little over 5,500 yards, Muir of Ord is not long by modern standards. But it more than makes up for it with narrow heather-lined fairways, hazards aplenty and some really, really fun holes. Another feather in the cap of James Braid, this heathland track is perfectly maintained and boasts tremendous views – from the towering snow-capped Ben Wyvis all the way to the glittering Beauly Firth.
Renowned for its warm welcome and unpretentious atmosphere, Muir is the epitome of a hidden gem and makes for a really fun round of golf. The course has some serious challenges beyond the tight drives of the opening four holes which either run adjacent to other holes or the north mainland railway track that bisects the course. Many come away remembering ‘Thirsty’, the 200-plus yard par 3. Hitting from on high, golfer must club down, crossing two burns and keeping, to the right of the green whilst avoiding a small greenside bunker beckoning the unwary.
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Laid out relatively recently by Scottish pro Euan McIntosh, Maverston is as well known for its tranquil setting as its superb condition from tee to green. This parkland beauty definitely qualifies as a “hidden gem”. With a choice of either the main par 71 18 hole course or the 9 hole par 3 ‘Kempston’, it’s a great choice for golfing groups of all abilities.
Boasting spectacular hillside views to the south – as well as vistas toward the Moray Firth to the north, Maverston plots its way through an undulating landscape on the Maverston Highland Estate. Difficult but fair, the course is always enjoyable, particularly on closing stretch. The par long 4 14th is excellent, requiring two good hits to reach the well-defended plateau green. The dogleg par 4 15th is wonderful too, with a blind approach to a well-protected green.
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Founded in 1932, this short 18 hole course ranks in the Top 100 of Golf World’s ‘Best Sustainable Golf Courses in Europe’. But there is far more to this course than its green credentials and sustainable practices.
There’s plenty to enjoy about Garmouth & Kingston on its riverside location on the banks of the River Spey. Garmouth and Kingston are the twin villages neighbouring the course and the duality continues in a course layout of 9 parkland holes followed by 9 with a distinctly links flavour.
Nature abounds here and you may catch a glimpse of rare Osprey, during their summer sojourn to the Scottish Highlands. The golf is similarly rewarding with particularly memorable par 3s at the 13th and 15th encapsulating the fun to be had here.
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Abernethy Golf Club’s moorland 9-holer is another Speyside gem providing a warm welcome to golfers of all standards. Tucked away in the forest village of Nethy Bridge at the heart of the Cairngorms National Park, Abernethy it is worth seeking out, even by low handicappers.
Founded on the Seafield Estate in 1893, the undulating terrain at Abernethy and tree-lined fairways are evocative of Blairgowrie, Gleneagles and Spey Valley heathland tracks. But like other great 9 holers, it is sometimes overlooked under the illusion that its 18 hole cousins offer a stiffer golfing challenge.
The signature 8th hole – The Monument – is appropriately-named. Well hit drives must clear an impressive stone memorial marking the fallen from WW1 and WW2 that sits proudly on a promontory in the middle of the golf course. But beware! Drives have (very) occasionally been known to lodge in the intricate design of the Celtic cross.
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This much beloved local gem sits in the heart of some of the most dramatic scenery anywhere in Europe, let alone the Highlands. Founded in 1975, Fort William Golf Club is just one of a handful of courses in Lochaber in the West Highlands. Sitting at the foot of the UK’s highest peak, Ben Nevis, this 18-hole, heathland layout is challenging but rewards golfers with some of the most striking views in the country.
Sympathetically updated in 1995 from the original 1975 design, Fort William has lost none of its charm, though the golf test has stiffened. The par 3 6th invites pitfalls with a ball-attracting burn and mature trees around the green combining to make this short, attractive, hole one to approach with trepidation.
Accommodation:
Scottish Golf Tourism Week
Inverness
Sandy Pipey Young Masters Pro Am
Royal Dornoch
Sandy Pipey Young Masters
Royal Dornoch
Tomatin Highland Golf Links ProAm
Cabot Highlands, Royal Dornoch, Nairn Golf Club
