Getty; Turnberry Lighthouse and Ailsa Craig
As the spiritual home of golf, Scotland will forever hold a mystique for the golfer, but where should they visit first? Here are five of our favourites. Words: Duncan Forgan
Golf in Scotland is an alluring prospect at any time. In fact, for discerning practitioners of the Royal and Ancient game, a visit to its traditional cradle is a pilgrimage with almost quasi-religious connotations.
It’s frighteningly easy to eulogise about the range of quality courses across the length and breadth of Scotland. Indeed, you would struggle to pick out a mediocre option even among the lesser-known layouts.
There are gems to savour in virtually every part of the country. From Royal Dornoch in the far north-east to Machrihanish on the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula, Scotland’s golf courses encompass every style of set-up imaginable, taking in windswept links —considered ground zero for the modern game in the view of most — heathery heathland and American-style parkland courses.
While the country is blessed with many unsung treasures, it’s the big guns that exert the biggest pull. And it’s extremely hard to quibble with the sought-after status of legendary layouts such as the Old Course at St Andrews, the Ailsa at Turnberry, Muirfield near Edinburgh and other celebrated names such as Royal Dornoch in Sutherland.
Throw into the mix an ever-expanding portfolio of accommodation and dining options and you glean further evidence that, when it comes to golf, Scotland remains the Holy Grail for good reason.
Trump Turnberry, Ailsa course
The acquisition of turnberry by current US President Donald Trump in 2014 might not have been completely to the liking of golfing purists. But few quibbles are ever heard about the veracity of the challenge at the resort’s two layouts: the Ailsa and the King Robert the Bruce (formerly the Kintyre). While the latter has its disciples, the Ailsa — a four-time British Open Championship host — is deservedly revered. Situated on a craggy headland overlooking the islet of Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde, the course offers fantastic outlooks over to the Isle of Arran and the distant Kintyre Peninsula as well as nearby Ailsa Craig in the Firth of Clyde. The run of holes from the 4th to the 11th is regarded as the layout’s signature stretch. The 9th, with its intimidating drive over the rugged shoreline to a blind fairway, requires nerves of steel. Green fees from £100.
The Old Course — St Andrews
St Andrews hogs the limelight with foreign visitors. Regarded by most as the ‘home of golf’, its Royal and Ancient Golf Club founded in 1754 exercises legislative authority over the game worldwide (apart from the USA and Mexico). The town currently boasts seven golf courses, the most famous of which is the Old Course, which has hosted the British Open championship on 29 occasions. It’s an undeniably thrilling experience to follow in the footsteps of the greats and tackle fabled challenges such as the 17th, known as the Road Hole. Other bunker-laden natural masterpieces, meanwhile, include the par-five 14th and the short 11th. Although familiar to television audiences around the globe, the Old Course retains its timeless idiosyncrasies. Green fees from £88.
Royal Dornoch
It’s testament to how royal dornoch is viewed that so many golfers choose to make the pilgrimage to it. Located on the Sutherland coast in Scotland’s far north-east, the course is around a four-hour drive from Edinburgh or Glasgow: a fair trek, especially when you consider how compact Scotland is. Nevertheless, those who visit tend to be glad they did. Largely the work of Old Tom Morris, a legend of the early game, Royal Dornoch is both beautiful and timeless. The course is as mesmerising as the setting. The 6th, a par-three known as ‘Whinny Brae’, demands an accurate tee shot across a swathe of gorse that wraps its way around the plateau green. The 14th, a long par-four with no bunkers but a wickedly undulating fairway, is regarded as one of the finest holes in golf. Green fees from £70.
Carnoustie
One of the best and most notorious courses on the british Open Championship circuit, Carnoustie is another essential stop on any grand Scottish golf tour. Dubbed ‘Car-nasty’ by Americans due to its famous difficulty, especially under adverse weather conditions, the layout’s a truly heroic test of temperament and ability. The array of challenges on the links include fearsome bunkers and streams that wind and twist into play. These hazards are rendered even tougher by the course’s time and new equipment-proofed design, which causes the best golfers problems even from the baby tees. For many it’s on the back nine that the course truly comes into its own. The 15th, a long par-four with a treacherous sloping fairway, the long par-three 16th and the burn-bisected 17th are regarded as one of the finest stretches in the game. Green fees from £200.
Ladybank
scotland’s best known for its coastal courses, but it possesses numerous inland classics: one of which is Ladybank. Located in the heart of Fife, the course is a tree-lined oasis. Its tranquil nature, however, shouldn’t detract from the severity of the test it offers. Although Ladybank, designed by Tom Morris in 1876, is laid out on level ground, the fir woods, birches, and heathery rough give it a Highland flavour among the gentle Lowland fields. There are numerous excellent holes on the course including the 7th, a snaking par-five that winds through pine and silver birch, and the 16th, a dogleg par-four that rewards those who can shape their shots from right to left. Green fee from £55.
