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Golf Vacations in Scotland - Highland and Island Gems

Royal Dornoch ()

Only its relative isolation has prevented Royal Dornoch receiving the universal acclaim it deserves, with many believing it good enough to hold an Open Championship.It is a timeless design which is guaranteed to challenge and enchant in equal measure. Tom Watson made the pilgrimage and declared it 'the most fun I have had playing golf in my whole life'. Dornoch is an imperative experience for those who care deeply about golf and well worth whatever detour is required to take you there.

Nairn ()

Another outstanding links, Nairn ranks, by general consent, a close second to Dornoch and should be combined with a visit to that wonderful links. Golf has been played here for over a century and the quality of the course - it has a reputation for superb, silky greens - has attracted many prestigious events including the 1999 Walker Cup.

Boat of Garten ()

An inland course, in the heart of historic Speyside with views to the nearby Cairngorm mountains, which povides a warm welcome and challenging golf. The site is a crumpled, rolling landscape with an abundance of Scots Pine and Silver Birch and the glorious River Spey flowing alongside the closing holes - you won't be the first person to witness an Osprey take a fish.

Brora ()

Another creation of James Braid, Brora links is set on an undulating site between the Sutherland hills and a dazzling white beach that stretches for miles in either direction. No two successive holes are remotely similar on this wonderful links, described by Golf Monthly as "old-fashioned and welcoming as a log fire in your granny's kitchen". The club was founded in 1891, measures 6,110 yards to a par of 70 and has been described by James Finnegan as "a course that must be played...it is among my dozen favourite seaside courses in Scotland. Too short to qualify as great, it is still no less than superlative".

Golspie ()

Golspie is a rare one. It's a links with lush fairways and a section of heathland. It runs along the shore of the Moray Firth, which in the last century has eaten away at chunks of the links section - they've now built a sea wall, which for the moment seems to be holding the sea at bay. It's an easy walking course, and on the links section several fairways run roughly parallel, two abreast, seperated by rough which is generally sparse although fierce in pockets - they say that if you have to look for your ball at Golspie you may as well forget it. A mark of Golspies standing is that it was a qualifying course for the 1995 British Amateur Championship played at nearby Royal Dornoch.

Tain ()

Tain was designed by Old Tom Morris in 1890 and is widely regarded as his 'Northern Jewel'. The course is largely links with an abundance of heather and gorse lining the tight fairways, and the river Tain winding through a number of the holes. It is an ideal course to combine with a visit to Dornoch and has the added attraction of having the Glenmorangie malt whisky distillery situated conveniently near to the course.

Moray Old Course ()

Laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1889, this links follows the coastline of the Moray Firth and offers generous fairways, which is as well because they mustn't be missed, which are liberally spiced with old-fashioned cross bunkers. It is a gem of a links course with gorse lined fairways, deep revetted bunkers and grass covered dunes. The eighteenth green will remind you of St Andrews, although more elevated and heavily bunkered, and considered by many to be the finest finishing hole in Scotland. Play it once and you'll want to go round again. Moray has played host to many national championships, including The Scottish Amateur Championship.

Machrie Golf Course - Isle of Islay ()

The Machrie course is, as the crow flies, just around the corner from Macrihanish, but getting there is not easy. Machrie is, you see, on the Isle of Islay (pronounced eye-la), and getting there involves either a two hour ferry crossing from Kennacraig or a thirty minute flight from Glasgow. However, as with so many remote courses, it is well worth the time taken.

The course was originally laid out by Willie Campbell in 1891, who believed it to be 'the best ground for a golf course I have ever had the pleasure of viewing'. Apart from a few changes made in the late 1870's by Donald Steel, the course remains today much as it was when Wille Campbell had done with it. In 1901 Machrie hosted it's own 'Open Championship', and the prize of £100 - the largest of any contemporary competition - attracted the 'Great Triumvirate' of Vardon, Taylor and Braid. James Finnegan went there and described it thus :'To begin with this is magnificent golfing country, dominated by grass cloaked sandhills of all shapes and sizes. Within this magical landscape are numerous natural greensites - amphitheatres, punchbowls, plateaus, ridgetops, ridgebottoms.' Given the fact that many of the shots are blind, I would support Finnegans advice to play it at least twice ; 'The second time around not only will you know where you are going, but you will be able to focus on the shots themselves rather than on the the mystifying marvels of Machrie'.

Machrihanish ()

Old Tom Morris, on being asked to make some changes at the turn of the century, declared the land here as being 'created by the Almighty for the express purpose of playing golf'. It's not the most accessible of courses but is well worth making the effort for - although to do it justice you should allow a day to get there and a day to return, and plan to play at least 36 holes. The opening hole is stunning and tempts you to take on as much of the carry over the beach as you dare.Originally this was a club for the whisky distillers and merchants of Campbeltown, who travelled across the peninsula by using a now defunct small railway. Times have changed and the club and the clubhouse are now noted for their hospitality to visitors. The course measures 6,228 to a SSS 70 and each hole is unique enough to linger in your memory long after you have returned home. Machrihanish is also included in the Ayrshire section of this site.

Traigh Golf Club ( Personal Recommendation)

Getting to Traigh Golf Course isn't easy either but it is another course which is well worth the effort. One of the few courses in the West Highlands, it was only recently described by a national news paper as 'Probably the most beautifully sited nine-hole course in the world'.

The word Traigh - pronounced Try - means beach in Gaelic, and the course is laid out alongside sandy beaches and rocky inlets, with stunning views to the islands of Eigg and Rhum. Bill Ellis in a 'View from America' tells of coming to Scotland to find where his grandmother was born and play the 'Old Course', only to become enchanted by Traigh. 'It was the most beautiful golf scenery I have ever experienced and most likely ever will. I,ve played Pebble Beach, the Old Course, Troon and Royal Dornoch. All great courses. But Traigh is what golf is, and that is a man walking up and down hills with the wind whipping in his face, waves crashing at the beach below, and sheep grazing in the pasture lining the course'.

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