Highlands and Home Tour Golf Courses

Dornoch Golf Club was formed in 1877, became Royal in 1906 courtesy of King Edward VII, and has always been operated as a private members club. However, since the very beginning, the members and the people of Dornoch have realised the joy that their course gives to golfers and the value of the tourism to the area so have welcomed visitors ever since the first ball was struck.

The par 70 course is evenly distributed over the two halves, each featuring two par threes, a par five and six par fours. If the wind blows the course will demand more from the player especially the par four finishing hole where a par can be considered a birdie. Old Tom Morris was the architect responsible for extending the original 9 holes layout to 18 holes in 1866. He introduced the plateau greens which are the soul of the course, their uniqueness lies in their size and their inverted saucer shapes.

Nairn is a traditional Scottish links carved out of the natural landscape along the shores of the Moray Firth. The course is a fine test with three par 5s over 530 yards and a premium on accurate driving and precision second shots. There are humps and hollows lurking in the fairways and the smooth greens are tricky to master.

Beware of the opening holes, as it is all too easy to strike the ball into the sea on each of the first seven!

Eighty years ago, having played the Championship Course, James Braid commented - “The texture of the turf and character of the greens is unrivalled.”

Situated on the shores of the Moray Firth, the Nairn Dunbar golf course, founded in 1899, is a highly rated Scottish links championship course representing a formidable challenge with its gorse-lined fairways.

Renowned for its excellent condition and friendly reception to visitors, the club regularly hosts national amateur events. Facilities in the newly reopened clubhouse include comfortable lounge bars, dining room, extensive locker room facilities with visitors room and showers.

The Royal Aberdeen course runs out and back along the North Sea shore, the outward 9 cutting through some wonderful dune formation with the homeward nine on the plateau.

A traditional old Scottish links, it is well bunkered with undulating fairways. It is an excellent balance of holes, strong par 4's, tricky par 3's and two classic par 5's.

The Links of Carnoustie is generally accepted as one of the ultimate tests in golf. The British Open returned here in 1999, with Scotland's Paul Lawrie winning a 4-way play-off, which included Frenchman Jean van de Velde, who needed only a 6 on the par-4 last for victory. Ben Hogan won here in 1953, and the par-5 6th Hole at Carnoustie was officially renamed after him in 2003 as Hogan's Alley, because of the Champions strategy of driving between the fairway bunkers and out-of-bounds, to set up winning birdies. Carnoustie once again will host the British Open in 2007.

The Fairmont Torrance Course is a dramatic creation from the late Gene Sarazen and named after Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance. The gorse-lined fairways roll with the natural contours of the land along its striking clifftop setting with glorious views of St Andrews and beyond to the Grampian Mountains.

Features of the course are typically Scottish, with stone walls, deep bunkers and streams dotted about around the 18 holes. The exposed setting calls for some skilful shotmaking in the wind and bump and runs to the large, true greens are often the order of the day.

The signature hole is the 17th where the cliffs drop off dramatically all the way down the right of its 444 yards.

“Six miles south of Scotland’s Old Course at St Andrews is the new Kingsbarns Golf Links, so splendiferous in its concept and execution that we felt compelled to declare it our first ever Best New International Course” – Golf Digest, 2001.

Kingsbarns is a relatively new but classic links set against the rugged coastline of the North Sea in the most famous stretch of golfing terrain in the world. The land in East Fife is perfect for golf and Kingsbarns makes great use of the sandy soils, ridges and hollows. Glorious sea views, deep, revetted bunkers, smooth, undulating greens and the picturesque Cambo burn make for an attractive but stern test of golf which requires excellent shotmaking.

The course is now included within the end of PGA European Tour season Dunhill Links Championship!

Dalmahoy East course is set amongst 1000 acres of rolling parkland and was designed by the legendary James Braid in 1927.

This immaculately maintained course winds through woodland, streams and lakes with glorious views over the surrounding Pentland Hills. It is not overly penal from the tee, but it is fairly long and there area plenty of bunkers to catch you out. Great holes include the 17th “Wee Wrecker”, a par three with no less than five bunkers around the green.

Dalmahoy has hosted many major events, including the 1992 Solheim Cup when Catrin Nilsmark sealed a famous victory for Europe.