The spectacular scenery of the Scottish Highlands offers plenty for visitors to look forward to. From the sheer natural cliffs, the stunning islands off the western coast of the Mainland, and the curved golf courses you can find throughout. In addition to breathtaking scenery, the Scottish Highlands golf courses offer a look into the sport’s history. St Andrews, in particular, is a golfers’ paradise, with fairways that date back hundreds of years.
Even beyond St Andrews, there are unique locations in the northern regions of Scotland where playing golf is an absolute must. Here are the best golf courses in the Scottish Highlands, how much you can expect to play a round, and other important information.
Balgownie Links
The Balgownie Links are one of the prestigious courses visitors to Aberdeenshire can enjoy at the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. Balgownie Links is one of the best links-style golf courses and has been part of the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club since 1888. The course was designed by Archie and Robert Simpson but elevated by the famous James Braid.
Balgownie is a superb challenge, with the front nine ranking as one of the very best in the world. Each hole is unique, combining par 3s and par 5s that will challenge golfers of all skill levels. The flat links-style golf courses are set within the plateaus and dunes of the Aberdeenshire, a classic links design.
Costs for playing along the Balgownie Links depend on when you plan to play during the year, from £215 during the busy peak season (May – October) to £95 during the off-season (October – April). The costs can depend on the year you’re planning to come, but Balgownie tends to be one of the more expensive courses (it did host the Scottish Open, after all).
Royal Dornoch Golf Club
The spellbinding Royal Dornoch Golf Club sits in the Highland town of Dornoch, overlooking the Dornoch Firth with views of the North Sea. Royal Dornoch is one of the many hidden gems that golfers can look forward to while exploring the rumpled fairways of the Highlands, and a must-play if you’ve got a limited selection.
Royal Dornoch was formed in 1877, and this course has been a standard for many years since its inception. The Royal Dornoch is also a championship course for the European tour, with players having the option to play along a famous par 70 equally distributed between the front and back half of the course.
Playing on this prestigious course depends on the time of year you arrive, with a single round costing around £250 during the peak season and £140 during the off-season.
Nairn Golf Club
Are you keen on a golf break with stunning views? Look no further than the beautiful Nairn Golf Club. This golf club looks over the Highlands coast to the Cromarty Firth and Moray Firth, with the course spanning the length of Nairn’s beaches.
Golfers can partake in two golf courses here: the 9-hole Cameron Course and the 18-hole Championship Course. The 9-hole course is more friendly, easy to tackle, and ideal for a casual round. The Championship Course offers an excellent challenge, with several par 3s and 4s and seaside views.
Have you deemed Nairn worth playing? You can pay £199 during the peak season (May – September) and £50 during the off-season (December – February).
Boat of Garten Golf Club
The Goat of Garten is a golf club that should be on your list if you want to enjoy a round of golf in the Highlands. The Boat of Garten Golf Club is a James Braid design set alongside the River Spey in the Cairngorms National Park.
This golf club is only a 10-minute drive from Aviemore, which is frequently visited by the fauna of the Cairngorms, making the stunning scenery even more pleasurable to enjoy.
As expected of a James Braid course, the 18 holes offer a delightful challenge that uses the natural landscape to create natural barriers and hazards. Navigating the 18 holes of Boat of Garten is an absolute joy, with stunning fairways lined by birch trees and purple heather.
No matter what time of the year you arrive at the Boat of Garten, you can enjoy all 18 holes for the mere price of £80.
Cruden Bay Golf Courses
Cruden Bay is an unforgettable experience created by Old Tom Morris, sometimes called the Grandfather of Gold. In the 1920s, though, the course was redesigned by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler and stands as the course in its modern-day state.
This golf course is unique because it asks for several blind shots over its fairways, which can prove a challenge to many who haven’t had to practise or the confidence to navigate it. Nevertheless, the beautiful sand hills and immaculate fairways of Cruden Bay offer a golfing round unlike any you’ve had before.
During the peak season, Cruden Bay’s green fees are £165 during the weekdays and £110 during the off-season. Make sure to check out their website for more information.
Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club
Grantown-on-Spey is known for numerous attractions, including the Strathspey region, its abundance of salmon, and many more. The Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club is another excellent spot to enjoy for the avid golfer who wants to explore the breadth and width of the Highlands’ golf courses.
The golf club has an entire 18-hole course that originates back to 1890 and was designed by Willie Park Jr. and James Braid, which is more than enough to validate a trip to this reputable golf course. Green fees for Grantown-on-Spey depend on the season you arrive, with a round during the high season costing £49 and £25 during the off-season.
Whalsay Golf Club
The beautiful Whalsay Golf Club sits just off the eastern coast of the Mainland Shetland Islands, with absolutely stunning views over the North Sea.
Whalsay holds the title of the most northerly golf course in the British Isles and presents a par 71 across its 18 holes. What makes this golf club a treat to play is the isolation of the course from the rest of the world, letting you enjoy the serene tranquillity that only a course at the edge of the world can offer.
If you’ve made the trek to the esteemed Whalsay Golf Club, you can play on their greens for a reasonably £30.
Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Links
Just north of Inverness and overlooking the Moray Firth sits Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Links, which has been a prominent traditional links course since 1793. The flatter course takes you past the exquisite Scotland coastline and uses the natural dunes and contours as obstacles.
Fortrose & Rosemarkie is readily accessible if you’re planning to spend most of your holiday in the bustling city of Inverness, with the green fees also quite amenable (£35 to £95, depending on when during the year you arrive).
Brora Golf Club
If you’re looking for a golf course that has participated in national competitions, look at the Brora Golf Club. Brora presents another James Braid original course that was first established in 1891 and is regularly regarded as one of the finest works that James Braid has worked on.
This fact is easy to tell when you’re playing on its greens, with this links golf course offering the perfect balance of challenging and fun. In addition to a stunning course, guests can look forward to plentiful amenities at the club’s restaurant and bar.
You can play a round at Brora for £125 between May and October. This decreases to £65 if you’ve booked a time after 3 pm.
Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart Links
Cabot Highlands (previously Castle Stuart) Links sits overlooking the stunning Moray Firth and just opposite the Fortrose & Rosiemarkie Golf Links Golf Course. Cabot Highlands boasts an experience of golf as it was in the late 1800s when the sport was first blossoming onto the scene.
As such, its courses are the classic links that give you a dynamic golfing experience and the most fun. Its proximity to the Moray Firth also provides spectacular views as you tee off. If you keep your eyes sharp, you may even spot dolphins breaching the waves of the Firth, too!
Cabot Highlands is a highly rated golfing experience fit for anyone coming to the Scottish Highlands, and it costs £270 for its entire 18 holes during May – October and £210 during October – April.
Tain Golf Club
Often touted as ‘Tom Morris’ Northern Jewel’, the course at Tain Golf Club is a spectacular one to try your hand at. One aspect that makes Tain Golf Club a place to add to your list is its ideal location between the sea and the mountains, protecting the Highlands course from most bad weather.
As you navigate the engaging 18 holes designed by Old Tom Morris in 1890, keep your eye out for the abundance of wildlife that often visit – otters, deer, osprey, and many more- and they love watching as visitors as they play.
Spey Valley Golf Course
The Spey Valley Golf Course is connected to the luxurious MacDonald Aviemore Resort. Spey Valley is genuinely something special. It was voted one of the best golf courses in Scotland by Your Golfer Magazine and offers some of the most spectacular scenery with breathtaking views out to the Cairngorms National Park.
The Championship Course offers 18 holes that span the dynamic Cairngorms landscape, with 7000 yards of well-kept greens to test your mettle against. This golf course is a fun challenge to a golfer of any level, with the 5th offering the chance to let loose on its 635-yard length.
The costs to play a round at Spey Valley depend on when you arrive, but you can expect a game to cost about £60 per player.
Golspie Golf Club
Tee off amongst the Highland’s striking landscapes at Golspie Golf Club, one of the best that Scotland’s east coast offers. The famed James Braid has touched Golspie’s course and has remained the same since its creation in 1926.
Golfers can expect a stimulating course along the Scottish coast with a penchant for occasional winds that can aid or hinder your shots across its 18 holes. Take on this par 70 for £90 during your next major golf break.
Bonar Bridge & Ardgay Golf Club
The beautiful golf course within Bonar Bridge & Ardgay is one of the most popular in the Scottish Highlands. The course sits amongst the stunning pines and heathers abundant in the Highlands, with the rolling hills beyond.
As opposed to the other courses we’ve spoken about so far, Bonar Bridge & Ardgay is a 9-hole course that is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
Reay Golf Club
When James Braid set about designing some of the best golf courses in Scotland, his most northerly work was the Reay Golf Club. The course is open all year round, with no winter greens or tees to spoil your fun during the November – February period.
Reay is also relatively inexpensive to play on, costing about £60 to enjoy – a right bargain for a historic James Braid course.
Wick Golf Club
The North Coast 500 is one of the most popular routes to explore the wonders of the Scottish Highlands, and the Wicks Golf Club is the oldest established club along this route. Initially created in 1870, Wick Golf Club offers the best that the Highlands offers.
Tackle the varying par 3s, 4s, and 5s with the beautiful Scottish coast, setting a serene scene around you.
Stromness Golf Club
Another Shetland Isle golf course, the Stromness Golf Club, sits just over 4800 yards and overlooks the beautiful Scottish islands. Par 65 offers a fair but fun challenge, raised even further with the varying degrees of wind on the Isle.
The best way to tackle this sublime course on the edge of Scotland is to limit as much damage as possible with the first nine, the most difficult on the course, and then enjoy the back nine to recover as much as possible.
Askernish Golf Club
Our final must-play location is within the Outer Hebrides of Scotland and the humble island of South Uist, which serves as the border between the Mainland and the Atlantic Ocean. Askernish is an Old Tom Morris course, initially made in 1890, and has stood as a premier 18-hole course ever since!
Askernish is also one of the most financially amenable courses on this list, with the green fees only costing between £30 and £70 depending on when you arrive. Don’t hesitate to explore one of Scotland’s most underrated islands for golf, and it should be on your list of places to tee off.
Other Golf Courses in Scotland
- Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, & Moray Golf Courses
- Argyll & Bute Golf Courses
- Central & West Scotland Golf Courses
- Dumfries & Galloway Golf Courses
- Edinburgh & The Lothians Golf Courses
- Glasgow, Clyde, & Ayrshire Golf Courses
- Perthshire, Kinross, & Angus Golf Courses
- Scottish Borders Golf Courses
- Scottish Isles Golf Courses
- The Kingdom of Fife Golf Courses
