Inverness Golf Club is a parkland course that has been used in the past to hold the Northern Open for Scottish golf professionals.
Inverness Golf Club is a parkland course that has been used in the past to hold the Northern Open for Scottish golf professionals.
Inverness Golf Club
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I returned with a golfing sidekick to play here a couple of years after I’d first played on my own as I wanted feedback from him on the merits of Inverness as a Scottish Top100 track – absolutely no doubts in his (or my) mind but it’s always nice to double check with someone who’s been around and knows what’s good/bad/indifferent.
Plenty of the good to be found here, actually, especially on the two loops of holes from 6 to 10 then 11 to 15.
I rarely mention clubhouse facilities – as this is a website about golf courses, after all – but Inverness boasts one of the biggest, best-appointed buildings in the country, with service second to none when we bowled in unannounced for a bite to eat during a busy Sunday lunchtime service.
On the golfing front, I only wish the club had a little more land to play with so they could remove the need for the 17th tee box to be positioned 100 yards back down the side of the 16th fairway, meaning tee shots then have to fly over the green just played but that’s a minor criticism of a lush, well-groomed course.
Jim McCann
Jim McCann
The latest ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World serves as the ultimate global golf bucket list. Most members of our World Top 100 Panel are seasoned golfers, each playing 20-30 of these courses annually while travelling extensively over decades to form their opinions on others. We recognise that opinions vary—even among our panel members. Rankings are subjective, and there are undoubtedly 50 or more courses in the UK and USA alone that could easily fit onto this list. Links Golf Pilgrimages The rankings
California, United States
New Jersey, United States
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
New York, United States
New York, United States

Few regions in golf can match the concentrated quality found within an easy drive of Inverness. The Highland capital sits at the centre of a circuit that takes in Royal Dornoch, Cabot Highlands, Nairn, Brora and a supporting cast of links courses that would be headline attractions almost anywhere else in the world. What makes the Inverness region genuinely special is the combination of world-class golf and genuine accessibility. Inverness Airport receives direct flights from London, Amsterdam and several European cities, and the city itself is a comfortable, well-served base with excellent hotels and restaurants. The courses here are open to visitors, the locals are welcoming, and the long summer days mean you can cram extraordinary value into every trip. The Highlands have a microclimate that surprises most first-time visitors. When the rest of Scotland is under cloud, the strip of coastline running from Inverness north to Dornoch and beyond often basks in sunshine. Golf writers speak of this phenomenon reverently, and it is real enough that locals regard it as one of the region’s open secrets. Inverness Golf: Why It Should Be on Your List The case for an Inverness golf holiday builds quickly once you start looking at the map. The density of Top 100-ranked courses within striking distance of the city is genuinely remarkable, and visitor access is far more straightforward than the coastal resorts of East Lothian or the Ayrshire coast. Royal Dornoch consistently ranks among the top ten courses in the world, yet green fees remain considerably lower than comparable links on the Open rota Cabot Highlands (formerly Castle Stuart) now operates two 18-hole links courses following the 2025/26 opening of Tom Doak’s Old Petty, creating one of Scotland’s most exciting 36-hole venues Nairn and Brora offer championship-quality links with a fraction of the waiting times and booking anxiety of more famous venues A James Braid trail threads through the Highlands, connecting courses designed or remodelled by the five-times Open champion at Brora, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Inverness and beyond Summer golf until 10.30 pm in June and July, with twilight tee times available at Royal Dornoch and Cabot Highlands for those who want to maximise every long daylight hour ⛳ The Highland Region’s Finest Golf Courses The stretch of coastline north and east of Inverness contains more world-ranked links than almost any comparable area in golf. These are courses that have shaped the game’s history and continue to set the standard for what links golf at its purest can be. Royal Dornoch Championship Course The Royal Dornoch Championship Course sits 45 miles north of Inverness and consistently appears in the world’s top ten courses. Golf has been played on this stretch of natural linksland since 1616, and Old Tom Morris shaped the formal layout when he visited in 1886, creating the famous plateau greens that have puzzled and delighted golfers ever since. Tom Watson, an honorary member, described it as the most fun he had ever had playing golf. Andrew Carnegie, who lived in Dornoch, called the town “heaven on earth.” The first eight holes follow the ridge of dunes at the upper inland perimeter before the course turns back towards the sea; the two par threes at the 2nd and 6th are devilishly difficult and define how the round will go. Cabot Highlands (Castle Stuart & Old Petty) Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart sits on the southern shores of the Moray Firth, a ten-minute drive from Inverness city centre. When American developer Mark Parsinen and architect Gil Hanse opened Castle Stuart in 2009, it immediately took its place among Scotland’s modern classics. Four Scottish Open appearances between 2011 and 2016 confirmed the course’s championship credentials, with Luke Donald, Phil Mickelson and Alexander Norén among the winners. Unlike traditional links courses that sit flat against the sea, Castle Stuart rises dramatically above the Firth, delivering panoramic views of the Black Isle and the Highland mountains from every hole. Old Petty, which takes its name from a 400-year-old castle on the grounds, opened for play in 2025/26 and meanders along the Moray Firth shoreline and through hillsides on a very different piece of ground to Castle Stuart. Cabot Highlands now stands as one of Scotland’s most compelling 36-hole destinations. On-site accommodation and stay-and-play packages are available directly through Cabot Highlands. Nairn Golf Club Nairn sits 15 miles east of Inverness along the Moray Firth coast and delivers the full experience of traditional Scottish links golf. The championship course is a classic out-and-back layout with the sea visible on every hole, and recent improvements by architect Tom Mackenzie have significantly enhanced the test without compromising the course’s inherent character. The fairways run fast in summer, the greens become famously true and quick, and the coastal breeze adds an exhilarating layer of difficulty. Nairn has hosted the Amateur Championship and the Walker Cup, underscoring its standing as a serious test of golf. Brora Golf Club Brora Golf Club lies 25 miles north of Dornoch along the A9, and for many seasoned golfers it represents the Highland visit that stays with them longest. The late Peter Thomson, five-times Open champion, named Brora his favourite course in the world. James Braid redesigned it in 1923, and virtually nothing has changed since, making it one of the most authentic and undisturbed links experiences in Scotland. The opening nine holes run very close to the North Sea with no dunes to obscure the view – when the wind arrives off the water, golfers earn their scorecard. 💎 Hidden Gems Worth the Journey The courses described above would anchor any great golf trip, but the Inverness region has a supporting cast that most visitors never discover. These are courses where the welcome is warm, the pace of play refreshing, and the scenery no less spectacular. Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club Twenty minutes north of Inverness on the Black Isle, Fortrose & Rosemarkie occupies an extraordinary narrow peninsula almost entirely encircled by the Moray Firth. The club was founded in 1793, making it the 15th oldest in the world, and James Braid redesigned the course in 1932. Eight of the first holes play with the sea no more than a few paces away, and the resident pod of bottlenose dolphins is often visible feeding just off the fairways. This is not a long course at approximately 6,000 yards, but the gorse-framed fairways, small undulating greens and crosswinds sweeping across the peninsula demand precision. Tain Golf Club Forty minutes north of Inverness along the Dornoch Firth, Tain Golf Club is another Old Tom Morris layout, originally designed in 1890 as St Duthus Golf Club. The course has been compared to Carnoustie for its combination of bumpy fairways, penal pot bunkers and genuine links challenge, but it sits in a beautifully sheltered position that allows year-round play when coastal courses to the north are battling the elements. Recent gorse removal has opened up the routing and improved the flow significantly. Tain is often combined with Brora and Golspie. Nairn Dunbar Golf Club The second links course in Nairn offers championship-quality golf at a considerably lower price point than its more famous neighbour. Nairn Dunbar opened in 1899 along the Moray Firth coast. The raw beauty of the linksmmakes every round a genuine test. A partnership ticket playing one round each at Nairn and Nairn Dunbar represents one of the best value propositions in Highland golf. ✈️ Getting There and Getting About Getting to Inverness Inverness Airport (INV) serves the region with direct flights from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and Bristol, plus Amsterdam, Dublin and several other European cities. The city is also reachable by train from Edinburgh (approximately 3.5 hours) and Glasgow (approximately 3 hours), making Inverness well-connected for those who prefer not to fly. International visitors connecting through Edinburgh or Glasgow can hire a car and drive north in three to four hours, a journey that passes through some of Scotland’s most dramatic scenery. Getting Around A hire car is the practical choice for a golf trip based in Inverness. All the major courses are between 20 minutes and 90 minutes from the city, and public transport connections to courses in Brora, Dornoch or Fortrose are limited for golfers carrying clubs. Hire cars are available from Inverness Airport from all major companies; book well in advance for peak summer weeks. Distances are not enormous by Scottish standards: Royal Dornoch is approximately 65km (40 miles) north, Brora approximately 95km (60 miles) north, and Nairn approximately 25km (16 miles) east. Weather and Packing The Highland microclimate around Inverness and the Moray Firth is genuinely more benign than Scotland’s reputation suggests. Summer temperatures typically range from 15°C–20°C (59°F–68°F) with long dry spells possible. Rain can arrive without warning at any time of year. 🏨 Where to Stay for an Inverness Golf Holiday Inverness city centre offers the most practical base for a multi-course Highland golf trip. The cluster of quality hotels within a mile of each other allows golfers to walk between restaurants, bars and the city’s compact centre, whilst being well placed for the road north and east to the main courses. Golf Resort Options Cabot Highlands operates on-site accommodation directly on the Castle Stuart estate, placing guests within walking distance of two championship links courses. This suits golfers who want to immerse themselves entirely in the Cabot experience over two or three days. Links House at Royal Dornoch in Dornoch itself is the premium option for those committed to Dornoch as a base; the property is small, exclusive and puts guests a short walk from the first tee of one of the world’s finest courses. Guesthouses and B&Bs Inverness has a strong tradition of quality B&Bs and guesthouses, particularly on the streets running south from the city centre towards the golf club. These offer better value than the main hotels, often with the warm Highland hospitality that creates the best travel memories. 🏞️ Explore Beyond the Fairways Inverness and the surrounding Highlands offer non-golfing companions an itinerary every bit as compelling as the courses. Loch Ness begins a 20-minute drive south of the city and remains one of the world’s most captivating landscapes regardless of any mythological considerations. Urquhart Castle, on the loch’s western bank, is among Scotland’s most photographed ruins. Culloden Battlefield, six miles east of Inverness, is one of the most affecting historical sites in Britain – the 1746 battle that ended the Jacobite rising is told with exceptional clarity at the modern visitor centre. Fort George, 11 miles northeast of Inverness on the Moray Firth coast, is one of the finest and most complete 18th-century military fortifications in Europe and conveniently sits near Fortrose & Rosemarkie for a combined day out. Chanonry Point, just past the golf course, is one of Scotland’s most reliable places to spot bottlenose dolphins from dry land, particularly around incoming tides. The North Coast 500, Scotland’s celebrated scenic driving route, passes through Inverness and provides context for the spectacular landscapes that surround every golf course in the region. Distillery tours give the Inverness trip an additional dimension. The Tomatin Distillery is 15 miles south on the A9, while the Speyside region to the south and east contains dozens of distilleries on the Malt Whisky Trail. Afternoon fishing on the River Ness, guided wildlife tours of the Cairngorms and sea kayaking on the Moray Firth round out the activity options for those with days between courses. 💡 Insider Knowledge for Highland Golf Book Royal Dornoch first, then plan everything else around it. Peak summer tee times disappear months in advance; securing Dornoch should be the first act of trip planning Embrace the twilight. In June and July, 6 pm tee times at Royal Dornoch and Cabot Highlands are not a compromise; they are an experience. Finishing at 10 pm with the Firth still lit is something that stays with golfers for years. Don’t skip Brora. At approximately £95 it is the best value round in Scottish links golf. Build the trip around it, not around saving an hour on the road Check the weather by course, not by city. The Highland microclimate means Dornoch can be sunny when Inverness is overcast, and Brora can be blowing a gale while Nairn plays in calm. Build in some scheduling flexibility. Drive north, not south. Most visitors use Inverness as a gateway south to the Cairngorms, but the driving north along the A9 to Dornoch and Brora is among the finest road journeys in Scotland. Shoulder Season Value September and October represent the best combination of quality golf, manageable green fees and reduced booking pressure. Those who know go in the autumn and are rewarded. 🏴 The Highland Golf Trip, Planned An Inverness golf holiday rewards both the serious golf traveller and the first-time visitor to Scotland with equal generosity. The combination of Royal Dornoch’s historic perfection, Cabot Highlands’ cinematic drama, Nairn’s classic links discipline and Brora’s authentic wildness creates a trip that covers the full range of what Scottish golf can be. The supporting cast of Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Tain, and Nairn Dunbar means no two Highland golf trips need to be identical. The city of Inverness provides a genuinely comfortable and well-served base throughout. Its restaurants, hotels and direct flight connections remove the logistical complications that can make Scottish Highland golf feel like an expedition. Book early, pack properly, embrace the microclimate and discover why golfers who make the journey north from Inverness Airport tend to plan their return before they have reached the car park.

For generations, 18 holes has been the accepted standard for a round of golf. But with people becoming increasingly time-poor, a growing number of clubs are questioning whether it still needs to be the default. After running into financial difficulties in 2019, Eastwood Golf Club - a moorland course on the outskirts of Glasgow in Scotland's central belt - was forced to appoint an administrator and shut its doors after 126 years in operation. Enter Glasgow-based property developer Colin Whitelaw, who took over the land at the end of 2019, three months before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a change in his plans. “Instead of thinking it was a land deal, I had to really think about whether I was going to continue maintaining the golf course,” Whitelaw told Top100 Golf Courses. “That was the big issue, and wondering whether there was value in that. We decided there would be.” As a member of Prestwick Golf Club, where the first nine Open Championships were played over the layout, and a long-time player at Shiskine Golf Club on the Isle of Arran, Whitelaw was familiar with the concept of a shorter format. “We’ve played Shiskine for 35 years or something and just loved the whole idea of going out and playing for two-and-a-quarter hours…. It’s just a lovely number.” Whitelaw said he reflected on the fact that there were a handful of 18-hole members-only clubs in and around the south side of Glasgow that he would have to compete with if he kept the original layout of Eastwood Golf Club. “Why would we establish another 18-hole members-only course that had already failed?” he said. The idea for a 12-hole course was developed in 2021, with Eastwood Twelve opening its gates in June 2025. ‘It’s been a rollercoaster’: Building Eastwood Twelve Eastwood's existing parcel of land contained a collection of holes that Whitelaw believed could work in the shorter format. The resulting course has five par threes and seven par fours, including two par fours of more than 400 yards. “It’s actually a very good test of golf, and we established a set of three tees so we could have something for the higher handicappers, but a real challenge for the low handicappers,” Whitelaw said. Just over a year after opening, Eastwood Twelve has amassed more than 320 members. Roughly half of its rounds are being played by visitors. Whitelaw said there was plenty of demand after opening, with curious visitors coming from afar to test the new layout, and that the club’s only hiccup this year was the “appalling” weather during spring, which he estimated had lost them 10% of their turnover. “It’s been a rollercoaster… but it’s all going in the right direction,” he said. The club has also taken a different approach to marketing. Whitelaw credits his daughter Samantha, the club's general manager, with building its presence on social media platforms Instagram and TikTok. “The power of Instagram and TikTok has driven our business, without a doubt. If you look at our figures in terms of followers, it’s quite amazing for a wee company. That’s been a big eye-opener for me.” The result has been a club that draws both members and visitors, rather than relying solely on traditional membership. ‘That’s a brilliant number’: The Two-And-A-Quarter Golf Round Whitelaw said a lot of people want to get out and hit a ball, but many think that 18 holes is too many and 9 isn’t enough. “When people come off the golf course… particularly the ones that have not been before, the first thing they say is, ‘12 holes, that’s a brilliant number’. “To get dressed up, to get your kit out and go out for an hour-and-a-half is just not quite enough, but to go out for 12 holes, two-and-a-quarter hours, is a much better prospect.” As for the demographic of golfers attracted by Eastwood Twelve, Whitelaw said the vast majority were time-precious people aged 30 to 50 who would play before, after or during the working day for a few hours. “We have a lot of business owners who can nick away, but we don’t actually have a lot of older people.” Whitelaw said the club has worked hard to improve the quality of the course, including through investment in five robotic mowers. “The quality of the cut and everything… The fairways are fantastic because of that.” ‘A market for it’: Is 12-Hole Golf the Future? Whitelaw says there were fewer than 10 12-hole courses around the world when he first began looking seriously at the concept. He now puts the number at 33, including around eight in the UK. Asked if 12-hole courses would become more prevalent in golf’s future, he said “definitely”. “People are more time-precious. I think the modern man is not allowed to disappear on a Saturday morning at 8am and come home at 5pm, that’s a big factor. There’s just so much more going on in life… there’s so much to do. “I think the demands on people nowadays are more inclusive, I think families are more inclusive. People want to still play golf, but they recognise they can’t escape for seven hours.” Talking about the state of Scotland’s golfing market, which has approximately 550 to 600 courses, Whitelaw said there are too many for the playing population, meaning “a lot of courses are on the margin”. “Scotland is overshopped, that’s the problem, there’s so much choice. “There’s this problem, and you can see it happening, that the poorer facilities go and chase the market down, and they spiral out of control and get into this situation where you get £10 Tuesdays. It’s just nonsense, and there’s no future in that, but I’m not sure what you do about that because they survive, just.” He suggested that developing a new 12-hole course would be too expensive given the potential returns, but there was a real market for transforming an existing course. “I think there’s definitely a market for it. “I think quality is the key to the element, it’s not the quantity, actually. If you’ve got a quality product, people will come up and pay for it.” He referenced the quality of Cabot Highlands in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, and how people would happily travel to experience it. “That whole Moray-Firth neck from Royal Dornoch right to Nairn is just becoming so exciting, and people are really happy to go up there and travel to play these links courses, it’s fantastic.” Whitelaw said if he were to open another 12-hole course, he would try to do it with a links layout, “because you get better all-year-round play”. “But as I say, we inherited this situation, and it’s a moorland course, but it plays more like a parkland course frankly.” As for Eastwood Twelve, a full seven-day membership is currently priced at £795, which Whitelaw says will increase once the club has built a solid membership base. “It’s less than two-thirds of what the equivalent courses are nearby… We’re very competitive at the moment, but obviously hoping longer term that will nudge its way up.”

You don't need a four-figure budget, a private-club connection or an invitation from a member to play a course in the World Top 100. Top100 has collated the 10 cheapest visitor-accessible courses on our current World Top 100 Ranking, based on standard green fees. From a world-class links in Tasmania to a U.S. Open and Ryder Cup venue in New York, these courses offer the chance to play some of the best golf on the planet without the eye-watering green fees attached to many of their World Top 100 counterparts. 1. St Andrews Beach Golf Course (Victoria, Australia) World Ranking: 89th | Australia ranking: 6th | Green fee: A$139 (£74) Tom Doak’s first Australian mainland design, St Andrews Beach opened in 2004 on the Mornington Peninsula and has since become one of the country’s best-value, ranked courses. The public-access layout occupies 175 hectares of former grazing land, with wide fairways, rolling terrain and sandy natural contours that give several holes a links-like feel. Measuring just over 6,000 metres from the back tees, it is playable for a broad range of golfers, though the subtle greens ensure there is still plenty to think about. In a region known for outstanding golf, St Andrews Beach stands out not only for its quality but also for its accessibility, offering everyday golfers the chance to experience a Tom Doak design without the premium price tag often attached to courses of this calibre. 2. Bethpage Black (New York, USA) World Ranking: 58th | USA ranking: 28th | Green fee: From US$140 (£106) Bethpage Black has the rare distinction of being a World Top 100 course, a major championship venue and a public golf course. Located within Bethpage State Park on Long Island, the A.W. Tillinghast design opened in 1936 and has since hosted two U.S. Opens and the 2025 Ryder Cup. The Black is renowned for its difficulty, with narrow fairways, deep rough, large sculpted bunkers and elevated greens making accuracy essential. It is a demanding test, but one that remains remarkably accessible to everyday golfers. That combination of championship pedigree and public access is what makes Bethpage Black so unusual. Few golfers get the chance to play a course of this stature without needing a private-club connection or resort stay. 3. Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club (Wellington, New Zealand) World Ranking: 91st | New Zealand ranking: 2nd | Green fee: NZ$275 (£118) Set on the Kapiti Coast, north of New Zealand's capital city Wellington, Paraparaumu Beach has been one of the country’s most celebrated golf courses since Alex Russell designed it in 1949. The links has hosted 12 New Zealand Opens and has long been regarded as one of the country’s finest layouts. It is a relatively short course by modern championship standards, but the coastal wind, firm fairways, deep bunkers and undulating greens provide plenty of challenge. The split-fairway 17th is a particular highlight, forcing golfers to choose between two very different routes to the green. For international golfers, Paraparaumu offers the chance to experience a genuine piece of New Zealand golfing history without needing access to a private resort. 4. Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Course (Alberta, Canada) World Ranking: 73rd | Canada ranking: 2nd | Green fee: C$280 (£149) Set among the Canadian Rockies in Jasper National Park, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is one of Stanley Thompson’s most celebrated designs. Opened in 1925, the course winds through the valley beside Lake Beauvert, with snow-capped peaks providing a backdrop to almost every hole. The course combines wide fairways, elevated tees and strategically placed bunkers with the natural contours of the landscape. Thompson’s design rewards thoughtful play rather than simply demanding power, making it a course that can be enjoyed by golfers of different abilities. The result is a rare combination of classic golf and Canadian wilderness, with the surrounding mountains and forest making the journey between shots almost as memorable as the golf itself. 5. Barnbougle - The Dunes Course (Tasmania, Australia) World Ranking: 25th | Australia ranking: 3rd | Green fee: A$285 (£151) Barnbougle Dunes is about as close as Australia gets to a traditional seaside links. Set on Tasmania’s northeast coast, the course was designed by Tom Doak and Australian Mike Clayton and opened in 2004, establishing Barnbougle as one of the country’s premier golf destinations. The layout runs through towering coastal dunes, with wide fairways, natural contours and greens that follow the movement of the land. The wind is an ever-present factor, while the strategic design rewards golfers who think their way around the course rather than simply relying on power. For golfers seeking a genuine links experience outside the British Isles, Barnbougle Dunes is about as compelling as it gets, combining world-class golf with the rugged coastline of Tasmania. 6. Cape Wickham Golf Links (Tasmania, Australia) World Ranking: 47th | Australia ranking: 4th | Green fee: A$315 (£167) Cape Wickham occupies a spectacular stretch of coastline on King Island, sitting in Bass Strait between Tasmania and mainland Australia. Designed by American architect Mike DeVries, the links opened in 2015 and quickly established itself as one of the country's standout modern courses. The course makes the most of its remote coastal setting, with the opening five holes winding around Cape Farewell before the layout moves through sand hills and limestone outcrops. Several holes hug the shoreline, while the closing stretch heads towards the imposing Cape Wickham Lighthouse. The 18th provides a fitting finale, with the fairway doglegging around a sandy bay before reaching the home green, making Cape Wickham a memorable links experience from start to finish. 7. St Enodoc Golf Club - Church Course (Cornwall, England) World Ranking: 49th | England ranking: 4th | Green fee: £175 Set among towering dunes overlooking the Camel Estuary in Cornwall, St Enodoc’s Church Course is one of James Braid’s most distinctive designs. Founded in 1891, the course was transformed by Braid in the early 20th century and remains a spectacularly natural links. It is a relatively short par 69 at 6,010 metres, but its undulating fairways, dramatic elevation changes and formidable dunes create a test that demands imagination. The famous 6th is the standout, with the enormous Himalaya dune obscuring the green and making club selection particularly difficult. The course also has an unusual piece of history, with the 13th hole running alongside the churchyard where poet laureate John Betjeman is buried. 8. South Cape Owners Club (Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea) World Ranking: 63rd | South Korea ranking: 2nd | Green fee: From KRW 350,000 (£195) Set on Namhae Island off the southeast coast of South Korea, South Cape Owners Club is a dramatic Kyle Phillips design where the ocean is visible from all 18 holes. The course opened in 2013 as part of a luxury resort development and has quickly established itself among Asia's most striking modern layouts. The course is framed by granite outcrops, coastal cliffs and rolling terrain, with bluegrass fairways contrasting against fine fescue rough. The standout stretch comes from the 11th onwards, culminating in two spectacular waterside par threes at the 14th and 16th. For golfers willing to make the journey to Namhae Island, South Cape offers a rare combination of world-class golf, dramatic coastal scenery and a luxury resort experience. 9. Utrecht De Pan Golf Club (Utrecht, Netherlands) World Ranking: 56th | Netherlands ranking: 1st | Green fee: From €235 (£198) Dating back to 1894, Utrecht De Pan is the second-oldest golf club in the Netherlands, with Harry Colt designing the current course in 1929. Set in secluded woodland near Utrecht, the layout is a classic heathland course, winding through pine, birch, oak and chestnut trees. De Pan has hosted the Dutch Open three times and is built around strategic rather than power golf. Several of its most memorable holes play over valleys of heather and sand, while the sixth and seventh demand particularly thoughtful tee shots and approaches. Recent restoration work by Frank Pont has helped return the course towards Colt’s original design, making De Pan a fascinating example of Golden Age heathland golf in the Netherlands. 10. Cruden Bay Golf Club - Championship Course (Aberdeenshire, Scotland) World Ranking: 70th | Scotland ranking: 10th | Green fee: From £205 Cruden Bay is one of Scotland’s most distinctive links, winding through towering dunes on the Aberdeenshire coast with the North Sea providing a constant backdrop. The course opened in 1899 after being laid out by Old Tom Morris and Archie Simpson, before Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler remodelled it in 1926. Cruden Bay makes spectacular use of its natural terrain, with elevated tees, blind drives, punchbowl greens and fairways that rise and fall between the dunes. The 193-yard 4th, played from an elevated tee across a deep hollow, is one of several standout holes. There is plenty of character, too, from driveable par fours and back-to-back par threes to the feeling that every hole reveals something different. It is exactly the sort of course that rewards golfers willing to embrace its quirks. Green fees are based on standard 18-hole visitor rates, using international visitor rates where applicable. All prices are peak-season rates and do not take twilight, off-season or promotional rates into account. Prices are correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.