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North Scotland

It’s the often tumultuous rise and fall of the land in the Highlands and Islands that makes it so appealing to those seeking a different type of golfing experience. Big names like Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Castle Stuart may grab most of the mainstream attention on the mainland, but it’s lesser-known courses like Askernish, on South Uist, that help golfers reconnect to the basic elements of the game. For such a diverse region, the North has done very well in competitive matches against the other Scottish associations. The male squad has been fortunate enough to win the Scottish Area team Championships three times in recent years; at Lanark in 1977, Edzell in 1995 and East Kibride in 2000. Our North Scotland Best in Region rankings were last updated in November 2019.

  1. Royal Dornoch Golf Club (Championship)

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Royal Dornoch Golf Club is spellbinding. It seems to mesmerise amateur and professional golfers from all over the world and many make the pilgrimage to this natural links at some point in their lives.

  2. Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart now offers some serious competition to both Royal Dornoch and Nairn when it comes to attracting visiting golfers, but that's a good thing for the Highlands where the golfing bar of excellence is very high.

  3. Nairn Golf Club (Championship)

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    The Championship links at Nairn Golf Club is one of the most spectacular seaside courses in Scotland, boasting sea views from every hole.

  4. Skibo Castle - Carnegie Links

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    The Carnegie Club is located on the edge of the beautiful Dornoch Firth with views of the Struie Hills, the 7500-acre Skibo Castle estate is something very special. It’s a place where fairytales meet reality.

  5. Brora Golf Club

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Brora Golf Club is a fine, natural seaside links. A Highland delicacy to be tasted alongside Royal Dornoch. Brora is one of the jewels in James Braid's crown.

  6. Moray Golf Club (Old)

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    The Old course at Moray Golf Club is a traditional treasure - a links which starts and ends in the town. The closing hole is one of the finest in the British Isles.

  7. Boat of Garten Golf Club

    North Scotland, Scotland

    Make no mistake – this is exciting golf. The lovely course at the Boat of Garten Golf & Tennis Club wends its way, up and down, through heather, whin, pine and birch.

  8. Spey Valley Golf

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    The golf course at Spey Valley has an old fashioned out and back routing and water comes into play along the way on several occasions.

  9. Nairn Dunbar Golf Club

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Situated on the shores of the Moray Firth, Nairn Dunbar Golf Club is a classic course, steeped in history.

  10. Golspie Golf Club

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Golspie Golf Club is a vintage seaside course with a varied and enjoyable mix of links, heathland and parkland holes.

  11. Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club

    North Scotland, Scotland

    Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club lies north of Inverness on a narrow peninsula which juts out into Rosemarkie Bay...

  12. Kings

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Originally Torvean Golf Club, Kings Golf Club (named in honour of the 6th century Pictish King Bridei) was established in 2019 and the club's new heath-like course was designed by Glasgow-born architect Stuart Rennie.

  13. Tain Golf Club

    North Scotland, Scotland

    Overlooking the Dornoch Firth, Tain Golf Club arguably offers one of the best settings imaginable in the highlands for a round of golf. With sea on one side and the backdrop of the mountains behind.

  14. Askernish Golf Club

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    The Askernish golf course was created by Old Tom Morris back in 1891 but over the years, it fell into disrepair. In 2008 the Askernish Golf Club came back to life.

  15. Moray (New)

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    A much underrated course that extends to just over 6,000 yards from the back markers, the New course at Moray Golf Club opened in 1979 when Sir Henry Cotton converted an old layout.

  16. Reay

    North Scotland

    Billed as Britain’s most northerly 18-hole links course, the layout at Reay Golf Club was established in 1893 but it fell into decline during World War II, only to re-emerge stronger than ever in the early 1960s.

  17. Elgin

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Elgin Golf Club celebrated its centenary in 2006 and members have enjoyed golfing over the same wonderful, free-draining terrain for every single one of those 100 years...

  18. Durness

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Durness Golf Club was recently voted the second best 9-hole course in Scotland and it occupies a remote site in the north western corner of the mainland where fairways are set out along the Faraid Head peninsula.

  19. Grantown-on-Spey

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club is the perfect foil to a round at nearby Boat of Garten with both venues sharing the same spectacular mountain scenery.

  20. Hopeman

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Founded in 1909, Hopeman Golf Club has never looked back since members decided to add a further nine holes to the original course layout in 1995.

  21. Royal Dornoch (Struie)

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Three of the original Ladies Course holes are used in the modern day Struie course at Royal Dornoch Golf Club. The Struie was upgraded in 2000/1 when five new holes were assimilated into the latest design.

  22. Forres

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Willie Park Jnr and James Braid both left their architectural stamp on the pretty parkland layout at Forres Golf Club where the 322-yard 16th is regarded as the signature hole on the course.

  23. Kingussie

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Kingussie Golf Club is situated on upland to the north of the prosperous town of Kingussie and its elevated position offers spectacular views of the Cairngorms and surrounding mountain ranges.

  24. Inverness Golf Club

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Inverness Golf Club is a parkland course that has been used in the past to hold the Northern Open for Scottish golf professionals.

  25. Traigh

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    The Traigh golf course is a precious nugget, laid out over grassy hills with sensational views out over silver sands to the Hebridean islands of Skye, Rum, Eigg and Muck.

  26. Isle of Harris

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    A golf course was first set out on the Isle of Harris around 1920 – when locals were given permission by the landowner, Lord Leverhume, to create a 9-hole layout – though the golf club wasn’t founded until 1935.

  27. Wick

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Established in 1870, Wick Golf Club’s marvellous old links course lies beside Sinclair Bay and its fairways are routed in a traditional fashion with nine going out from the clubhouse then nine returning.

  28. Newtonmore

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Newtonmore Golf Club celebrated its centenary in 1993 and its fairways lie mainly alongside the banks of the River Spey, surrounded by sensational Highland scenery...

  29. Strathpeffer Spa

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Strathpeffer Spa Golf Club was founded in 1888 and the course is located on hills in the Cromartie Estate, just outside the centre of the village.

  30. Portmahomack - Tarbat

    North Scotland, United Kingdom

    Situated along the cliff tops on the sandy Tarbat Ness peninsula, the 9-hole coastal course at Portmahomack Golf Club – known locally as Tarbat – is a compact little layout overlooking the Dornoch Firth which displays lots of links-like characteristics.