Scotland is the Home of Golf. No qualifier needed, no debate to be had. The game has been woven into the sporting fabric of this country since King James II famously banned it by Act of Parliament in 1457 â and golfers have been ignoring that sentiment ever since. From the ancient links at St Andrews and Carnoustie to the remote splendour of Royal Dornoch and the dramatic clifftops of Ardfin, Scotland's best golf courses represent the most compelling collection anywhere on the planet.
Our Top 100 Golf Courses of Scotland ranking has charted the evolution of Scottish golf since 2009, capturing everything from new course openings and dramatic ranking shifts to a fundamental rethink of what makes a great Scottish golf course.
The 2026 ranking is the most significant overhaul in the ranking's history â a complete reset with a brand new panel, new Panel Lead, and a shift from Golf Union boundaries to geographic regions. What follows is the story of how Scotland's ranking has evolved over nearly two decades.
The earliest Top 100 Scotland rankings reflected what many travelling golfers already believed â the Open Championship circuit dominated the upper reaches. Turnberry's Ailsa course, fresh from hosting Tom Watson's dramatic near-miss at the 2009 Open, claimed the number one position.
The Old Course at St Andrews sat at number two, followed by Kingsbarns, Royal Dornoch, and Royal Aberdeen. Muirfield, despite its storied championship pedigree, sat at number seven behind Carnoustie.
The 2010 reviewer rankings provided an early snapshot of golfer sentiment, with Machrihanish, Cruden Bay, and North Berwick (West) all earning places in the top 12 â courses whose stock would only continue to rise in the years ahead.
The Old Course at St Andrews claimed the number one position in 2012, overtaking Turnberry â a shift that would prove enduring.
The rankings during this period solidified a familiar top tier: St Andrews, Turnberry, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch, and Carnoustie jostling for position while Kingsbarns and North Berwick maintained their strong presence.
Trump International (Aberdeen) â Martin Hawtree's championship links across the Menie Estate dunes â entered the rankings during this period, while Ardfin began its remarkable ascent.
Bob Harrison's clifftop layout on the Isle of Jura, completed in 2017 after six years of construction, offered something genuinely unlike anything else in Scottish golf and generated immediate panellist enthusiasm.
North Berwick's stock continued to rise throughout this era, reflecting a broader shift in course appreciation. The increasing appetite for quirky, characterful links over immaculately presented but strategically less interesting layouts was becoming a defining theme.
By 2020, Muirfield's steady rise continued while the Old Course slipped one place to number two â a rare movement at the summit. Ardfin broke into the top 10, confirming that a private island estate layout could compete with centuries-old championship links on pure quality. Further down the chart, courses like Tain benefited from proactive improvement work, rising after implementing bunker and gorse clearance projects.
The 2022 update delivered Dumbarnie Links as the headline new entry, arriving at number 17 â the highest debut for a new course in the ranking's history. Clive Clark's design on Largo Bay in Fife opened in 2020 and quickly proved its championship credentials by hosting the Women's Scottish Open. Panellist and reviewer reaction was uniformly positive, praising its playability, scenic drama, and green complexes.
Three further new entries appeared at the foot of the chart: Gullane No.3 (a re-entry from earlier rankings), Cathkin Braes, and Cawder Championship. The ranking confirmed that Scotland's golf scene remained dynamic, with quality emerging at every level.
A new hierarchical methodology brought greater rigour: the World Panel determines Scotland's top 13 courses (placing them in global context), the GB&I Panel establishes positions 14â28, and the dedicated Scottish Panel focuses on courses ranked 29 onwards, applying deep regional knowledge.
At the top, the Old Course at St Andrews reigned supreme. Muirfield overtook Trump Turnberry Ailsa for second place, while Carnoustie edged past North Berwick. Ardfin consolidated its top 10 position with a further rise, while Royal Aberdeen dropped out of the top 10 â though it remained comfortably inside the World Top 100.
The philosophy shift was the real story. Courses once overlooked for being "too quirky" or unconventional climbed significantly. Askernish â raw, rugged, maintained partly by sheep, and dividing opinion like few courses in Britain â became the biggest riser. Murcar, Machrihanish, Golspie, and Longniddry all surged upward, rewarded for authentic character over polish.
Ten new entries reflected the changed criteria: Pitlochry, Shiskine, Dunaverty, Royal Troon Portland, Carnoustie Burnside, Grantown-on-Spey, Arbroath, Elgin, Newburgh-on-Ythan, and Paisley â several representing precisely the kind of characterful, accessible Scottish golf the new panel wanted to celebrate.
Resort-style courses that prioritised presentation over playability saw their positions slide: The Duke's, Gleneagles PGA Centenary, Fairmont St Andrews, and Archerfield all dropped.
2026 will be the most significant moment in the ranking's history â a complete overhaul that went far beyond shuffling positions. A brand new panel, a new Panel Lead, updated guidance, and a fundamental shift in philosophy combined to create what is essentially a new ranking built from the ground up.
The structural changes were profound. Golf Union boundaries gave way to intuitive geographic regions - making the ranking far more useful for international visitors planning golf trips.
Across every iteration since 2009, a core group of Scottish courses has never strayed far from the summit. The Old Course at St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch, Turnberry Ailsa, Carnoustie, and North Berwick represent an elite tier where movement is measured in single positions rather than dramatic swings. Their combination of championship heritage, architectural quality, and sheer memorability ensures enduring recognition regardless of panel composition or methodology.
The 2025 major update crystallised a shift that had been building for years. Scotland's ranking increasingly rewards courses that embrace the landscape rather than fight it â natural links where creativity and strategic thinking matter more than manicured presentation. Askernish's dramatic rise embodies this philosophy, but the same principle underpins gains for Machrihanish, Golspie, Brora, and the island courses.
From Castle Stuart's rapid rise in the early 2010s to Dumbarnie's headline-grabbing 2022 debut and Ardfin's extraordinary climb into the world rankings, Scotland continues to produce new courses worthy of standing alongside centuries-old giants. With Cabot Highlands (Tom Doak's design on the site of the former Castle Stuart) and the new Trump course, which will enter future rankings, the pipeline remains strong.
No country on earth, except England, can match Scotland's concentration of quality golf. Explore the full Top 100 Golf Courses of Scotland ranking and discover the courses worth travelling for.
