Posts Tagged ‘scottish golf courses’

Five of the Best Golf Courses in Scotland

Monday, April 12th, 2010

With such a rich history of golf, it is difficult to choose the best of where to go in Scotland to enjoy the sport. Between the large internationally known courses and the hidden gems, the country seems made to golf.

1. Kingsbarns Golf Links, St Andrews, Fife

Kingsbarns Golf Linkscredit

This links course opened for general play in 2000. Although it is new, it hosts Dunhill Links Championship (along with the Old Course and Carnoustie Championship Links). The sea creates an extraordinary experience with sights, smells, and sounds to tickle the senses at every hole. The visitors green tees play 6,652 yards (par 72). To quote Sir Michael Bonallack: ‘Kingsbarns might well be one of the last true seaside links sites capable of development in Scotland. Mere words cannot convey just how extraordinary the place is. It must be seen to be believed. And once seen it will never be forgotten.’

2. Rosemount Course, Blairgowrie, Perthshire

Blairgowrie Rosemont GC, Scotlandcredit

This gorgeous heathland course is lined with forests of pine and silver birch, with purple heather, gorse and broom sprinkled everywhere to add colour. The Rosemount has hosted many national events and was originally known as the Lansdowne.

3. Muirfield, Gullane, East Lothian

Murfield Green, Scotlandcredit

Muirfield’s club’s records stretch back to 1744 with the original 13 rules of golf they wrote for the Silver Club. The only course to have hosted the Open, the Amateur, the Mid Amateur, the Ryder Cup, the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup.

4. Ailsa Course, Turnberry, Ayrshire

Ailsa Golf Coursecredit

This course has long known world recognition, hosting the Open Championships four times, most recently in 2009. The Turnberry lighthouse is nearby, and the links is surrounded by sand dunes and craggy rocks. The Turnberry lighthouse towers over the course, shading the ruins of Bruce’s castle.

5. Balcomie Golf Links, Crail, Fife

Crail Balcomie Golf Course Fifecredit

This beautiful links is short with a Par 69, but still with each hole uniquely characterised. The sea is seen from every hole and contributes to the difficulty in places. This stunning experience will test any level of golfer before the end, in part because of the added wind obstacle.

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Golf Breaks: Why Scotland is the Ultimate Destination

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Scotland is the undisputed home to all things golf and offers tourists, and locals, the best golf breaks in the world. What is now a sporting phenomenon is popularly said to have originated in 12th century Scotland when a group of shepherds decided to knock a few stones into some rabbit holes with sticks.

The game just took off from there and became so popular that, in 1452, King James II banned his subjects from playing golf as it kept them from their archery practice.

The Beginnings of Popular Golfcredit

The two oldest golf clubs in Scotland, being Muirfield’s Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews,  were founded in 1744 and 1754 respectively and the structure of the game soon settled in to what we know it as today. Golf was originally played with more or less than 18 holes but, when decided as such by St Andrews, an 18-hole game of golf soon became the norm.

A dream golf break for any golfer would be to take a golf break in Scotland and spend time at St Andrews to play the Old Course. The links style of golf course is the oldest in the world and was, of course, developed in Scotland.

St Andrew's Golf Coursecredit

Most links courses are found in coastal areas where the natural hazards comprise high and unpredictable winds and uneven fairways. Famous links courses include Bruntsfield in Edinburgh, Muirfield in East Lothian and Prestwick in South Ayrshire. It would be worth planning a golf break to Scotland even from Outer Mongolia just to play a round or two of golf on these venerable courses.

Scottish golf courses are the most beautiful in the world and are steeped in the history and tradition of the sport. Scotland also hosts the Open Championship three out of every five years and Open courses are also available to the casual golfer. So on your next golf break, why not try the Mussellburgh Old Course, which has been confirmed as the oldest course in the world by Guinness World Records.

It would, however, be foolish to spend all your golf breaks putting around famous Scottish courses as some of the most beautiful and exiting to play are the lesser known ones, which include Cromwell’s Dunbar in North Berwick and Roxburghe near Kelso on the Scottish Borders. Hitting stones into rabbit holes has given everyone so much pleasure that it will be around for many years to come.

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Top Golf Courses in Scotland

Tuesday, February 24th, 2009

When it comes to playing the world’s finest golf courses, if Scotland is not in your itinerary, then you really are not getting the most out of your trip. Known as the birthplace of golf, Scotland is home to some of the world’s most famous and revered courses. There are plenty that you will have a hard time playing, like the Old Course at St. Andrews, and there are some that will be more accessible to you. By playing any of the following courses while in Scotland, you will be able to experience the best that British golf has to offer.


Murcar Links Golf Club


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The Murcar Links Golf Club is unique because it provides not one, but two different courses for people to try out. Located in the nice area of Aberdeen, the club is most well known for its Murcar Course, which is highly accessible and a very affordable option for people who want to experience Scottish golf in its purest form. It’s a long course by Scottish standards, but still plays to the true style of links golf. The less popular Strabathie Course provides a little bit tighter fairways and less length, and serves as a nice counterbalance for the longer Murcar Course.

Cowglen Golf Club

When most people visit Scotland, they take in the primary city of Glasgow. As one of the biggest, nicest, and most progressive cities in the world, Glasgow provides much more than golf. While there, you can play any number of excellent courses.


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Cowglen Golf Club is a top notch property located just outside the city, and it has drawn great reviews from players who have had the pleasure of seeing and playing the course. The course’s distinctive design is what makes it great, to go along with its length. It is a course that is better played in the summer, so that you can enjoy the beautiful views afforded by the surrounding georgraphy.

Haggs Castle Golf Club


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Haggs Castle Golf Club in Glasgow has a little bit different feel, and is better for a player who wants to enjoy the history of the area while playing a round of golf. If you are looking to play a course that might remind you of some of the Open Championship courses, then this is a really good one. Paced by great bunkers all over the place and its location close to some of the top locations in the country, Haggs Castle Golf Club is truly a gem in the country.

All in all, most of these courses will provide something of value to both the serious golfer and just the casual traveler. They vary in style and design, but provide much of the same Scottish flavor that has made the island such a popular destination over the course of time.

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