Here are our top 10 courses in Scotland, the Home of Golf
1. ST. ANDREWS (OLD), St. Andrews
Six hundred years old and going strong. The Road Hole, Hell Bunker, Swilcan Burn, and Valley of Sin all await at the world’s most famed and fabled course, which hosted a record 30th Open Championship in 2022.
2. MUIRFIELD, Gullane
The fairest and most straightforward test on the Open rotation, it can also be the fiercest when the thick rough is allowed to grow and the wind howls off the Firth of Forth.
3. TRUMP TURNBERRY (AILSA), Turnberry
Several recent renovations, most notably a reconfiguring of the 9th and 10th holes beside the iconic lighthouse, have enhanced both the charm and challenge of Scotland’s most dazzling course.
4. ROYAL DORNOCH (CHAMPIONSHIP), Dornoch
Imaginative routing, vexing plateau greens, and a magnificent setting make this gem of the northeast Highlands well worth the trip. Play it in the spring when the gorse is in full bloom.
5. CARNOUSTIE (CHAMPIONSHIP), Carnoustie
Even in calm conditions, this is a remorseless test, particularly off the tee, with meandering burns, out of bounds, and penal bunkers all competing for attention. Add a stiff breeze and it’s one of the toughest tests in the world.
6. KINGSBARNS, Kingsbarns
This two-tiered 21st-century triumph from Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen, just 20 minutes from St. Andrews, has been on the must-play list since the day it opened two decades ago.
7. NORTH BERWICK (WEST), North Berwick
It’s impossible not to have fun on this stretch of linksland hard by the Firth of Forth, where a veritable museum of hole templates and architectural gambits awaits.
8. CASTLE STUART, Inverness
Gil Hanse was given an extraordinary piece of land beside the Moray Firth and rose to the occasion with an ingenious routing of 18 holes that are as relentlessly engaging as the views.
9. ROYAL ABERDEEN (BALGOWNIE), Aberdeen
A classic out-and-back links running beside the North Sea, its majestic front nine is framed by mammoth dunes with the testing return on wind-whipped higher ground.
10. CRUDEN BAY (CHAMPIONSHIP), Cruden Bay
One of the game’s great walks and a certified charmer, it winds in a figure eight past a tiny harbor through huge sandhills and beside a stunning beach. Blind shots, huge drops, drivable fours, and back-to-back threes add to the joy.
What Scotland courses should be in the top 10? Let us know in the comments section.
I have played all ten and they are all worthy; Loch Lomond could surely join the list as well as Royal Aberdeen.
Machrihanish!
Fantastic collection…all iconic. I bet it was difficult to ‘boil down’ to this list as there are MANY more in bonnie Scotland. I have played all of these, and have a sweet spot for Turnberry…I wish the Open would head back there. Maybe someday.
My fervent hope for Turnberry is:
a) They don’t host an Open until the course’s ownership won’t be part of the Championship discussion (as per the current R&A position), and:
b) That the course and the good people of the Ayreshire coast get to host an Open again in the near future.
It is well known that political pressure is being applied to the PM’s office, the Home Office, the Ambassador’s office, and very much to the R&A. It must be resisted.
Get it?
I was fortunate enough to have played St. Andrews, Muirfeld, Turnberry and Carnoustie in June of 1979, on a glorious trip with my parents. A treasure trove of memories that are indelibly etched deep into my soul. Especially at the Old Course, where I went off by myself, well before the first scheduled tee time. Nothing like being alone on sacred ground. I was in the fairway on #4 when the course ranger rolled up on a moped to collect my greens fee and give me a scorecard. Fourteen pounds (about $20 then). I still have the receipt.
I’ve played 6 of these; the ones I haven’t played (far to the north) are all unquestionably great courses. It’s a thoughtful list. But…
No Prestwick? No Troon? Two courses having hosted Open Championships? For me, Prestwick bumps the wonderfully enjoyable Kingsbarns on history and architecture alone. And Royal Troon bumps Castle Stuart on similar grounds.
Played 6 of those and I’ll take Troon Thankyou very much. Without being blasphemous…without the history- does the Old Course even make the top 10? I realize I’m in a vast minority here but curious to hear is there anyone out there with that sentiment as well?
An excellent list, almost! I have played all, half the list multiple times. No Prestwick is a glaring omission. A historic pedigree with the first 13 Opens. But history aside IMHO, it is one of the most enjoyable, unique, challenging, quirky and memorable courses in the world.
Three potential additions:
Troon
Macrihanish
Prestwick
Western Gailes is no slouch