Below is a list of our recommended golf courses to play during your Northern
Scotland golf tour. As you can see there are more than enough fantastic courses
to choose from. The photographs can only give you a hint of the true beauty of
this part of Scotland and spectacular playing conditions found on these world
class golf courses.
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Cruden Bay Golf Club
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| Looking back towards Cruden Bay's 15th &
16th |
| The original course was designed by Old Tom
Morris of St. Andrews and opened in 1899. Cruden Bay Golf Course creates unique
challenges demanding the skills of power, placement and fine judgment upon the
discerning golfer. Set against a backdrop of subtly contoured greens and
magnificent panoramic views, a visit to Cruden Bay will be a most memorable
one. Cruden Bay is ranked #37 in Golf Digest's 2005 Top 100 Golf Courses
outside the US.
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Royal Aberdeen Golf Club - Balgownie Links
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| Balgownie Links - Royal Aberdeen Golf Club |
| The club, formally set up in 1789, is the
sixth oldest in the world. At 6,404 yards, a hidden chasm in front of the first
green sets the mood of these stern long links. The ground is uneven but the
landing areas are more level. After the 6th, the gorse closes in compounding
the golfing challenge.
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Royal Dornoch Golf Club - Championship Links
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| Royal Dornoch 5th Hole |
| Dornoch is widely considered to be one of the
best natural and beautiful links in Scotland (many say in the world!). While
records indicate golf was played here in 1616, the club was formed in 1877 with
a Tom Morris layout. The course was later extended and modified by Donald Ross,
a Dornoch native (par 72, 6,533 yards). Ross's design is seen in every hole and
particularly around the huge greens with bunkers, ridges, hollows and plateaus,
and gorse abounds throughout.
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The Nairn Golf Club
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| Championship Course at The Nairn Golf Club |
| Originally designed in 1887 by Andrew Simpson
and subsequently modified by Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Ben Sayers, Nairn
is one of the great championship links in Scotland (par 71, 6,483 yards). The
beach is a hazard on the right for the first five holes, and then the gorse
closes in. The huge greens are fast and true. With each hole, the course
becomes more difficult and challenging.
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Tain Golf Club
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| Hole #8 par 3 "Short" Tain Golf Club -
Championship Links |
| Laid out by old Tom Morris in 1890, this par
70, 6,404-yard course still reflects his genius. Overlooking the Dornoch Firth
with the sea on one side and the backdrop of the mountains behind, Tain
provides a wonderful setting for highland golf. The first five holes, while not
long, are extremely difficult. The greens are unusually fast and hard. The 16th
& 17th cross and re-cross the Tain River. In many ways the views including
spires and town buildings resemble St. Andrews.
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Brora Golf Club
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| Brora Golf Club |
| Located in the northern highlands just a
short drive from Dornoch, Brora Golf Club, established in 1891 and redesigned
by James Braid in 1923, is well worth a visit. Here you have a classic out and
back layout over rolling topography similar to that of St. Andrews and North
Berwick. As noted writer Jim Finegan states "Brora is among my dozen favorite
seaside courses in Scotland.as fine an example of Braid's work at the sea as we
are likely to find today".
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Murcar Golf Club
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| Murcar's par 5 fourth hole "Pool" |
| Established in 1909, Murcar was originally
designed by Archie Simpson with modifications later made by James Braid of
Carnoustie and Gleneagles fame. The course is laid out on land adjacent to
Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie links, yet there is more variety of terrain at
Murcar and many views of the sea. This links is indeed a Championship links of
some renown in the finest Scottish tradition.
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Golspie Golf Club
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| Golspie Golf Club |
| Founded in 1889 originally as a nine-hole
course and later extended to 18, Golspie was updated in 1905 by James Braid.
The seaside course is a mixture of links, heath and parkland combined with
views of the mountains, meadows and sea. Relatively short at 5,890 yards,
Golspie provides a fine golf experience and a warm welcome to visitors.
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Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle
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| Championship Course at Skibo Castle |
| The Carnegie Links, designed by Donald Steel
and Tom Mackenzie, offers the golfer a rare opportunity to play a links course
which remains firm and fast. It requires a broad repertoire of shots, not
simply the modern style of aerial bombardment golf, and demands that any
golfer, regardless of standard, is rewarded for thoughtful and skilful play
rather than for power. The course measures almost 6,700 yards from the back
stakes, par 71. The quality of the course itself is only part of the entire
experience of playing here though. The setting is quite remarkable and is aptly
described by James Lane in Links Magazine "The club is billed as "Heaven on
Earth" and if heaven is only half this good, golfers have much to look forward
to in the hereafter".
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