Below you will find our golf course reviews from venues in The Highlands & North-East of Scotland including Grapian, Aberdeenshire, Inverness, Orkney and The Shetlands.
It’s Christmas Eve. Well, not quite, but it certainly feels like it. It’s the evening before we are due to play Royal Dornoch for the first time.
Oh my word! The Balgownie Links at Royal Aberdeen is something else. It’s different gravy - an unbelievably good golf course. Not only is it the best in Aberdeenshire it’s one of the best you will play. Period.
Cruden Bay is a golf course that dances to its own beat.
You don’t need to think strategically to play Castle Stuart but to play Castle Stuart you need to think strategically.
The first thing to state is that Trump International Golf Links is undoubtedly an exceptionally good golf course. The second thing to say from the off is that it’s categorically not the “World's Greatest Golf Course” as the owner makes out and their website brashly proclaims.
The members of Moray Golf Club, founded in 1889, must rightly be very proud of their two fine links courses laid out on some fabulous tight and sandy golfing terrain to the south of the Moray Firth.
Over breakfast at the guest house in Dornoch where we were staying conversation is struck up with a fellow guest; an American from Chicago and a member at Royal Dornoch.
If you’ve not played the Carnegie Links at Skibo Castle since around 2008 you’ve not really played “Skibo”.
Expectations were high as we arrived on the first tee at The Nairn Golf Club, a stalwart of golf in the Highlands and a darling of all the Top 100 Great Britain & Ireland course rankings.
Murcar is a championships links in the very finest Scottish tradition.
Fraserburgh Golf Club, the seventh oldest in the World, delivers no frills, classic links golf on a very impressive scale.
I suspect many fools dash past Spey Valley, located at the foot of Cairngorm Mountains near Aviemore, as they bomb up the A9 towards Inverness and beyond.
With around 3,000 golf clubs in the UK it’s inevitable that courses will get bracketed by style and character.
Walking off the 1st tee at Golspie towards a featureless, flat fairway it might not be immediately apparent about all the golfing goodness that lies in store and just how terrific it is…. but by the time you have reached the turn you are acutely aware of the spectacular nature of this fascinating and varied links.
I have so much time for golf courses like Fortrose & Rosemarkie. A setting as unique and stunning as any I have come across along with some fantastic golf holes and one that is truly world-class.
The St. Olaf, a par-32 nine-hole relief course, is well worthy of mention when discussing Cruden Bay.
Tain Golf Club, founded in 1890 and originally laid out by Old Tom Morris, is a captivating moorland-links course that delivers a number of very fine holes and should be an essential play for any golfer travelling to The Highlands.
Strathlene was the final Scottish golf course I played that features in the True Links book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell – a publication that details all the genuine links golf courses in the world.
I’m going to buy Spey Bay a drum. They obviously haven’t got one... because nobody is banging it for them. And they should be!
The Craigewan Links at Peterhead is set mostly amongst splendid duneland and fully encapsulates what golfing by the sea in Scotland is all about.
They say that life’s all about the journey and not the destination but playing golf at Durness is without doubt both a journey and a destination.
It’s a long time since I have walked off a golf course with as big of a smile on my face as I did at Rosehearty!
A minibus of American golfers is not the first thing I expected to see on arrival at Reay Golf Club; the most northerly 18 hole links on mainland Scotland!
Nairn Dunbar may live in the shadow of its Walker Cup hosting neighbour located on the west side of town but please don’t dismiss this enjoyable course from your Highlands golfing itinerary.
Firstly, a confession. We only added Inverallochy to our recent Scotland trip itinerary because of its close proximity to Fraserburgh, located just a few miles down the coast.
Established in 1890 Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club is a picturesque and varied course situated in the heart of the beautiful Cairngorm National Park.
Newburgh-on-Ythan is very much a tale of two halves, but each one is worth listening to.
I also sampled the second course; The Struie when visiting Royal Dornoch.
The Silverburn course, home of Aberdeen Ladies Golf Club, and offers a great deal but sadly doesn’t quite live up to its excellent early billing.
Portmahomack Golf Club, sometimes known as Tarbat, is situated above the quaint seaside village of the same name on the Southern shores of the Dornoch Firth.
Right on the edge of the City of Aberdeen lays the charming Kings Links golf course which is owned by Aberdeen City Council and also the playing arena for three golf clubs; The Northern, Caledonian and Bon Accord.
Hopeman is an enthralling clifftop links that just gets better and better as the round progresses, both in terms of the golf and the location.
Founded in 1870 Wick Golf Club is fast approaching its 150th birthday and is embracing its golden years by bringing new energy to the links.
I’m not quite sure where to start when writing a review for Cullen. It’s probably the craziest course I’ve ever played. In truth I’m still a bit bamboozled by it all.
Tucked away on the Moray Firth between Lossiemouth and Hopeman the nine-hole layout at Covesea Golf Links remains a true hidden gem.
Balnagask is very much a case of what could be… and at one time probably was! The property has so much potential but I fear this is no longer being realised.
The Strabathie course at Murcar is a little nine-hole relief course that has two sets of tees and plays to 5,364 yards if you are to go round twice, par is 70.
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