We are so lucky here in East Renfrewshire to have so many excellent golf clubs right on our doorstep including Whitecraigs, Eastwood, Caldwell East Renfrewshire and Cathcart to name just a few! If you are looking to go further afield, you don’t need to travel out of Scotland to play on some of the world’s finest and most revered courses. Here are the top 10 courses to play on in Scotland…
Carnoustie
If you’re looking for a challenge, this course is known as one of the toughest with ditches weaving through and alongside holes, bunkers requiring accuracy and length and out-of-bounds ready to capture wayward drives on several of the holes. It was named ‘Carnasty’ in the 1999 Open with a winning score of 6 over.
Castle Stuart
The design of this course is forgiving off the tee but the course requires a strong strategy in order to approach the sloping greens with accuracy. It is located over a stunning stretch of coastline and you’ll experience some of the world’s most most striking holes running along the water’s edge.
Kingsbarns
A beautiful links course dating back to 1793 as a nine-hold course. The North sea is visible from every hole and the par-3 15th has a tee shot over the sea.
Muirfield
This is considered as the fairest test of golf on The Open rota with Jack Nicklaus and Sir Nick Faldo both winning their first Opens here. Nicklaus called it “the best in Britain” and named a course Muirfield Village. Faldo named his house in Kier Park in Ascot, Muirfield.
North Berwick
Another links course on the edge of the Firth of Forth featuring some quirky designs. The 15th green was laid out in 1869 and has been copied throughout the world by various revered architects.
Royal Aberdeen
This links course features an opening hole running down from just outside the clubhouse windows to the sea with the remainder of the course running through dunes along the North Sea to the turn. The long par 4s from the 13th to the 16th are especially demanding. In windy conditions, the 18th hole when played into wind can be unreachable even single-handicap golfers.
Royal Dornoch
This is an out-and-back links course climbing to the top of the dunes and falling back down to the coast before heading back to the town into the prevailing winds. You’ll see some wonderful views with some challenging shots along the way. This club is known for being very welcoming to visitors.
Royal Troon
Royal Troon features both the longest and shortest holes on The Open rota. The 6th, named Turnberry, is 601 yards off the championship tees, but only 544 from the whites. The 8th, The Postage Stamp, is 123 yards, and played from an elevated tee across a gully to a bunker-clad, narrow green.
St. Andrews
One of the world’s most famous golf courses and ‘The Home of Golf’ The Old Course has given golf so much of its history and character. Many features of the Old Course are original and unique to St. Andrews including seven double greens and the par 72 layout has 14 par 4s and only two par 3s.
Trump Turnberry
It has hosted four Opens is named after the third Marquess of Ailsa, who owned the land on which it was built. The resort — which has 45 holes — is now named after Donald Trump, the current owner.