Best Golf Courses in the Scottish Highlands & Islands

Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Machrihanish, The Machrie — the most dramatic and remote golf in the world.

Highland and Islands golf is not for the golfer who wants convenience. The distances are real — Royal Dornoch is 60 miles north of Inverness, The Machrie is on Islay, Machrihanish requires a ferry or a small plane to Campbeltown. You plan these trips differently from Ayrshire or East Lothian. You allow more time, build in the journey, accept the weather, and arrive somewhere that most golfers never reach.

What you find when you get there is golf of a quality and character that exists nowhere else in the world. Royal Dornoch is ranked in the Global Golfer Top 100 and is the most naturally conceived links on the planet — Old Tom Morris’s routing on the Dornoch Firth follows the land as if the course grew there without human intervention. Castle Stuart above the Moray Firth is a modern links of international championship standard, host of the Scottish Open. Machrihanish at the tip of the Kintyre peninsula has a first hole that requires you to drive across the Atlantic — a par 4 that begins on a tee surrounded by sea and asks you to carry as much of the beach as your nerve allows. The Machrie on Islay is one of the oldest links in Scotland, blind, wild and absolutely itself.

This is where golf returns to its origins. Come for at least four nights. Accept you will be planning it for six months. Bring the right waterproofs.

The Courses

Royal Dornoch Golf Club — Championship Course

Dornoch, Highland · Links · Visitors Welcome · Par 70

Ranked #29 in the world by The Global Golfer and the most naturally conceived links on earth. Old Tom Morris’s routing on the Dornoch Firth — high above the town on a narrow strip of linksland between the sea and the hills — produces golf of perfect proportion and relentless quality. The greens are elevated, plateau-like, demanding approach precision; the fairways follow the natural contours without intervention. Tom Watson called it the most fun he had ever had playing golf. He was not wrong.

Green fees from: £220 (peak season)
Top 100 scorecard: Royal Dornoch #29 →

Castle Stuart Golf Links

Inverness, Highland · Links · Visitors Welcome · Par 72

A modern links of international championship quality above the Moray Firth — Gil Hanse’s 2009 design is one of the finest new courses built in the last twenty years, with dramatic elevation changes, clifftop holes and views across to the Black Isle that rival anything in Scotland. Host of multiple Scottish Open Championships and already a fixture on serious Scottish golf itineraries. The most accessible course in this region, with Inverness Airport 10 minutes away.

Green fees from: £175 (peak season)

Machrihanish Golf Club

Machrihanish, Kintyre · Links · Visitors Welcome · Par 70

One of the great links pilgrimages in world golf — a course at the tip of the Kintyre peninsula where the first hole requires you to drive across the Atlantic on a par four that has no equal in golf for sheer audacity of design. The rest of the course is no less wild: natural dunes, exposed to the full force of whatever the North Atlantic is producing, with a character that is entirely Machrihanish and nowhere else. Worth the journey from anywhere.

Green fees from: £85 (visitor)

Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club

Machrihanish, Kintyre · Links · Visitors Welcome · Par 72

A companion to the historic Machrihanish links — a David McLay Kidd design that occupies the same extraordinary coastal terrain with a more contemporary routing. Playing both Machrihanish courses on consecutive days is one of the finest two-day golf experiences in Scotland. The Dunes course has broader fairways and more playable character; the Old Course is the more demanding and more historic of the two.

Green fees from: £95 (visitor)

The Machrie Golf Links, Islay

Port Ellen, Islay · Links · Visitors Welcome · Par 71

One of Scotland’s oldest and most distinctive links — blind tee shots, natural terrain, a routing that follows the land without apology or explanation. The Machrie on Islay is for golfers who want to combine a visit to the island’s distilleries with a round on one of the most individual courses in Scotland. Access requires a ferry from Kennacraig or a flight from Glasgow. The inconvenience is entirely part of the experience.

Green fees from: £65 (visitor)

Brora Golf Club

Brora, Highland · Links · Visitors Welcome · Par 69

James Braid’s last links design and one of the most characterful courses in the Highlands — Brora plays on the same strip of linksland between the Brora River and the North Sea as it has since 1891, with the added character of cattle who wander the course and can legally interfere with your ball. 20 minutes north of Dornoch and a natural addition to any Highland golf itinerary.

Green fees from: £60 (visitor)

Stay•Play•Recover in Highland & Islands

Carnegie Lodge, Dornoch ⭐

The natural base for Royal Dornoch — a boutique golf-focused lodge in Dornoch town, minutes from the first tee. Simple, golf-focused accommodation from a dedicated Royal Dornoch partner. The most logical Stay•Play option for the championship course.

[Book Carnegie Lodge →] *(replace with Expedia deep link)*

Dornoch Castle Hotel ⭐

A converted medieval castle in Dornoch town with a whisky bar that is itself a reason to visit — intimate, atmospheric, with a position directly opposite the Dornoch Cathedral. The best hotel experience in the Royal Dornoch area.

[Book Dornoch Castle Hotel →] *(replace with Expedia deep link)*

Recovery & Wellness

The Highland and Islands region has limited formal spa infrastructure — the recovery here is the landscape itself. The Dornoch Firth, the Kintyre coast, Islay’s distilleries. Build walking and whisky into the itinerary as intentionally as the golf.

Practical Information

Best time to visit: May–September. Highland courses play year-round but summer offers long daylight hours — June sees daylight until 11pm at this latitude. Weather is unpredictable; a waterproof jacket is mandatory at any time of year.

Getting there: Inverness Airport (INV) is the main Highland hub — direct flights from London, Manchester and Dublin. Dornoch is 60 miles north of Inverness by road (60 minutes). Machrihanish is 150 miles from Glasgow by road or accessible by Loganair flight to Campbeltown (30 mins). Islay is served by Loganair from Glasgow (30 mins) or ferry from Kennacraig.

Green fee ranges: Budget £60–85 (Brora, Machrihanish Old, The Machrie) · Mid-range £95–175 (Machrihanish Dunes, Castle Stuart) · Premium £220 (Royal Dornoch peak season)

Recommended itinerary — Royal Dornoch (4 nights): Fly into Inverness → Day 1 Castle Stuart → Day 2 Royal Dornoch Championship → Day 3 Royal Dornoch again or Brora → Day 4 Royal Dornoch Struie Course → Day 5 depart.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Royal Dornoch worth the journey?

Unreservedly yes. Royal Dornoch is ranked in the Global Golfer Top 100 and is widely considered the finest links north of St Andrews. Tom Watson called it the most fun he ever had playing golf. The journey — 60 miles north of Inverness — is part of the experience, and the surrounding Highland landscape makes it one of the most rewarding golf pilgrimages in the world.

How do I get to Machrihanish?

By road, Machrihanish is approximately 3 hours from Glasgow via the A83 and A83 through Tarbert and down the Kintyre peninsula. Loganair operates flights from Glasgow to Campbeltown Airport, 3 miles from Machrihanish, in approximately 30 minutes. The flight is the most time-efficient option for a dedicated Machrihanish golf trip.

What is the first hole at Machrihanish like?

The 1st hole at Machrihanish Old Course is a par four that requires you to drive across Machrihanish Bay — carry as much of the beach as you dare, with more beach visible on the right and a long carry to reach the fairway. How much of the Atlantic you choose to take on is your decision. There is no equivalent hole in golf for the combination of simplicity, audacity and setting.