The likes of Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Murcar are readily accessible - even for day
trips from St Andrews - and the extra effort required to reach Royal Dornoch is always worthwhile.

Inverness is easily reachable by good roads and basing yourself around there allows access to some of the best of Scotland's Highland courses, including even Brora and Golspie in Sutherland.

Royal Dornoch Golf Club - North Scotland


The most northerly championship course in the world, Royal Dornoch is as fine a natural test as you will ever play. The renowned golf course architect Donald Ross, who spent his formative years here, must have found it a wonderful inspiration for his later work.

This Highland gem is an old course that scores high marks for traditional values yet is highly regarded when set against modern architectural criteria. It is consistently and justly ranked in the World's Top Twenty.

Over the years the Championship course has been tweaked and enhanced by greats such as John Sutherland and of course, Ross. Open Champion, George Duncan added new holes after the war ensuring that the course has remained a challenge in the face of ever improving equipment and continues to be regularly ranked within the top 15 best courses
in the world.

And it's not just the Championship course that benefits from the challenges that links-land throws up. The recent addition of five new holes on the Struie have transformed this course into one that still maintains its role as an enjoyable and entertaining course for the
whole family, but one that tests even the lower handicap player.

Royal Dornoch has a modern clubhouse and everyone is welcome to enjoy the facilities. They have a generously stocked bar and a restaurant serving anything from hot filled rolls to a full dinner menu.

And for those who don't golf, Dornoch's superb blue flag beaches and historic old town are just a short walk away. Royal Dornoch is only 45 miles from the bustling city of Inverness, but is a true haven of peace, tranquillity and, of course, world class golf.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Royal Dornoch Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.

Brora Golf Club - North Scotland

Designed by James Braid (5 times Open Champion) and considered to be a perfect illustration of the great man's work, Brora golf links has changed little in the past century. Sheep and cattle still graze the fairways while the small, testing greens are protected by electric fences to keep them off!

All in all, the Brora golf course is an enduring example of a traditional Scottish golfing, nine holes out from the clubhouse and nine holes more or less straight back in.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Brora Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.


Cruden Bay Golf Club - North Scotland
Play the 'Ballybunion of Scotland'


There is evidence that the Cruden Golf Club had a nine-hole course as early as 1791, however the current course was commissioned in 1894 by the great North of Scotland Railway Company.

Approximately 20 miles north of Aberdeen, this is one of the gems of Scottish golf. The Cruden Bay Golf Club opened officially in 1899 as part of the recreational facilities of the Cruden Bay Hotel. This course was laid out by Old Tom Morris, with help from Archie Simpson. The club also built an inner nine-hole ladies course at the same.

The Cruden Bay Golf Course is often called the 'Ballybunion of Scotland' because of the mountainous dunes on the property. The Slains Castle provides an interesting, if not eerie, backdrop.

Cruden Bay is a traditional links course which offers humps, hollows, greens tucked into unthinkable spots, and a fair share of blind-shots. Although some modernization has occurred, the course still has an old-school feel. Many fairways wind along valleys between high dunes and it has to be one of the very few courses with consecutive par 3 holes.

This links course demands skills of power, placement, and fine judgment of any golfer. A game here is always fun, spectacular, and enlightening. Cruden Bay's links course is not as well known as some, but offers everything a golfer could be looking for. Stop by and enjoy one of the biggest secrets in Scotland.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Cruden Bay Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.

Golspie Golf Club - North Scotland

A rare combination of links, heathland and parkland with a number of very fine holes, Golspie is a seaside holiday course close to Dunrobin Castle, the historic home of the Earls of Sutherland.

Somewhat overshadowed by Royal Dornoch, but still well worth a visit. All in all, an enduring example of a typical, traditional Scottish links.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Golspie Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.


Moray Golf Club - North Scotland
Play An Original Old Tom Morris Scottish Links Course

The Moray Golf Club was founded in 1889. It offers two traditional Scottish links courses, The Old Course, or Moray Old, designed by Old Tom Morris. It is one of the finest links courses Scotland has to offer.

This Championship course offers deep bunkers, gorse-lined fairways, and smooth greens. There are seven par-4's over 400 yards and every hole was designed to challenge the lower handicap player. The Old Course is tough, but fun, and visitors leave knowing they have played on one of the best links in Europe.

The Moray New was designed by Sir Henry Cotton in 1906 and was originally a nine-hole course. It was extended to an eighteen-hole course in 1979. The New Course offers similar gorse-lined fairways, but tighter fairways and smaller greens.

Although this course is not as long as its older sibling, it is a stern test of golf. Both courses are situated on the southern shores of the Moray of Fifth which offers a comfortable climate year round. Therefore, it is not unusual for golf to be played every single day of the year.

There is a warning at the front of Moray that reads, Beware of Sudden Aircraft Noise . Moray lies adjacent to an RAF base and British fighters take off and land several times daily. There are unexpected rushes of noise, but that only adds to the challenge.

In fact, many championships have been played at Moray and the noise has never been a problem. The Moray Golf Club has hosted the Northern Amateur Championship, the Scottish Amateur Championship, the Home Internationals Championship, the Scottish Professional Championship, the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship, the Northern Open Championship, and the Scottish Strokeplay Championship.

A venue of the Scottish Amateur Championship, Moray (also known as Lossiemouth) celebrated its centenary in 1989 and is a fine links course, with a distinctive finishing hole which climbs back towards the town.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Moray Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.


Murcar Golf Club - North Scotland

An often underrated course, overshadowed by its more famous neighbor Royal Aberdeeen, yet an excellent test of links golf, Murcar consistently appears in the list of Britain's top 100 courses.

Opened for play in 1909, Murcar was originally designed by Aberdeen professional Archie Simpson with later revisions by James Braid. From a deceptive start over the first two holes the front nine runs northwards by the shore through extensive sandhills.

The back nine, while it moves away from the sea, requires some solid hitting and precise shots to greens.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Murcur Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.


Nairn Golf Club - North Scotland
Known For It's 'Scottish-ness,' The First Seven Holes Say 'Welcome' With Seaside Views & Seaside Hazards

The original founding date of the Nairn Golf Club is debatable.  Some reports say it was established in 1875, but the date of 1887 is more commonly accepted.

The Nairn Championship Course is located on the Firth Coast in the Highlands of Scotland.  Andrew Simpson's original design was extended by Old Tom Morris. The result is a classic links course on the shores of the Moray Firth with tight fairways and magnifient greens. 

James Braid altered some tees and greens in 1901; and Ben Sayers collaborated with Braid to further redesign several holes in 1920.  Finally, C. K. Cotton lengthened the course before hosting the 1999 Walker Cup.  Nairn has also hosted several amateur and professional events including the British Amateur Championship and the Walker Cup.

Nairn offers views of the changing lights of the Black Isle from every hole. The links course features over 100 bunkers, gorse-lined fairways and fast greens, as well as natural hazards including heather, whins and burns. The course requires great concentration and accuracy to avoid these hazards and even the threat of losing your ball to the sea itself on the first seven holes.

Nairn benefits from a dry, mild climate and is always in excellent condition.

The Nairn has attracted numerous professional golfers, including Scott Dunlap, Mark Brooks, Andre Magee and Sam Torrance, and non-golfing celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Michael Douglas and Jack Nicholson.

In addition to the championship course, the Nairn Golf Club offers the Newton Course, a 9-hole short course.

The Nairn links offer an exceptional, challenging golf experience, one you'll likely want to come back to again.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Nairn Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.


Royal Aberdeen Golf Club - North Scotland
If Traditional Scottish Links Golf Is What You Want, The Sixth Oldest Golf Club In The World WILL Qualify

The earliest mention of a golf hole, the Queen's Hole, was in 1625, and that hole is located on the Links of Aberdeen.

Officially founded in 1780, the Royal Aberdeen Golf Club is the sixth oldest golf club in the world, and is steeped in tradition. The club originally went by the name The Society of Golfers at Aberdeen, but in 1815 changed their name to the Aberdeen Golf Club.

In 1903, King Edward VII decreed that the club change their name to the Royal Aberdeen and then became a member.  The club moved to Balgownie due to overcrowding at the Queen s Links course. The original course at Balgownie was designed by Archie and Robert Simpson, but James Braid later lengthened the course and made some refinements to the bunkers. Donald Steel & Company made a few further revisions in recent years. Tunnel fairways, sloping lies, raised greens, and all kept in immaculate condition.

Royal Aberdeen Golf Club s Balgownie Links course is well bunkered and runs through some ingenious dunes formations.  Running alongside the North Sea shoreline, the front nine holes are brutal and are considered by some the most difficult in the British Isles.

These outward nine holes are intertwined with massive dunes on both sides of the fairway.  The back, or inward, nine is not quite as difficult, but there are challenging prevailing winds to deal with.  The 8th hole, a traditional par 5, is Balgownie s signature hole.  The green is protected by ten bunkers, and it requires creativity and concentration to reach it in regulation.

All the holes at Balgownie Links play differently, daily, depending on the wind speed and direction.  Large undulating greens and spectacular views round out the golfing experience on this most traditional of Scottish links courses.

Royal Aberdeen hosted the 2005 Senior British Open. In addition to the 6,876-yard Balgownie Links course, members and guests can also play the Silverburn course, which is a shorter 18-hole course measuring 4,021 yards.  Though designed to be less stressful and more fun, it is nonetheless a good test of one s golfing skills.

The Royal Aberdeen welcomes golfers from around the world, and they hope you will include their club in your Scottish golfing vacation.

Call IGT to book your golfing vacation package to Royal Aberdeen Golf Club in northern Scotland, today.