Have you played the Top 10 Golf Courses in Scotland?

Have you played the Top 10 Golf Courses in Scotland?

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I have been fortunate to have played 8 of the top 10 golf courses in Scotland, as ranked by golfbreaks.com.  Golf in Scotland is like no other place on earth.  It is challenging, yes, but it also has a mystifying quality found in novels like Golf in the Kingdom by Michael Murphy.

If visiting and playing golf in Scotland is on your bucket list, check out my website at http://www.ritson-sole.com/golf-vacations/scotland/ and consider coming along with me as I take a golfing group to Scotland every third year.

Golf in Scotland is arguably the best in world. The country is blessed with so many wonderful courses that when asked to select the ten best, it’s a daunting but enjoyable task. To make sense of it we took into account the course design, landscape, playing experience and history.  To pick the very best from the planet’s best golf destination. They’re all links courses… and all mouth wateringly good!

1. Old Course, St Andrews.

Picturesque view of the stone Swilken Bridge on St Andrews golf course, Scotland spanning a meandering stream between fairways with the town in the background

It won’t come as a shock to discover the timeless Old Course at the summit of this list. The definitive ‘must play’ course, the history and iconic nature of the holes and landmarks provide a surreal element to a round on the ancient links.

This is particularly true on the back nine as you play towards the town.  It also serves as an atmospheric and spellbinding backdrop.

Intriguingly strategic and complex, it would be wise to enlist the services of a knowledgeable caddie.  As the Old Lady doesn’t give up her secrets easily!

Playing the Old is an opportunity to walk in the footsteps of legends.  And to etch your own piece of history at the most famous venue in golf. There is nothing else quite like it.

Muirfield Golf Course

For many, the home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers is the finest course on the Open Championship rotation. And it’s easy to see why. Intelligently designed, Muirfield is a challenging but fair layout that arguably doesn’t possess a weak hole in its number.

It has certainly found favour with many of the game’s greatest players down the years with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els and Phil Mickelson all clinching the Claret Jug on this celebrated East Lothian links.

Serious golfers will appreciate the layout and challenge of the course, as well as the thrilling opportunity to recreate the shots that have defined many careers and hallmarked championship history.

3. Championship Course, Carnoustie

Similar to the revered Oakmont, the Championship Course at Carnoustie has attained a reputation as being one of the most difficult in the world. It is undeniably true that on a breezy day (commonplace on the coast of Angus) that the course becomes a stringent test for even the most accomplished of players.

However, that challenge can be intoxicating with the mix of holes ensuring that the experience is just as interesting as it may be difficult.

Ben Hogan certainly overcame its obstacles in 1953 and his famous Open Championship victory still resonates in the area.

The closing stretch is simply brilliant with the completion of the round bringing with it a tangible sense of satisfaction. Surviving Carnoustie is a badge of honour.

4. Championship Course, Royal Dornoch

Tucked away in the Highlands, Royal Dornochwas for decades a largely overlooked masterpiece. In recent times, however, visitor numbers have increased, word has spread and the mesmerising course has become a firm favourite with visitors from all across the globe.

After a gentle start, the course opens up in the middle of what is an incredible front nine that offers breathtakingly expansive views across the landscape.

With its plateaued greens, deep bunkers and plentiful gorse, Dornoch is a spectacular, and at times exhilarating, course to play.

There is a great deal of hype attached to this golf course, which is understandable. The holes are intriguing, the views stunning and the village welcoming. It is one of the great experiences in golf.

If you’d like to organize a golf trip to the UK or Ireland, please INQUIRE NOW

Royal Dornoch

5. Ailsa Course, Turnberry Resort

Perhaps the most visually spectacular of all the Open Championship venues, Turnberry’s place in golfing lore was established in 1977 with Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus’ legendary ‘Duel in the Sun’.

Hugging the rocky coastline of south-west Ayrshire, The Ailsa Course is arguably Scotland’s equivalent to Pebble Beach. Many of the holes in the vicinity of the now iconic lighthouse offer expansive vistas across the Firth of Clyde towards the Isle of Arran.

Significant changes and improvements are to be made to the course in 2015, with many of the holes that ran along the coast being altered dramatically. Those alterations are needed, and have only enhanced a layout that could now fulfill its potential as one of the finest in Britain.

Ailsa Course.

To see the other 5 of the top 10 courses in Scotland, go here!

Source : golfbreaks.com

Pictures : golfbreaks.com

Thanks for reading – Have you played the Top 10 Golf Courses in Scotland?

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