5 Standout Scotland Golf Trips: Where to Play and Why

To be clearer than a misty Scottish morning on the first tee of the Old Course, there are two categories of golf journeys here. There are bundled trips highlighting key courses along tour routes, allowing players to take on the best offerings over a series of manageable days. Then, there are single, far-flung destinations – each an individual course out in the heather offering its own experience you can get only by going there. Here’s where to begin your planning.

Multi-course Scotland golf trips

These are the trips where you can hit multiple courses in a week, with nearby towns with restaurants and attractions to fill your time off the green.

Trip 1: St. Andrews

More than the epicenter of Scottish golf, St. Andrews established itself as the sport’s historic ground zero. As the headquarters of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (one of the two bodies determining the rules of golf, along with the United States Golf Association), St. Andrews builds its presence around The Old Course. Some form of golf has existed on the rolling, seaside turf since the 1400s, with the first official records of play dating back to 1552.

The Old Course is such an obvious bucket list destination that a daily lottery determines which non-members can play. Ironically, the actual playing experience is easily outdone by courses with more modern layouts. The Old Course is long, wide, and rugged, but otherwise less than notable from hole to hole. However, it’s the allure of taking on the same round of golf that challenged players centuries ago, plus the romantic appeal of walking over the iconic Swilcan Bridge.

With six other official St. Andrews courses neighboring their oldest relative, losing out on the lottery can prove a happy accident. There are world-class tracks around the Royal and Ancient headquarters many players miss because they’re hyper-focused on history. Of St. Andrews’ public courses, including the Balgove, Eden, Jubilee, New Course, and Strathtyrum courses, the Castle Course is the clear standout. It sits high in the hills overlooking the town of St. Andrews and the ruins of its ancient castle. Lucky golfers playing during changing weather conditions may be rewarded with a rainbow over the sea.

About a 30-minute drive from St. Andrews is one of the region’s crowning achievements: Kingsbarns. Another hilly run through tall grass, the space is said to be named for its former purpose of housing the king’s grains back in the 11th century. Now, its treeless, seaside 18 holes demand accuracy (and the ability to play in unpredictable conditions).

Trip 2: North Berwick

At only an hour’s drive, one could argue that North Berwick works as an extension of a St. Andrews trip. However, there are so many excellent golf courses throughout the area that a golf tourist could easily schedule an entire Scottish trip around this one small town.

North Berwick Golf Club is based at the historic West Links, one of the world’s most storied seaside courses. Established in the 17th century, the course has hosted qualifying for The Open Championship (the world’s oldest major golf tournament, also called The British Open), six times. Travelers lucky enough to play as guests can stay at the luxurious Marine North Berwick hotel and all but walk out on the course.

While it also has the coastal winds and sea views, the course at nearby Glen Golf Club is a little less “links-y” than its North Berwick cousins. The highlight is its cliffside positioning over the Firth of Forth and its views of Bass Rock – a jagged volcanic plug and former prison now home to more than 50,000 seabirds.

Roughly 15 minutes away is the strangely peaceful aura of Gullane Golf Club, home to three separate courses simply named No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3. There are high spots on each 18-hole course where players can look out over the grounds and the ocean. At times, it’s so peaceful and profound that it’s easy to forget there’s golf to be played.

Trip 3: Ayrshire Golf Coast

When it’s time to leave St. Andrews and Scotland’s east coast behind, journeying to the west toward the Firth of Clyde (Clyde Sea) will unveil its own set of top-shelf courses.

Politics aside, Trump Turnberry is a sprawling, five-star resort playing host to the Ailsa Course. It’s hosted four Open Championships and is back in the conversation to host future majors following a major renovation in 2016. Alongside the Ailsa, the nine-hole Arran Course offers a friendlier challenge for mid-handicappers. Finally, the King Robert the Bruce Course offers the property’s most stirring views of the nearby lighthouse and the volcanic Ailsa Craig island just offshore.

North of Turnberry, Dundonald Links offers a less formal, very welcoming environment with the friendliest of staff. Its open but lengthy course is home to the Men’s and Women’s Scottish Opens and was the first course to stage both events in the same year (in 2017). In 2026, the Women’s Scottish Open will return for the fifth straight year and eighth time in 12 years. The same course also plays host to Open Championship Final Qualifying, determining who gets to play in the world-famous tournament.

A notorious feature at Dundonald is the Cauldron Bunker on the 11th. It’s a deep, steep-sided hazard so difficult that even players who miss it while playing will sometimes drop a ball in afterward just to see if they have the skills to escape it in one shot.

Near Dundonald, Western Gailes stays true to its links-course roots and demands a lot from its guests. The course rewards accuracy, forcing players to aim carefully rather than simply hitting as far as possible. Expect knee-high rough, and ever-changing Scottish weather that sends genuine gales across the turf during play. Visiting golfers can have their bag tags temporarily hung in the starter’s shack. The small tradition creates a temporary display that reflects the course’s wide-reaching international appeal, as you can find tags from countries around the world on any given day.

Further-flung Scotland golf trips

The trips above all include multiple standout courses within defined, easily canvassed regions. But another kind of Scotland golf trip exists: dedicated trips focused on a single course.

Machrihanish Dunes

Machrihanish Dunes is ideal for golfers who want to escape the outside world and focus entirely on their 18 holes.

The Village at Machrihanish Dunes is a seaside resort near isolated Campbeltown Harbour. Finished in 2009, the Dunes’ titular course is the first new track built on the west coast of Scotland in more than a century. The course winds through wild, untouched coastal dunes, using the natural landscape rather than heavy shaping to create a rugged, authentic links experience.

Cabot Highlands

Tucked into northern Scotland not far from Inverness, Cabot Highlands is the resort home of the highly-rated Castle Stuart Golf Links. In 2026, the property will add its second 18-hole run, Old Petty. The new course follows rolling hillsides that used to be farmland and takes players closer to Castle Stuart, oddly enough, than the first course named in its honor.

Away from the fairways, Cabot Highlands’ remote Highland setting opens directly onto wide-open walking and cycling routes, peaceful waters for fishing, and estate-run experiences like falconry and horseback riding— activities that feel far removed from crowds despite being just outside Inverness. There are also plenty of gorgeous home rentals in the vicinity. It’s also only a quick trip to nearby Loch Ness, for golfers keen to inquire after the hometown monster’s handicap.