They say that ‘home is where the heart is’... We say that as Scotland is known as the Home of Golf, why go anywhere else for your golf holiday? Just go home.
Golf is not just a game in Scotland; it’s a way of life. And what a life that is... legendary Scottish championship golf courses, loch-side gems, challenging links layouts, lush hillsides, leafy woodlands, and breathtaking seaside golf courses blessed with sandy soil and salty sea air. And, to make your golfing life easier, many of Scotland’s regions offer special golf passes that allow you to play a number of top courses at bargain prices.
However, be warned, you will be faced with one very big - nay gigantic - problem if you take a golf holiday in Scotland. How on earth do you work out where to go for a golf break when there are more than 550 golf courses to choose from? Impossible; so let us help.
British Open Championship golf courses in Scotland
The Ailsa - 11th Hole at Turnberry If you want to walk in the footsteps of golfing legends, then you can; no problem.
Scotland has five prestigious championship venues on the current British Open Championship rota: the famous Old Course at St Andrews, the undisputed Home of Golf; Carnoustie, where golf has been played since the early 16th century; Royal Troon, which boasts some of the most striking links land you’ll ever play on, including the famous ‘Postage Stamp’ 8th hole; Muirfield, a challenging links golf course in Scotland featuring thick rough and more than 150 bunkers, which is consistently rated in the top ten golf courses in the world and will be the venue for the British Open Championship again in 2013.
And, last but by no means least, Turnberry - once a landing strip for planes during the Great War, now a top quality links course on a stunning clifftop location - a course that Colin Montgomerie reckons “offers some of the best links golf in the world”.
Luxury hotel accommodation with golf in Scotland
Choosing which golf courses to play in Scotland on your golf break might be a problem, but staying in luxury accommodation in Scotland with on-site golf, or nearby golf, certainly won’t be.
Take a look below at a few Luxury Scotland hotels that offer superb golf on-site or within a short drive... but bear in mind that all hotels under the Luxury Scotland umbrella can assist locally with the organisation of luxury golf vacations in Scotland, as can Little’s Chauffeur Drive, a Partner of Connoisseurs Scotland.
Golf breaks in Perthshire, Scotland
Golf at Gleneagles There are around 40 golf courses in Perthshire, ranging from a rustic and fun 9-hole country course to golfing in style at a world-class venue like Gleneagles.
Three of the finest championship golf courses in Scotland can be played at Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire, which will be hosting the legendary Ryder Cup in 2014.
If you’re new to the game there’s also a 9-hole Academy Course and, for complete beginners or advanced players wishing to improve their game, a PGA National Golf Academy with the latest computer software to analyse your swing.
Dunbartonshire golf breaks, Scotland
The Carrick at Cameron House Expect majestic highland backdrops, stunning greens, and a notorious ‘water hazard’ (namely famous Loch Lomond) at The Carrick - the incredibly scenic golf course of Cameron House on Loch Lomond.
The course is located just a short drive from the hotel where you’ll also find the wicked ‘Wee Demon’, an aptly-named tight nine holes that will warm you up for your battle at ‘The Carrick’.
Don’t let the beauty of Loch Lomond distract you from your game as there are 118 bunkers, various lagoons, and an island green to contend with.
Golf in East Lothian - Venue for the 2013 British Open
Greywalls With 22 golf courses and an ideal microclimate ideal for golf, East Lothian (just a 30-minute drive from Edinburgh) is considered a golfer’s paradise offering both classic inland and traditional links golf courses, many with awe-inspiring coastal panoramas.
East Lothian is also home to world-renowned Muirfield golf course, host to the British Open 15 times and venue for the British Open again in 2013.
Sitting pretty, overlooking the 9th green and 10th tee of Muirfield, Greywalls is in a privileged position to offer exclusive golf packages to its guests: there are ten golf courses, including four championship courses, within five miles of the hotel.
Where better to watch the 2013 British Open than from the beautiful gardens of this Lutyens-designed country house, which also offers fantastic views over East Lothian and the Firth of Forth.
Golf vacations in St Andrews, Scotland
Golf at St Andrews St Andrews - the Home of Golf, where the game began and where the 2010 British Open was held - just has to be the most famous golfing region in the world. You can even join an expert guide for tours of the Old Course, unrivalled for its history and prestige: choose from a frequently-held 50-minute tour or, in July and August, a three-hour tour for golfaholics which takes in Hell Bunker, The Coffins, and High Hole.
Nurtured over six centuries, there are now seven golf courses to play in St Andrews: the largest public golf complex in Europe. If you are taking a family golf holiday in Scotland in St Andrews, head for the family-friendly Strathyrum and Balgove golf courses: play is quite relaxed on these courses so also suitable for beginners. For a true links challenge play a round on the New, Jubilee, and Eden courses or on the new Castle Course which sits on the cliffs overlooking St Andrews.
Enjoy wonderful views of St Andrews from The Duke’s Course, owned by The Old Course Hotel. The hotel is in a truly spectacular location and borders the renowned 17th ‘Road Hole’ of the Old Course while overlooking the famous links courses and the beautiful Scottish coastline of West Sands beach.
Exclusive golf holidays in Ayrshire, Scotland
With 20 quality golf courses to play around with - including prestigious Royal Troon, Turnberry, Prestwick and Gailes - Ayrshire can offer great golfing breaks in Scotland on courses blessed with spectacular views.
Take Turnberry, for instance, where you’ll enjoy magnificent views from anywhere on the course over the Irish Sea, to the island of Arran, the Mull of Kintyre, and of Ailsa Craig - a huge volcanic ‘plug’ sitting nine miles offshore.
Home to iconic Ailsa, a lady of excellent repute, Turnberry offers a great golfing experience. Don’t miss it - and take your camera for the most photographed hole, the 9th by the lighthouse known as ‘Bruce’s Castle’, named after Robert the Bruce, the Scottish King (1306-1329).
Turnberry Before you do take on Ailsa with her tiered greens, steep bunkers, wicked rough and greens heavily guarded by pot bunkers, pop into The Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy... you’ll need all the help you can get. The good side is there are no trees on Ailsa and only one wee burn (though not quite as wee as many would like).
The Ailsa is currently ranked as Britain’s number One golf course by two leading golf publications and is consistently rated amongst the world’s best.
Turnberry Resort’s other 18-hole course, The Kintyre, also offers superb links golf with undulating greens, glorious fairways and magnificent ocean holes, while the 9-hole Arran course has been designed specifically to allow the PGA professionals to pass on advice and tips about links golf as well as how Colin Montgomerie plays and thinks his way around a golf course.
Perfect. So... if golf professional and Turnberry expert Colin Montgomerie reckons that “Turnberry offers some of the best links golf in the world”, who are we to argue.
On second thoughts, perhaps we will... it’s not that only Turnberry offers some of the best links golf in the world, but that Scotland as a whole offers some of the best traditional and links golf you’ll find on the planet.
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