Let’s be honest:
You don’t visit where the game began for hidden gems. Your bucket-list Scottish golf trip needs bucket-list Scottish links.
And that’s what you’re about to get.
Here’s our handpicked list of famous golf courses in Scotland for planning your next adventure.
Join us on the first tee.
Competition was fierce for a place on this illustrious leaderboard.
After all, it’s Scotland, where legendary links layouts and iconic championship venues have been a national speciality for half a millennium.
Ultimately, we settled on a cracking collection of celebrity courses, from city to countryside and coast.
Take a look.
Your tour of the famous golf courses in Scotland could only start in Fife.
Golf was first played on this picturesque peninsula in the early 15th century.
However, its immediate popularity led King James II to ban the sport. Thankfully, 45 years later, his golf-loving grandson removed it.
Then Fife became the cradle of the game.
Today, you won’t find another region that has produced as many historic moments, decorated players, master designers, and world-class courses.
Est : 1552 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,305 yards
You hardly need any introduction to the world’s oldest and most iconic golf course.
After all, the Old Course at St Andrews is the Home of Golf.
Over the last 600 years, countless golfers have made the pilgrimage to this mythical links.
A select few, often via the Swilcan Bridge, leave as legends.
In 2027, St Andrews will host The Open Championship for a record-extending 31st time. Its prestige is unmatched.
Across three centuries, greats like J.H. Taylor, James Braid, Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Seve Ballesteros, and Tiger Woods have won the Claret Jug on the Old Course.
Now, be warned, St Andrews is a crafty beast.
The humps, hollows, hills, and pot bunkers are deceptively deep. Meanwhile, its innumerable hazards, such as the infamous Hell Bunker, often hide in plain sight.
You can thank Mother Nature.
Because no one architect is responsible for this perennial top-5 contender.
Est: 1842 | Par: 72 | Length: 6,941 yards
The Championship Course at Carnoustie Golf Links is famous for many reasons.
Firstly, top pros and everyday hackers agree:
This big, beautiful Scottish links is golf’s greatest test, especially the notorious closing stretch. You need inch-perfect accuracy to navigate devilish rough, bunkers and burns.
Still, Carnoustie is a joyous experience.
Otherwise, it would not have won the World’s Best Golf Course in 2019. Its bold design belongs to three local legends, Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris and James Braid.
Then there’s the storied history.
Golf has been played on this scenic linksland in Angus since the 16th century.
Carnoustie officially opened as a 10-hole layout in 1842.
In 1931, the club staged the first of eight Open Championships. Notable winners include Tom Watson, Paul Lawrie, and Padraig Harrington.
Furthermore, since 2001, Carnoustie has co-hosted the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with St Andrews and Kingsbarns.
Want to play this trio?
On October 17, 1860, the original professional golf tournament was held in Southwest Scotland.
Specifically, at Prestwick, the host of the first Open Championship. Momentous!
So, if you love watching the Majors and playing championship courses, you should explore the source of your affection: Ayrshire.
Arguably, this sparkling seaside region offers the world’s finest links golf. Alongside classics like Prestwick, you’ve got modern marvels such as Dundonald and King Robert.
And two other Open icons.
Est: 1906 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,501 yards
Bankrolled by the Scottish nobility. Ravaged by two World Wars.
Built and rebuilt by visionary architects. Graced by giants of the game.
Ranked No.8 by Golf Digest in 2025. Beloved by guests for more than a century.
Certainly, the history of golf at the Turnberry Resort is a spellbinding story.
And through it all, the Ailsa Course has played the starring role.
Not least in 1977, when the scenic links in South Ayrshire entered golf folklore.
Do you know this tale?
For its first of four Open Championships, the Ailsa witnessed the legendary Duel in the Sun, when Tom Watson edged Jack Nicklaus in an epic battle (the 18th hole was renamed after it in 2003).
It was quite Major debut for the last venue added to the Open rota.
Today, the Ailsa is a bona fide superstar for its staggering seaside scenery, iconic Turnberry Lighthouse, and enthralling modern design.
Est: 1878 | Par: 71 | Length: 7,208 yards
Conveniently, you can visit Turnberry, Prestwick, and the next of our famous golf courses in Scotland within an hour’s drive.
Tip: Remember to drink in the golden beaches, rolling countryside, and ancient castles along the Ayrshire coast.
Now, let’s get you to the world-renowned Old Course at Royal Troon.
Interestingly, this traditional out-and-back links has more in common with the Ailsa than geography.
The great Willie Fernie helped to craft both courses. Fernie enhanced the original layout at Royal Troon before James Braid revamped it again ahead of the club’s first of 10 British Opens in 1923.
Also like Turnberry, the Old Course staged one of the great showdowns in Championship history:
2016’s unforgettable High Noon at Troon.
And you’ve no doubt heard of the signature holes. The Postage Stamp, Turnberry and the Railway are infamous for good reason.
Lastly, if you enjoy memorabilia, be sure to visit the clubhouse.
It doesn’t get more Scottish than the Highlands.
This vast outback is a hotbed of soaring peaks, lush glens, serene lakes, teeming rivers, and windswept beaches with crashing tides.
At every turn, you’re left in open-mouthed amazement. Meanwhile, the golf is equally mesmerising.
The Highlands features a spellbinding collection of links courses that are a monument to nature’s majesty and human ingenuity.
For a sample, here’s a pair of the best, created 132 years apart.
Est: 1877 | Par: 70 | Length: 6,799 yards
The best links course to never host The Open? It’s a long-standing debate with no shortage of contenders.
However, two names always crop up: Royal County Down and Royal Dornoch.
But you’re in the Highlands now, so let’s focus on the latter.
Since 1877, golfers have made the pilgrimage to these raw, rugged links on the Dornoch Firth. However, records show that golf was played on the land in 1616.
Originally nine holes, Old Tom Morris updated it to the 18-hole Championship Course in 1886.
It’s simply majestic. Rugged, remote and, simultaneously, breathtakingly beautiful.
Just ask honorary member Tom Watson.
The 8-time Major winner said Royal Dornoch was ‘the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course’.
By the way, you couldn’t pick a better time to see what all the fuss is about.
Royal Dornoch has a new clubhouse, its 150th anniversary, and exciting expansions on the horizon.
Est: 2009 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,009 yards
The Highlands offers you a stellar lineup of quintessential Scottish links, from Royal Dornoch to Nairn, Brora, and Tain.
But variety is the spice of life. That’s why your itinerary also includes a contemporary classic at Cabot Highlands.
Castle Stuart Golf Links opened to universal acclaim in 2009. The brainchild of two Americans, Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse, the new layout on the Firth of Moray won GOLF’s Best New International Golf Course.
Within two years, Castle Stuart broke a centuries-long deadlock among the region’s golf courses.
Finally, an elite event in the Highlands.
In 2011, as rain fell by the bucketload, Luke Donald won the first of three consecutive Scottish Opens at Castle Stuart. The competition returned to the Inverness resort for a fourth time in 2016.
Check out Phil Mickelson’s 2013 win for a glimpse of the out-of-this-world playing experiences awaiting you at Castle Stuart.
Beautiful. Brilliant. Beguiling.
The numbers are impressive.
22 golf courses along a 40-mile stretch of white-sand beaches, lush-green landscapes and jaw-dropping cliffs. Right next door to Edinburgh.
That’s why East Lothian is called Scotland’s Golf Coast.
Now, before you ask, it’s not a case of quantity over quality.
This region boasts the world’s largest concentration of championship links, including the six eclectic courses on our handpicked itinerary.
For the moment, let’s look at a duo of age-old wonders.
Est: 1832 | Par: 71 | Length: 6,140 yards
North Berwick has many claims to fame.
It’s the 13th oldest golf club in the world and the first to accept female members. Also, only St Andrews has played on the same course non-stop for longer.
In the case of North Berwick, that course is the West Links.
Set on the Firth of Forth with magical views across Bass Rock and Craigleith Island, this seaside showstopper has a fascinating backstory.
The West Links that you’ll play was not a readymade creation.
It took 44 years of negotiated expansions to go from six to nine and, finally, 18 holes by 1877.
Interestingly, the 15th (Reddan) is among the most copied in golf. It may belong to greenkeeper Davie Strath: The man who threw away The Open.
North Berwick has always staged top-tier tournaments.
But none more famous than the 1849 foursome between Tom Morris and Allan Robertson and the Dunn brothers.
Est: 1884 | Par: 71 | Length: 6,583 yards
No one knows who designed Gullane No.1.
But the mysterious genius behind this exquisite links course along the bracing North Sea has delighted countless golfers since 1884.
You really have to see Gullane Golf Club to believe it.
Picture 600 acres of quilted turf surrounded by dunes, gorse, wildflowers, grassland, and pristine beaches.
Even for East Lothian, this is a special place.
As the name suggests, Gullane No.1 is not alone on the property. You can explore No.2 and No.3 later.
Right now, the firstborn deserves your undivided attention.
Playable year-round, Gullane No.1 gives you a pure links experience.
Prepare for a feast of wild elevations, tricky bunkers, wispy grasses, and immaculate greens with panoramic vistas.
And how’s this for championship pedigree?
Gullane is a two-time Scottish Open host (2015 and 2018). Plus, alongside North Berwick and Dunbar, it staged qualifying rounds for the 2013 Open Championship in East Lothian.
For a golf trip that showcases the best of Scotland – both on and off the course – venture to Aberdeenshire.
You’ll stay in the Granite City by the sea.
Aberdeen is a beautiful patchwork of elegant architecture, cobbled streets and glistening beaches. And wait until you taste the boat-fresh seafood, Angus beef and malt whisky.
Just beyond city limits, among gigantic dunes along 165 miles of captivating coast, mouthwatering links courses are on the menu.
Est: 1780 | Par: 71 | Length: 6,918 yards
Welcome to the sixth-oldest golf club in the world, home of the five-minute rule, and arguably the finest front nine in the game.
Royal Aberdeen was founded in 1780 as the Society of Golfers at Aberdeen.
However, the earliest reference to a golf hole in Scotland was made in city records from 1625.
Did it actually start right here?
Let’s leave that to the historians.
Royal Aberdeen moved to its current location at Bridge of Don in 1888.
Today, the Balgownie Course remains a classic out-and-back links that challenges and enthrals you from 1 to 18.
The epic opening runs parallel to the North Sea and cuts through a delightful dune formation. Meanwhile, the back nine plays over the higher, flatter plateau, where wild winds often blow!
Fun fact: Rory McIlroy holds the course record.
Finally, famous winners at Royal Aberdeen include Tom Watson (Senior Open) and Justin Rose (Scottish Open).
Est: 2012 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,201 yards
Fittingly, the last of your famous golf courses in Scotland is also the newest.
Like Castle Stuart three years previously, Trump International Golf Links was an instant sensation.
Martin Hawtree had created a spectacular centrepiece for the five-star resort in the beachside village of Balmedie in Aberdeenshire.
Since then, the awards and accolades have been piling up. And so have the championships.
Deservedly so.
Expect the golf experience of a lifetime from this 21st-century Scottish classic between Murcar Links and Cruden Bay.
For sheer drama and intrigue, it doesn’t get much better than Trump International.
Set against the crashing North Sea, the Old Course unfurls across three miles of sublime coastline in two out-and-back loops of nine.
Thread through mammoth dunes, the layout peaks to provide picture-perfect vistas and then dives deep into hidden valleys. Each hole is a unique adventure.
Then you’ve 18 more at the new MacLeod Course.
So that’s your guide to some of our favourite famous golf courses in Scotland.
What next?
You play your pick of these legendary links on an unforgettable journey with Irish Golf Tours.
Speak to our Travel Planners to tailor an itinerary to your group. We’ll arrange tee times, accommodations, transportation, club shipments, and caddies.
Let’s get your dream golf trip to Scotland underway today.
Author: Tom Rooney
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