Inspiring landscapes. Savage beauty. Groundbreaking design. Prepare to explore the sensational new golf courses in Scotland.
What do we mean by new?
In this guide, you’ll discover the spectacular layouts that have redefined links golf since the turn of the millennium.
That way, on your adventure in the birthplace of the game, you can experience iconic courses from every era.
Right beside the best old golf courses in Scotland!
And that means thrilling tee times along the wild, wondrous coasts of Fife, East Lothian, Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire, and the Highlands.
So, in chronological order, here are your 11 must-play new Scottish links.
Click any course to begin.
Est: 2000 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,226 yards
Welcome to the prototype for all new golf courses in Scotland.
Golfing vanished from this rippling, windswept terrain for over 50 years.
Then, in July 2000, the game returned to roaring applause.
Kingsbarns Golf Links became an overnight sensation for its rugged beauty, natural layout and immaculate conditioning.
Fittingly, the second golden age of course architecture began in the same place as the first, mystical Fife.
Designer Kyle Phillips is one of several Americans to greatly influence this Scottish renaissance.
So, why does Kingsbarns deserve a spot on your Scotland golf trip itinerary?
Firstly, at every turn, you get a front-row seat to the immense North Sea.
Then you’ve got the equally breathtaking routing through crumpled fairways, menacing bunkers, hungry humps, bumpy hollows, and razor-tight greens.
Plus, Kingsbarns is a short drive from the Old Course and Carnoustie.
So close, in fact, the venues co-host the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
Est: 2001 | Par: 71 | Length: 6,601 yards
Why is East Lothian called Scotland’s Golf Coast?
Because it’s 40 miles of golden beaches, charming towns, lush landscapes – and the greatest concentration of championship links courses on earth.
Just a stone’s throw from elegant Edinburgh, East Lothian offers you the ultimate golf vacation.
In 2001, Craigielaw Golf Club joined iconic links like North Berwick and Gullane along the stunning shores of the Firth of Forth.
The delightful Donald Steel creation arrived hot on the heels of Kingsbarns, though it did receive the same fanfare.
But Craigielaw has never lacked for critical acclaim.
This picturesque modern Scottish links delivers an unforgettable challenge for every golfer, including those on their way to The Open.
Interestingly, dunes are in short supply.
Still, other intriguing obstacles abound across the lilting turf at Craigielaw.
Expect strategic bunkers, snaking burns, stone walls, sneaky rough, sloping fairways, slick greens, and spectacular seaside vistas.
Absolutely electrifying.
Est: 2004 | Par: 72 | Length: 6,942 yards
Now this is handy.
Your next round on this tour of the new golf courses in Scotland is a short, scenic drive from Craigielaw.
Like we said, East Lothian is jam-packed with world-class tracks.
Since opening in 2004, Fidra Links has become one of its most popular hotspots for travelling golfers and top-tier tournaments.
You’ll find this jaw-dropping hybrid layout on the idyllic Archerfield Estate, between Muirfield and North Berwick.
Interestingly, rows of gigantic pines define the early holes that meander through sheltered woodlands.
From the striking 4th, you see the uninhabited Fidra Island and lighthouse – thought to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel.
Then, from the 12th hole, you navigate pure, wind-blown linksland.
Just wait until you behold the Firth of Forth, Bass Rock and Yellowcraig Beach.
It’s this winning formula of quirky design, immaculate conditioning and dramatic scenery that makes Fidra Links such a joy.
Est: 2005 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,300 yards
From East to West Scotland.
Like Archerfield, Dundonald Links is a stay-and-play paradise that has hosted many Women’s Scottish Opens in the 21st century.
And like Kingsbarns, Dundonald bears the signature of Kyle Phillips.
Only now, you’re on the hallowed coast of Ayrshire, the picture-perfect Birthplace of The Open.
Dundonald shares this historic golfing heartland with Prestwick, Turnberry and Royal Troon (it’s also right beside Western Gailes).
Phillips crafted this modern masterpiece from the original layout designed by 1883 Open Championship winner Willie Fernie.
Notably, you don’t follow the ocean. But you do encounter abundant burns.
Furthermore, distinct from standard links, towering trees frame much of the course.
Yet Dundonald delivers a thrilling traditional test of blind tees, wrinkled fairways, cavernous bunkers, undulating greens, and erratic winds.
The intoxicating mix of par 3s and par 4s comes with glorious views across the Firth of Clyde and the Isle of Arran.
Est: 2008 | Par: 71 | Length: 6,749 yards
Welcome back to Fife.
Of all the new golf courses in Scotland, the latest addition to St Andrews had the toughest act to follow, in both quantity and quality.
Initially, after opening in 2008, The Castle Course divided opinion.
For starters, unlike its six elder siblings, the newcomer is not a natural links. Also, those infamous greens wrecked some early scorecards!
But this clifftop cracker was always destined to be a different beast.
Significantly, David McLay Kidd sculpted The Castle Course on flat farmland just beyond the ‘Auld Grey Toon’.
Somehow, he created a magnificent modern links that has become a favourite among visitors and critics.
Why?
It’s the soul-stirring vistas across St Andrews Bay.
It’s the rugged terrain, wild elevations and swirling gales.
And it’s the rollercoaster routing that veers inland, along the coast, and back again.
Not to mention abundant unforgettable holes, especially 6, 9, 17 and 18.
Est: 2009 | Par: 72 | Length: 7, 009 yards
For centuries, purists journeyed to the mystical Scottish Highlands for the fabled links courses at Royal Dornoch, Nairn and Brora.
To this day – in the most spectacular seclusion – these classics let you sample the game as it once was.
But even a timeless golfing paradise needs renewal.
Enter Castle Stuart Golf Links.
Mark Parsinen, the driving force behind Kingsbarns, unveiled his second Scottish project in 2009.
It received an equally rapturous reception.
Gil Hanse had designed a readymade championship links along the unspoiled Moray Firth.
Impressively, between 2011 and 2016, Castle Stuart staged four Scottish Opens.
You’re in for a treat (s) at Cabot Highlands.
Castle Stuart is an endlessly enjoyable round through quilted landscapes of vibrant gorse, heather and broom.
It’s a bounty of inspirational backdrops and fantastic features.
From generous fairways to natural bunkers, infinity greens, and ingenious mounding that keeps holes in mysterious isolation from each other.
Est: 2012 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,201 yards
When it comes to the golf regions of Scotland, Aberdeenshire ticks every box for the perfect trip.
Between rounds, you can uncover its countless coastal, cultural, culinary, and cosmopolitan delights.
Meanwhile, for golf, you’ve got top-class links courses from four different centuries.
You’ll find the two most recent arrivals to Aberdeenshire at the same five-star resort.
Quite simply, the Old Course at Trump International, Scotland, is a handsome brute.
Already, Martin Hawtree’s 2012 championship links has won prestigious awards, hosted major tournaments, and earned a spot among the world’s 50 best courses.
This is Scottish golf at its finest.
In a classic out-and-back pattern, the Old Course brings you between gargantuan dunes, into hidden valleys, and along the booming North Sea.
The sheer grandeur is surreal.
But the elevated tees, tumbling fairways, knee-deep bunkers, cavernous hollows, and lightning-quick greens are very much real.
An absolute joy, regardless of your handicap.
Est: 2017 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,203 yards
You’re never far from an icon on your Ayrshire golf holiday.
At Turnberry, the exalted Ailsa Course awaits you atop a jagged headland with scintillating views across the Atlantic Ocean.
So does her younger brother: King Robert the Bruce.
After remodelling the Ailsa, Martin Ebert returned to the lush, rolling estate to revamp the storied Kintyre Course.
Trump Turnberry crowned the reborn King Robert in 2017.
In 2024, the royal links debuted on the Golf Digest World’s 100 Greatest Courses.
Aesthetically, you can’t do much better than this exemplar of the new golf courses in Scotland.
Especially from holes 8 to 11, when the haunting Ailsa Craig and that legendary Turnberry lighthouse appear on the horizon.
But, like his noble namesake, the King Robert the Bruce Course is not just a pretty face.
Its billowing, gorse-lined fairways and deftly contoured greens (loaded with Ebert’s bunkers) test and thrill you throughout.
Est: 2020 | Par: 71 | Length: 6,421 yards
Round 3 in the cradle of the game.
This showstopping encore takes you into the rustic Balcarres Estate on the shores of Largo Bay.
Since 2020, Dumbarnie Links has become a must-play course for visitors to Fife.
You’ll love how it perfectly complements the nearby historic courses at Lundin and Crail.
Above all, Clive Clark’s award-winning design is great fun, though challenging enough to host the Women’s Scottish Open.
Prepare for a traditional out-and-back links packed with modern twists.
No consecutive holes follow the same direction at brain-teasing Dumbarnie.
Thankfully, both nines skim the breathtaking beachside frontage overlooking the Firth of Forth.
You’ve got lots of elevated tees to aim your drives – and camera.
The wide-open fairways won’t beat you up. Nevertheless, the eclectic bunkering and slick, two-tiered greens keep you honest.
For signature holes, look no further than the trio (3, 11 and 17) of short par 4s.
Est: 2025 | Par: 72 | Length: 7,589 yards
Could the sequel actually match the blockbuster original?
That was the question on everyone’s lips ahead of the summer 2025 premiere in Aberdeenshire.
And the answer was a resounding yes.
The New Course at Trump International gives you an excitingly different but equally dazzling championship links experience as its celebrated elder sibling.
Unquestionably, this world-class combination makes a compelling case for ‘The Greatest 36 Holes in Golf’ billing.
Let’s get back to the latest addition.
Trump International assembled an A-list team, including Martin Hawtree, to design the New Course.
Their collaboration produced a modern links masterpiece that features dashing duneland, heather-clad heathland, and lush wetlands.
With this diverse golfing terrain, you get staggering views of the North Sea and a fascinating variety of holes.
From the six with water in play to the seven-hole detour in the remarkable Southern Dome, it’s a relentless adventure that never stops surprising you.
Unmissable.
Est: 2026 | Par: 71 | Length: 7,075 yards
In 2022, Castle Stuart became Cabot Highlands.
Immediately, the new owners revealed plans for a second course at the pastoral resort on the outskirts of ancient Inverness.
Tom Doak, who had just presented the supreme St Patrick’s Links, would design Old Petty.
The last of your new golf courses in Scotland premiered on August 1, 2025.
Doak delivered, again.
Old Petty is an elegant, eccentric modern links course that enthrals you from start to finish.
First and foremost, Old Petty at Cabot Highlands is a routing masterclass.
Sure, it’s got the classic rough-and-ready look, but don’t expect a typical out-and-back layout.
Instead, the diverse holes pinball about this serene, picturesque property to every point on the compass.
The criss-crossing 1st and 18th set the tone.
From there, you play along a 400-year-old castle, Old Petty Church, a tidal estuary, and the Moray Firth on beautifully natural, free-flowing turf.
Non-stop entertainment.
Now you know where you can play.
Next, take a look at where you can stay on your bucket-list Scottish golf tour.
Have you been waiting for the perfect moment to get your dream golfing getaway underway?
That moment is now.
Start planning your ultimate golf trip to Scotland by booking a call with our expert Travel Planners.
Irish Golf Tours handles every detail for your group, including:
Tailored itineraries, tee times, luxury accommodations, private transportation, and local experiences.
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