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Golf in the Highlands
UK
golf breaks are up there with some of the best in the world and
venturing north to play golf
in Scotland is a great pleasure for any player. Driving past
legendary courses like St Andrews Old Course and Gleneagles Kings
sets the tone for a tour of this great golfing nation, where a number
of the finest courses can be found further north, in the Highlands
region.
While autumn and winter’s weather in
the Highlands isn’t always conducive to a pleasant round, the
courses remain a delight to behold, even in inclement conditions.
Here are five Highlands golf courses
that will give golfers of all abilities a wonderful taste of what
this historic golfing heartland has to offer.
Aviemore Spey Valley Golf
Course
With the snow-capped Cairngorm Mountains in the
distance and the river Spey rushing by, the Aviemore Spey Valley golf
course offers an experience like no other in the world. With 18 holes
spread across 7,200 yards of lush, green, Scottish heathland, Spey
Valley’s course is packed with challenges for even the most
seasoned pros. The course’s design, which came courtesy of golf
mastermind Dave Thomas, includes one of Scotland’s longest par
fives, at 641 yards from the back tees. Having only opened in 2006,
Spey Valley remains a relatively new course but players are quickly
spreading its stellar reputation across the world.
Royal Dornoch Championship
Course
Just short of 50 miles north of Inverness lies the
esteemed Royal Dornoch Golf Club, where the game has been enjoyed for
almost 400 years. The club itself came into existence in the
late-19th century, but golf had been enjoyed on the lush
grassy expanses of Dornoch for many, many years prior to that. The
club’s Championship Course has played host to the Northern Open,
the Scottish Ladies and the Scottish Professional Championships over
the years, and while Dornoch is situated too remotely to attract
national championships and PGA tours, this is perhaps its definitive
asset as it provides players with a wonderfully secluded golfing
escape.
Loch Ness New Golf Course
Play
golf at one of Scotland’s most famous locations – and take
advantage of the chance to do a bit of monster spotting while you’re
at it! The course at Fairways Castle Heather, near Inverness, offers
panoramic views over the Moray Firth and the Black Isle while you
tackle some taxing par fives and some surprises along the way, such
as the deep gully on the 12th with a burn at the bottom.
After your adventure on the fairways, you can retire to the club’s
very well-equipped 60-seater restaurant, lounge and sports bar.
Castle Stuart Golf Links
Castle
Stuart claims to be to the Highlands what Gleneagles is to Perthshire
– a true home of golf, whose quality can compete with any course in
the world. The course was designed by Mark Parsinen, whose expertise
successfully turned a collection of wild farmlands into a
breathtaking course with superb views, elegant fairways and pristine
greens. No tour of the Highlands is complete without a round at
Castle Stuart.
Fortrose & Rosemarkie
The
intelligent course designs of James Braid have put Fortrose &
Rosemarkie Golf Club firmly on the Highlands golfing map, offering
players a splendid round of golf, packed with character and unique
features. The mountains watch over players on the course, who in turn
can watch blue-nosed dolphins playing in the Moray Firth during a
round of tight fairways and fast greens. The atmosphere on the course
is undeniably Scottish, peaking around the lighthouse at the 4th,
where you really get the feeling you couldn’t be anywhere else but
the Highlands.
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