There are many amazing golf courses in Scotland but the best aren’t necessarily the most famous. Golf enthusiast Alan Wilkinson, who has played many of the country’s top courses, gives you his three unsung heroes.
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Scotland is blessed with great golf courses. We have more of them per head of population than any other country in the world and many of them are among its finest. That’s not surprising when you consider the game started here. It’s a part of our heritage, as tightly woven into the national fabric as whisky and heroic sporting defeats.
Of course, we all know about venues such as St Andrews’ Old Course, The Centenary at Gleneagles, Carnoustie and Troon. We’ve seen the world’s best battle it out for The Open or go head-to-head in the Ryder Cup on them. Television networks have beamed these contests into our front rooms and made those layouts familiar sights.
But there’s so much more to golf in Scotland. Look beyond the tracks that host the biggest events and Scotland has so many other golfing gems. Courses that may not get the coverage of their illustrious compatriots but are every bit as fascinating, testing, enjoyable and spectacular.
But which ones really stand out?
Here I give you my top picks, starting with my favourite – a gorgeous track at Blairgowrie Golf Club.
Rosemount Golf Course
Nestled in the heart of Perthshire, Rosemount is one of two world-class courses at the Blairgowrie Golf Club. Augusta National’s architect Dr. Alister MacKenzie designed the course before it was extended by five-time Open Champion James Braid. It’s a charming layout that winds its way through pine, birch and heather, and is heaven for the golfing purist.
I was lucky enough to play Rosemount recently on a crisp Spring day, when the sun had chased the chill from the air. It was early season and the course was still to get into prime condition. But still it shone.
My friend Richard and I enjoyed 18 holes of the most enjoyable golf you’re likely to get anywhere in the world. From the first hole, which doglegs gently left through the silver trees, we were treated to a feast of testing par-fours and picturesque par-threes.
Our golf was mixed as we combined some excellent shots with the odd wayward drive and scuffed pitch – understandable so early in the season. But after a slightly up-and-down start, I managed to amass five birdies as I found inspiration in the stunning surroundings.
A place of natural beauty
And the surroundings at Blairgowrie Golf Club really are beautiful. Rolling moorland winds its way through woodland which offers shelter from the wind and is a haven for wildlife. At one point we acquired some unlikely spectators as a group of deer decided to follow our progress from the trees.
It’s hard to pick out a favourite hole at Rosemount. The second is a short and attractive par-four that leads straight through the trees to a slightly raised green. The long 10th doglegs attractively and the short 15th is a beauty of a par-three that plays into a cosy corner of the course with a loch to its right. But I’ll maybe go for the 17th, another lovely par-three that plays over a deep gully to a two-tiered green where you have to be sure of taking the right club if you want to avoid a three putt.
Highlight of the round for me was holing a curling 40-footer across the final green to finish with a three in front of the grand clubhouse (see main pic). We shook hands and marched off, knowing our trip to Blairgowrie Golf Club had taken us to one of Scotland’s best courses.
Boat of Garten
Boat of Garten is a jewel of the Highlands. It sits in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park and benefits from some of the finest scenery in Scotland.
Another James Braid design – he crops up a lot when you look at Scotland’s finest courses – Boat of Garten isn’t the longest track you’ll play. But it requires skill and imagination in abundance to score well here. The heather-lined fairways pitch and roll majestically, providing for some tricky stances. There are sharp changes in elevation on a number of holes and you’ll need to be accurate playing into the well-protected greens.
All throughout the round you’ll get spectacular views and clean Highland air.
Signature hole is the par-four sixth that doglegs right and is a classic risk-reward. Lay up and you’ll be left with a long shot into a sloping green. But cut the corner and you risk losing your ball amongst the lines of pine and birch.
If you’re venturing into the Highlands, try 18 holes at Boat of Garten. You won’t be sorry.
Crail Balcomie
No list of great Scottish courses would be complete without a links and this gem on the East Neuk of Fife fits the bill perfectly. Crail Balcomie is only 12 miles from St Andrews and was designed by the Grandfather of Golf, Old Tom Morris. It is one of two courses at the Crail Golfing Society – the seventh oldest club in the world. Fittingly, it contains many characteristics of old-style links golf, such as shared greens and railway sleepers in the bunker faces. Stone dykes border some holes and the crash of the waves accompanies your play.
The first few holes run along the spectacular shoreline with the North Sea waiting to engulf an errant shot. Each hole has its own charm. But the fourth is a particular beauty with its drive across the bay. You leave the shore behind and head inland through the middle of the round, before a return to the coast for the majestic finish.
At under 6,000 yards, it’s not long. But the clever design and ever-present wind mean it’s always a challenge.
While you’re out there, make sure you take some time to enjoy the views. This is golf the way nature intended.
If this has inspired you to take up playing golf, or return to the sport after an absence, then find out more about all the opportunities to play here with VisitScotland.