Spey Valley Golf Course

Dalfaber Village,

Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 1PN

  • Office

    +44 (0)1479 815 100
  • Pro shop

    +44 (0)1479 811 725
  • Golf pro

    David MacMullen (Director of Golf).

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Heathland course. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb (and two longish tee-to-green walks).

  • Surroundings:

    Woodland.

  • Designer:

    Dave Thomas

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Yards
7118
6653
5924
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
74
72
76

Location

Latitude:

57.200828

Longitude:

-3.810299

How to get there:

30 miles SE of Inverness

From the North (Inverness): leave the A9 Perth - Inverness road at the B9152 (Aviemore) exit. After 300 yds turn right direction Aviemore. After 1 mile, just as you enter Aviemore, turn left into Dalfaber Drive. After o.5 miles turn right into Golf Club.
From the South (Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth): leave the A9 at the B970 (Aviemore) exit. Follow the road through Aviemore. Just as you are leaving Aviemore turn right into Dalfaber Drive, direction Spey Valley GC. After o.5 miles turn right into Golf Club.

Spey Valley Golf Course

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 2006

Spey Valley Golf Course at Macdonald Aviemore Resort: Rare indeed for a golf course designer to be presented with such a pristine area of unspoilt natural beauty. Realising his good fortune, Dave Thomas set about designing Spey Valley with great enthusiasm and much respect for the natural environment. From a blank canvas he produced an outstanding golf course, which attractively complements the breathtaking Scottish Highland scenery.

The par-4 1st and 18th holes are not the most impressive in the layout, but these "bookends" get you to and from some glorious golf holes. At times tight and tree-lined (unmercifully so at the long par-4 12th), and at other times more forgiving and open in character, few courses can boast as much heather as you'll find here. The free-flowing and trout-filled River Spey flows alongside the early holes, before you turn into the wild splendour of open moorland and Caledonian pine forests.

The layout's copious bunkering is gently rounded, reflecting the smooth lines of the Grampian mountains that encircle the course. The greens, usually large and undulating, also seem to take their cue from the continually rolling terrain. There's only one significant water hazard to worry about, which comes dangerously into play alongside the par-4 15th and the exquisite long par-3 16th.

Spey Valley offers a great golfing opportunity from which to appreciate the glorious Scottish Highlands, with its mountains, moorland and rivers all playing their part. If you are able to catch this course on a sunny summer's day when the heather is in full bloom, then a very special Highland treat awaits.

Stay&Play at Spey Valley: luxury onsite accommodation available at the Macdonald Aviemore Resort; see Where2Stay section below.

List of courses: Scotland - North

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Must book in advance. Handicap required.

Green fees

Visitor fee, 18-holes in high season (May thru' Oct): weekdays £100; weekends £120.

Contact club for full details, discounts, Stay&Play packages, etc. [Last updated: 2023].

Other information

Players generally walk this course. Golf carts (buggies) available for hire. Caddies available if requested in advance.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

Spey Valley is just outside the Scottish Highland resort of Aviemore, one of Scotland's most popular outdoor activity centres. The area is a magnet for walkers, climbers, skiers, anglers, kayakers, bird-watchers and nature lovers. With Boat of Garten and Kingussie golf clubs also close-by, the number of visiting golfers also looks set to rise, especially with Spey Valley now established alongside the existing brace of Highland courses.

Published ranking

Scotland's 58th best course (Golf World, 2022).
Britain & Ireland's 196th best course (Golf World, 2022).

Where2Stay

  • Macdonald Aviemore Resort3&4-star

    Aviemore, Inverness-shire PH22 1PN

    +44 (0)1479 815 100

    Visit website

    Macdonald Aviemore Resort comprises a selection of self-catering accommodation, and four 4-star hotels in the centre of Aviemore itself: Highlands Hotel, Morlich Hotel, Aviemore Hotel and the Woodland Lodges. These offer a range of accommodation types, with the Woodland Lodges set amidst an ancient Caledonian pine forest, providing a real home from home experience.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Spey Valley; Boat of Garten.

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Kingussie

  • Mansfield Castle Hotel4-star

    Scotsburn Road, Tain, Ross-shire IV19 1PR

    +44 (0)1862 892 051

    Visit website

    Mansfield Castle is an imposing Victorian building set in 3.5 acres of picturesque countryside, with award winning cuisine and magnificent oak panelling throughout.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 5 miles:

      Tain

    • Golf within 20 miles:

      Royal Dornoch; Brora (22 miles).

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

WINSTONgolf - Links course

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)