Best golf courses: Scotland - North

Scotland - North: the table below provides brief details about the top golf courses in this country or region. Each golf club has been visited and/or researched by Where2Golf. Click on the course name below to discover more. The course ratings below range from 5 highest, to 2 lowest. They attempt to provide an indication of the golfing experience you might expect at the course (based on its design, condition and surroundings). Hover your cursor above the Rating Key for the rating definitions.
4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
(Closed in 2019)
Dundee
Steel, Donald

Visitors?

(Closed in 2019)

Nearest city

Dundee

Designer

Donald Steel & GK Smith

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Restricted access
Inverness
Steel, Donald

Visitors?

Restricted access

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Donald Steel (a coincidence that Andrew Carnegie made his fortune in steel!).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Sayers, Ben

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Original design by Ben Sayers (1907). Renovation by Mike Clayton, Mike DeVries and Frank Pont (of CDP Golf Design) (2024).

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Fort William
Salvesen, Johnny

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Fort William

Designer

Johnny Salvesen designed the current course in 1993 with input from Jimmy MacDonald (head-greenkeeper at Royal Lytham at the time). They significantly revamped what had originally been a private course, played on since around 1900.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Fernie & Hutchison

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Original course designed by Willie Fernie (1908); modified by Major Cecil K. Hutchison (early-1920s).

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Dundee
Morris, Old Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundee

Designer

Original layout by Old Tom Morris of St Andrews (1871); later alterations by James Braid (1926) ... 13 of today's holes and greens are in much the same location as in Morris's original 1871 layout.

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Parsinen & Hanse

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Mark Parsinen & Gil Hanse

5-PLUS: In the world’s elite - has few peers; one of our top-rated 5s!
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Morris, Old Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Extension from original 9-holes to 18 designed by Old Tom Morris (1886). Later improvements made by John Sutherland, Donald Ross (born in Dornoch) and JH Taylor.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

James Braid

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Tarbert
Local golfers

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tarbert

Designer

Laid out by local golfers.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Vardon, Harry

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Harry Vardon

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Original design by Dr Alister MacKenzie; substantially revised by James Braid.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Tarbert
Morris, Old Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tarbert

Designer

Original design by Old Tom Morris (1891), refurbished by Gordon Irvine & Martin Ebert (2006-08).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Dundee
Park Jr, Willie

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundee

Designer

Much of the current layout is credited to Willie Park Jr (1903).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Morris, Old Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Old Tom Morris

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

James Braid designed the current layout in 1932. Golf was probably played on the Chanonry Peninsula from at least 1700 onward, and a club formed in 1793.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Dundee
Simpson & Braid

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundee

Designer

Original design by Bob Simpson (1895); redesigned by James Braid (1933/34), and upgraded by Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert (2015).

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Designed by James Braid, assisted by Cecil K. Hutchison (1919).

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Morris, Old Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Original layout by Old Tom Morris. Later modifications made by James Braid, Tom Simpson and Ben Sayers (1920).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

James Braid

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Jack Nicklaus

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Morris, Old Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Old Tom Morris

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Thomas, Dave

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Dave Thomas

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Designed by James Braid, assisted by Cecil K. Hutchison (1919).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Park & Braid

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Original 9-hole course laid out by A.C. Brown (1890); extended to 18-holes by Willie Park Jr (1911) and modified by James Braid (1921).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Robertson, Peter

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Current course designed by Scottish course architect Peter Robertson (1936).

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Dundee
Park Jr, Willie

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Dundee

Designer

Much of the current Montrose Links layout is credited to Willie Park Jr (1903).

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Thomas & Alliss

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Dave Thomas & Peter Alliss

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

James Braid

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Perth
Braid, James

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Perth

Designer

Original design by James Braid. Extension and alterations designed by John Stark (1980).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Inverness
Macpherson, John

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

Originally a 9-hole layout, extended to 18-holes in 1924 by its long-serving greenkeeper John Macpherson.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Wkends restrictd
Inverness
Smith, Fraser & Braid

Visitors?

Wkends restrictd

Nearest city

Inverness

Designer

George Smith and J J Fraser with alterations made by James Braid.

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