You Need to Play These Scottish Links Golf Courses

Scotland, the spiritual Home of Golf, is synonymous with the ancient form of the game on the seaside, but the reality is that links courses are in the minority. That arguably makes them even more special for anyone to experience.

Names like St Andrews, Carnoustie and Troon roll off the tongue, but there is far more to golf in Caledonia than those revered venues that have hosted The Open Championship, the sport's oldest major.

We have studied the Golfshake Top 100 (based on reviews submitted by everyday golfers) to pick out 25 hotbeds of links golf that haven't crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year with the iconic Claret Jug.

Here you will find modern masterpieces alongside proven classics and lesser-known jewels, covering each corner of the nation, with a variety of green fees showcased too, underlining that there are some bargains out there to be grabbed if you know where and when to find them. 

If playing links golf in Scotland is an ambition for this season and beyond - then you should start with these!

Castle Stuart Golf Links (Cabot Highlands)

Location: Highlands

Golfshake Rating: 5.00

Green Fees: From £110 to £295

Review Comment: "Top five favourite course. Excellent practice facilities. Amazing views. Course excellent condition. Layout is amazing, you feel like you are the only ones on the course."

Nairn Golf Club

Location: Highlands

Golfshake Rating: 5.00

Green Fees: From £50 to £230

Review Comment: "This course was a revelation. An absolutely fantastic golf course this would be one of my all time favourite courses ever. The welcome of everyone at this club was superb, we were treated brilliantly by pro, bar staff, waiting staff and starter. Cannot recommend this gem of a links course more highly. Some truly memorable holes that I will talk about for a long time."

Luffness New Golf Club

Location: East Lothian

Golfshake Rating: 4.94

Green Fees: From £110 to £185

Review Comment: "Beautiful links course. Course very dry and fiery playing like a true links. Greens in superb condition. Very friendly welcome from the staff and excellent food."

Kingsbarns Golf Links

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.96

Green Fees: From £352 to £418

Review Comment: "The quality of the course is exceptional, the design is stunning, and the playing experience is excellent both on and off the course. The layout, challenge, and tee time spacing are all superb, and the views are incredible. It's no wonder this course is considered one of the top three in Scotland."

Dumbarnie Links

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.96

Green Fees: From £110 to £299

Review Comment: "Dumbarnie quite simply ranks up there with the best and certainly shows what you can do if you have the right location and the right amount of money to build and develop a new course. The design, layout, conditions, views and venue are first class and you are unlikely to be disappointed if you play here."

North Berwick Golf Club

Location: East Lothian

Golfshake Rating: 4.95

Green Fees: From £185 to £285

Review Comment: "Amazing setting, friendly welcome, course in great condition, superb mix of holes, great views and holes the likes you've probably not experienced before. Can't say enough about how good the overall experience is. We were lucky, sunny day with very little wind, so definitely in my top five courses played. Superb."

Western Gailes Golf Club

Location: Ayrshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.95

Green Fees: From £80 to £245

Review Comment: "Absolutely outstanding and a first class test of links golf. Superlatives can't really describe how good this course is and well laid out the holes are along the Ayrshire coastline. Must play, would visit again and happy memories for a long time."

Dundonald Links

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.94

Green Fees: From £65 to £250

Review Comment: "Couldn't fault a thing. Warm welcome upon arrival from the young ladies in the bar area, they even passed nice comments on the colour of our society tops. The starter was very pleasant, taking time to explain to all snippets of info. The course itself lives up to its reputation, excellent condition from tee to green. Even if your round is not the best, just admire the views."

Dunbar Golf Club

Location: East Lothian

Golfshake Rating: 4.93

Green Fees: From £100 to £170

Review Comment: "Always presented in tip-top condition. Try to play this course at least three times per year. Staff and members are always most welcoming."

The Golf House Club, Elie

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.93

Green Fees: From £60 to £170

Review Comment: "Visually spectacular, the setting is breathtaking, and the holes are packed with character and intrigue. They don't make courses like this any more, because they simply can't be manufactured. Places like Elie are forged from the landscape and ooze soul."

Brora Golf Club

Location: Highlands

Golfshake Rating: 4.93

Green Fees: From £50 to £140

Review Comment: "Terrific links course with great holes and great views. I was lucky with the weather, but can imagine how tough it must be when the wind really blows. The staff were very welcoming too. For those visiting Royal Dornoch just down the road, Brora is well worth playing if time allows."

Murcar Links Golf Club

Location: Aberdeenshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.92

Green Fees: From £150 to £170

Review Comment: "Murcar Links is just a true links golf course. Dunes, heather, gorse, hard burnt fairways, pot bunkers to collect your ball, and fantastic greens to putt on. What else can you ask for, nothing other than to take your A game. This is a toughie, fair but tough. Lots of challenges, a must for any links enthusiast."

Machrihanish Golf Club

Location: Argyll & Bute

Golfshake Rating: 4.91

Green Fees: From £50 to £120

Review Comment: "It's a pain to get to but Machrihanish Golf Club, along with Machrihanish Dunes around the corner, are well worth the trip. True bucket list courses."

Gullane Golf Club (No. 1, 2 & 3)

Location: East Lothian

Golfshake Rating: 4.92

Green Fees: From £40 to £275

Review Comment: "Simply brilliant. Keep coming back here and I never get bored. Its a lovely course, views are amazing and the greens are sublime!"

Royal Dornoch Golf Club

Location: Highlands

Golfshake Rating: 4.90

Green Fees: From £155 to £280

Review Comment: "Course in beautiful condition set up for all players to enjoy. As some holes are very long par 4s these are a real challenge for the average golfer. Great fun to play this iconic course in perfect conditions."

Royal Aberdeen Golf Club

Location: Aberdeenshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.90

Green Fees: From £109 to £245

Review Comment: "An incredible course with the first nine in amazing dunes and the back nine into the wind on a plateau. Simply a must play."

Panmure Golf Club

Location: Angus

Golfshake Rating: 4.89

Green Fees: From £95 to £160

Review Comment: "A course just down the road from Carnoustie from where we could hear the roars of the crowds at The Open when we played our round. Excellent driving range to warm up and superb old style clubhouse to enjoy after your round. The place is full of history. The course itself is a must play. True links style, it will test every part of your game. Staying on the fairways is a must to avoid big scores. The bunkers are penal and the greens fast. Every hole is different and requires a careful strategy. Super course that I would love to play again."

Moray Golf Club (Old & New)

Location: Highlands

Golfshake Rating: 4.89

Green Fees: From £20 to £130

Review Comment: "Moray New, probably not your first choice if playing Moray, but what an interesting, difficult little track. With the wind blowing, mostly against, then across, this course will test all your shot making abilities. Old style links, very fast greens, worth a play."

Cruden Bay Golf Club

Location: Aberdeenshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.88

Green Fees: From £115 to £190

Review Comment: "The staff were welcoming and friendly. Though what makes this place special is the fabulous course, both challenging and beautiful. Old Tom Morris has built a masterpiece; no two holes the same, just enough heavy rough and gorse to help keep you focused on those well laid out fairways."

The Machrie Golf Links

Location: Isle of Islay

Golfshake Rating: 4.86

Green Fees: From £65 to £180

Review Comment: "Fantastic. The Machrie Links is a must visit for anyone who loves links golf. Traditional links, modernised to perfection."

Gailes Links Golf Course

Location: Ayrshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.83

Green Fees: From £75 to £145

Review Comment: "Brilliant course in the golfing heaven of South Ayrshire. The professional, Nick, was brilliant, he even remembered us from our visit 12 months earlier. After a fairly short par 4 to open, the course grabs your attention from the 2nd onwards, with its tricky greens and some very well placed, and hidden, bunkers. Don't recall a weak hole. Well worth a visit."

Fraserburgh Golf Club

Location: Aberdeenshire

Golfshake Rating: 4.83

Green Fees: From £120

Review Comment: "What a fabulous course. I have visited Fraserburgh Golf Club several times. I had American guests there today. They were blown away by the layout of this fantastic links golf course. The highest praise was heaped upon this traditional links. They had just played St Andrews and Dumbarnie, but rated this course higher. Just play here, that’s it."

Lundin Golf Club

Location: Fife

Golfshake Rating: 4.64

Green Fees: From £60 to £150

Review Comment: "Again I loved this course, plenty of shots over mounds and slightly blind but that's links golf for you, cracking views from most parts of the course. Greens were slick, and the pro very friendly, food early doors was not an issue even though we had not pre-booked as a group, and was very tasty. We shall return."

Southerness Golf Club

Location: Dumfries & Galloway

Golfshake Rating: 4.75

Green Fees: From £55 to £100

Review Comment: "I played Southerness in early December having wanted to play the course for years but just not having the chance. It didn't disappoint with excellent routing and outstanding condition for the time of year. Some fabulous holes (13th was a particular favourite). Will definitely return in the summer."

Kilspindie Golf Club

Location: East Lothian

Golfshake Rating: 4.55

Green Fees: From £75 to £100

Review Comment: "A short course among the big clubs on Scotland's Golf Coast. Always in great condition. Greens are always fabulous. Better than the Gullane courses. Fabulous views. Great food. Extremely friendly staff, pro and members."

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