Ranked · 10 courses · updated 2026

The Best Golf Courses in Scotland

Q: Can you play the great Scottish links as a visitor?

Yes. The Old Course is played by public ballot or advance booking, Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and North Berwick openly welcome visitors, and Muirfield, Turnberry and Royal Troon take golfers on set days by arrangement. A handicap certificate is sometimes required. Always confirm access directly before booking.

Scotland is where the game was born, and it still holds the deepest concentration of great links on earth. From the home of golf at St Andrews to the far north at Dornoch and the championship coasts of Ayrshire and Angus, here are the ten we rate most highly, ranked, with our verdict on each and how to play it.

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By the GolfForKings editorial desk · How we rank · Last reviewed June 2026

Photograph: Old Course, Richard Grobben, via Google

How we chose them

No country sets a harder task for a top ten than Scotland, because the depth of links golf here is unmatched anywhere in the world. We weighed design quality and natural drama, championship pedigree, conditioning and the sheer pleasure of the round, and we leaned toward courses a travelling golfer can realistically arrange to play, which is most of them, since Scotland's greatest links are famously welcoming to visitors. The result spans the entire country, from the medieval town of St Andrews to the remote splendour of the Highlands, and from the Open rota of the west coast to the quirky genius of East Lothian.

Every fact here, from designers and founding history to host events, was checked at the time of writing. The verdicts are ours, and the ranking reflects our editors' view rather than any single published list; reasonable people will reorder the top five, and a strong case exists for several courses just outside this ten, among them Royal Aberdeen, Nairn, Western Gailes and Trump International Scotland. If you want any of these built into a costed trip, that is exactly what our concierge does.

The ranking

The Old Course, St Andrews

Shaped over centuries · Fife · Open venue

The home of golf and the most famous course in the world, a links shaped by nature and centuries of play rather than any single architect, with Old Tom Morris among those who refined it. Its wide shared fairways, vast double greens, hidden pot bunkers and the iconic Swilcan Bridge and Road Hole are the templates the whole game grew from. It has hosted the Open more than any other course, and a round here is a pilgrimage every golfer should make. Played by public ballot or advance booking through the St Andrews Links Trust.

Plan a St Andrews trip

Muirfield

Old Tom Morris, H.S. Colt redesign 1925 · East Lothian · Open venue

Home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest golf club in the world, and for many the fairest and most complete links in Scotland. Laid out originally by Old Tom Morris and reshaped by Harry Colt in 1925 into its distinctive two concentric loops, it gives no blind shots and constantly changes the wind direction. A regular Open venue that has crowned Nicklaus, Faldo and Mickelson, it takes visitors on set days and rewards strategy above all.

Plan an East Lothian trip

Royal Dornoch, Championship

Old Tom Morris · Sutherland · Highlands links

A links of rare beauty marooned in the far north Highlands, with greens laid out by Old Tom Morris perched on natural plateaus above the Dornoch Firth. The remoteness only adds to the magic, and the run of holes along the shore, framed by gorse that blazes yellow in early summer, is among the finest stretches in golf. Tom Watson called it the most fun he ever had on a course. Well worth the drive, and welcoming to visitors who plan ahead.

Plan a Highlands links trip

Turnberry, Ailsa

Ayrshire · Martin Ebert redesign 2016 · Open venue

The most scenic of the Open links, strung along the Ayrshire coast beneath its lighthouse with the great rock of Ailsa Craig offshore. The Ailsa staged the 1977 Duel in the Sun between Watson and Nicklaus and three further Opens, and a Martin Ebert redesign completed in 2016 added spectacular new clifftop holes around the lighthouse. Dramatic, exposed and unforgettable, with a grand hotel above the course. Visitor tee times are available by arrangement through the resort.

Plan an Ayrshire links trip

Carnoustie, Championship

James Braid · Angus · Open venue

The toughest of the Open links and a brutal, honest examination, laid out in its present form with the help of James Braid and famous for a closing stretch that can wreck a card. The Barry Burn snakes through the 17th and 18th, the holes that undid Jean van de Velde in 1999, and into the wind there is nowhere to hide. Carnoustie hides little and forgives less, which is exactly why the connoisseurs love it. A public links that welcomes visitors.

Plan a Carnoustie trip

Kingsbarns

Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen, 2000 · Fife

The modern links that proved a great seaside course could still be built, a Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen design opened in 2000 on tumbling ground beside the North Sea a few miles from St Andrews. Every hole sees the water, the contours look ancient rather than new, and the closing holes along the shore are pure theatre. A co host of the Dunhill Links, it is one of the most enjoyable rounds in the country and openly accessible to visitors.

Plan a Fife links trip

Royal Troon, Old

Ayrshire · Open venue · the Postage Stamp

A classic out and back Ayrshire links and a regular on the Open rota, home to the Postage Stamp, the tiny par 3 eighth that is one of the most famous short holes in golf. The front nine runs gently out along the shore and the back nine fights its way home into the prevailing wind, a true links examination that has crowned champions from Arnold Palmer to Henrik Stenson. A members club that takes visitors on set days by arrangement.

Plan an Ayrshire links trip

North Berwick, West Links

East Lothian · founded 1832 · classic links

One of the oldest and most idiosyncratic links still played over its original ground, a joyous, quirky course in East Lothian whose template holes have been copied the world over, none more than the Redan 15th. Stone walls, blind shots, a green you play over a wall to reach and constant sea views make it the most fun round in Scotland for many. History, character and charm in equal measure, and warmly welcoming to visiting golfers.

Plan an East Lothian trip

Cruden Bay

Old Tom Morris 1899, Tom Simpson redesign · Aberdeenshire

A cult favourite among links connoisseurs, laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1899 and reworked by Tom Simpson, set among huge dunes on the Aberdeenshire coast north of Aberdeen. Blind shots, towering sandhills and wildly natural greens make it one of the most charismatic and quirky links in the country, a course you play for the sheer adventure of it. Off the beaten track but unforgettable, and accessible to visitors who book ahead.

Plan an Aberdeenshire trip

Gleneagles, King's Course

James Braid, 1919 · Perthshire · moorland

The finest inland course in Scotland and a change of pace from the links, James Braid's 1919 moorland masterpiece rolling across the heather and purple hills of Perthshire. Springy turf, mountain views and a wonderful set of holes make it a joy to walk, and the grand resort hotel, which hosted the 2014 Ryder Cup on its neighbouring course, sets the standard for Scottish golf luxury. Openly available to resort guests and visitors.

Plan a Gleneagles trip

Designers, founding years and host events verified June 2026. Most of these courses welcome visitors who book ahead, though some take golfers only on set days. Course profiles are added across the site as the directory grows. Always confirm visitor access and fees directly before booking. Check tee time availability.

Play the best of Scotland

Tell us which of these are on your list and roughly when. One concierge arranges the tee times, the ballots and the base and costs the trip to the head, with no obligation.

Scotland golf questions

What is the best golf course in Scotland?

The Old Course at St Andrews, the home of golf, is the spiritual number one, while Muirfield in East Lothian is for many the finest and fairest links in the country. Royal Dornoch in the far north Highlands completes the trio at the top, and reasonable people reorder these three depending on what they value most.

Can you play the great Scottish links as a visitor?

Yes, and that is part of what makes Scotland special. The Old Course is played by public ballot or advance booking, Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and North Berwick openly welcome visitors, and Muirfield, Turnberry and Royal Troon take golfers on set days by arrangement. A handicap certificate is sometimes required. Always confirm access directly before booking.

Where is the best golf in Scotland?

Several regions stand out: the St Andrews and Fife coast, the Open links of Ayrshire on the west, the classic links of East Lothian near Edinburgh, and the remote Highlands around Dornoch. A classic Scottish golf trip pairs St Andrews with one other cluster, or makes a grand tour linking several.

When is the best time to play golf in Scotland?

May to September offers the warmest, driest weather and the longest days, with the far north enjoying daylight until late evening in midsummer. Spring and early autumn give firmer links conditions, better value and quieter tee sheets. The weather is changeable year round, so pack for wind and rain whatever the month.

The Tee Sheet

Open venue news, links course restorations and the St Andrews ballot and booking windows that matter. Every other week.

Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course designers, founding years and host events verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.