The Best Golf Courses in the Isle of Arran
Scotland in miniature, they call it, and the golf agrees: seven courses ring this one island in the Firth of Clyde, from a world famous 12 hole links with blind shots over cliffs to village nine holers beneath granite peaks, and a single pass plays the lot for around 140 pounds. We have ranked all seven, with our verdicts.
Photograph: Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club, via Google
How we chose
Arran has exactly seven courses, so unlike our usual lists nothing was left out; instead we ranked the whole island. We weighed the quality and character of the golf, the setting, which on Arran is never less than gorgeous, and the experience of arriving as a stranger, which at these community clubs is unfailingly warm. None of this is championship golf and none of it pretends to be: the courses are short, the greens fees are tiny, honesty boxes still exist, and the views, across the Kilbrannan Sound to Kintyre or up to the granite ridges of Goatfell, do half the work.
The one entry that belongs on any golfer's life list is Shiskine, the 12 hole links at Blackwaterfoot that connoisseurs cross oceans for. Around it, the island stacks three hilly 18s, two charming nines and a par 3 course among the most scenic in Britain. The Arran Golf Pass covers a round on all seven for around 140 pounds, the ferry from Ardrossan takes under an hour, and the island pairs naturally with the Ayrshire coast, Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry, just across the water. As a golf trip, it is pure joy per pound.
The 7 golf courses of Arran, ranked
Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club
One of the wonders of world golf. Twelve holes of seaside links beneath the cliffs at Blackwaterfoot, founded in 1896, just 2,996 yards, and unforgettable: blind shots called off by signal discs, holes named Crows Nest and Himalayas, burns, cliffs and views across the water to the Mull of Kintyre. A 12 hole round costs around 40 pounds, and people fly from other continents to pay it. The reason a golfer comes to Arran. Welcomes visitors.
Brodick Golf Club
The island's main 18, founded in 1897 on the flat ground beside Brodick Bay, five minutes from the ferry. At 4,332 yards and par 65 it is short, but the seaside turf, the burn and the constant presence of Goatfell, Arran's highest peak, across the bay make it a delight, and it is the natural first round after stepping off the boat. Precision beats power here. Welcomes visitors.
Lamlash Golf Club
On the hillside above Lamlash Bay, this is the island's view round: the panorama takes in Holy Isle below, the Clyde estuary and, on a clear day, the Ayrshire coast where Troon and Turnberry lie. The undulating course mixes long par 3s and tricky par 4s that punish a crooked drive, and the walk itself justifies the green fee. Welcomes visitors.
Whiting Bay Golf Club
A community club established in 1895 on the heights above Whiting Bay village in the island's southeast, overlooking the Firth of Clyde and Holy Isle. Short on the card and steep underfoot, it demands accuracy and rewards it with sea views from nearly every hole. Friendly, year round golf at small island prices. Welcomes visitors.
Machrie Bay Golf Club
Nine flat, breezy holes on the raised beach of the west coast at Machrie, with the Kilbrannan Sound beside you and Kintyre on the horizon. Gentle, walkable and family friendly, it is the easiest golf on the island and a lovely warm up or wind down for a Shiskine day a few minutes down the road. The Arran Golf Pass includes two rounds here. Welcomes visitors.
Corrie Golf Club
Founded in 1892 at the foot of Glen Sannox in the island's mountainous northeast, Corrie is nine holes in as dramatic a setting as any short course in Scotland, granite ridges above, the sea below and a tiny clubhouse in between. The golf is simple and the surroundings are anything but. The pass includes two rounds. Welcomes visitors.
Lochranza Golf Course
An 11 hole par 3 course laid out around the Chalmadale Burn at Lochranza in the island's quiet north, beside the castle ruin and the Isle of Arran distillery. Red deer wander the fairways most evenings. It is golf at its most relaxed, perfect for mixed groups and beginners, and the right way to end an island circuit before the Claonaig ferry. Welcomes visitors.
Founding years, hole counts and yardages verified June 2026 from club and island tourism sources; the Arran Golf Pass has been around 140 pounds covering all seven courses, and fees and terms change, so always confirm current rates directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Plan your Isle of Arran golf trip
An island week with the golf pass, or Arran folded into an Ayrshire links tour with Troon, Prestwick and Turnberry across the water. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge books the ferries, the stays and the tee times, costed to the head with no obligation.
Isle of Arran golf questions
What is the best golf course on the Isle of Arran?
Shiskine Golf and Tennis Club at Blackwaterfoot, by a distance. Founded in 1896 on the island's west coast, its 12 hole seaside links of 2,996 yards is one of the most loved curiosities in world golf, with blind shots, holes named Crows Nest and Himalayas, and views across the Kilbrannan Sound to the Mull of Kintyre. Golfers travel from around the world to play it, and a 12 hole round costs around 40 pounds.
How many golf courses are on the Isle of Arran?
Seven. Arran has three 18 hole courses, at Brodick, Lamlash and Whiting Bay, two 9 hole courses at Machrie Bay and Corrie, the 11 hole par 3 course at Lochranza, and the famous 12 holes at Shiskine. Every one is a friendly, welcoming club with sea or mountain views, and the whole set can be played on one island golf pass.
What is the Arran Golf Pass and how much does it cost?
The Arran Golf Pass is a single ticket that covers a round on all seven of the island's courses, including two 9 hole rounds at both Machrie Bay and Corrie, for around 140 pounds, valid for 12 months. For golfers it is one of the best value tickets in Scotland, seven rounds of sea view golf for less than half of one round at the famous Ayrshire links across the water. Always confirm the current price and terms before booking.
How do you get to the Isle of Arran for golf?
The main ferry sails from Ardrossan on the Ayrshire coast to Brodick in under an hour, with Ardrossan about 45 minutes by road or rail from Glasgow. A second seasonal ferry links Lochranza in the north to Claonaig in Kintyre. Cars are worth bringing for a golf trip, since the seven courses are spread around the island's coastal road, and many groups pair Arran with the Ayrshire links for a week.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Founding years, hole counts and indicative fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.