The Best Golf for a Buddies Trip in Scotland
A buddies trip to the home of golf needs the right mix: a bucket list round everyone has dreamed of, a course that has the whole group laughing, and a finish tough enough to settle the bets. These are the seven Scottish links we would build a guys' trip around, with the access notes that matter.
Photo: The Old Course, St Andrews via Google.
How we chose
A buddies trip is judged differently from a bucket list of the world's hardest courses. We weighed three things: how memorable the round is for a group, how readily a group of visitors can actually get on, and how well the course sits within a cluster you can play in a few days without long transfers. A great guys' trip is a run of brilliant, accessible links with good craic and a pub at the end of each round, not a week of impossible ballots.
So we favour the courses that welcome visitors and reward a fourball: the home of golf itself, the most fun links in the country, the genuine championship test to brag about, and a couple of cult favourites worth the drive. Where access is tricky, we say so and tell you how to handle it. Green fees and access were verified at the time of writing; always confirm directly before booking, as both change.
Reviewed June 2026 by the GolfForKings editorial desk. How we research and rank.
The ranking
1. St Andrews Old Course
The round the whole group has dreamed about. Six centuries of golf, the double greens, the Swilcan Bridge and the Road Hole make the Old Course the centrepiece of any Scottish buddies trip, and the town behind the 18th is built for an evening out. Most visitors get on through the daily ballot or by booking an advance time, with the 2026 visitor green fee around 295 pounds. International groups can enter the ballot and pay full fee, but a guaranteed time is the safe play. Tick it off, then play the rest of the trip relaxed.
2. North Berwick West Links
The most fun you can have on a golf course in Scotland. North Berwick is a quirky, original links of stone walls, blind shots, burns and the famous Redan 15th that designers have copied the world over. It is endlessly entertaining for a group, walkable into a lovely seaside town, and sits at the heart of East Lothian's golf coast next to Gullane and Muirfield. If one round defines a great buddies trip, it is this.
3. Carnoustie Championship
The test to brag about. Carnoustie, often called the toughest of the Open rota, has one of the hardest finishing stretches in golf, the burn and out of bounds on the 18th having broken many a card. It is long, exposed and unforgiving, exactly the round a competitive fourball wants for the big match. A short hop from St Andrews, it slots naturally into a Fife and Angus week.
4. Kingsbarns Golf Links
The modern jaw dropper. Kyle Phillips built Kingsbarns in 2000 on a stretch of coast just south of St Andrews, and almost every hole touches the sea. It is a generous, spectacular, hugely enjoyable round that plays as a worthy partner to the Old Course, and a Dunhill Links host. Pricey but unforgettable, and an easy add to a St Andrews base.
5. Prestwick Golf Club
Pure golfing history with a sense of humour. Prestwick hosted the first Open in 1860 and is a wonderfully quirky museum of links golf, all blind shots, sleepered bunkers like the Cardinal, and the Alps. Groups love it for the storytelling and the old world clubhouse, and it anchors an Ayrshire leg alongside Royal Troon and Turnberry. See our Ayrshire golf guide to build that cluster.
6. Cruden Bay Golf Club
The cult favourite. Tom Simpson's Cruden Bay, north of Aberdeen, is a rollercoaster of towering dunes, blind shots and quirky charm that links purists adore, and it rarely disappoints a group looking for something off the obvious trail. Pair it with Royal Aberdeen and Trump International for a strong, less crowded northeast leg.
7. Royal Dornoch Golf Club
The great northern pilgrimage. Consistently rated among the best courses in the world, Royal Dornoch lies far up the coast in the Highlands, its raised greens and natural gorse lined fairways a master class in links golf. The drive is part of the adventure, and a group that makes the effort is rewarded with one of the purest rounds anywhere and a charming, welcoming town.
Access and indicative fees
| Course | Region | Access and indicative fee |
|---|---|---|
| St Andrews Old Course | Fife | Ballot or advance, about £295 |
| North Berwick | East Lothian | Visitor tee times, about £200 |
| Carnoustie | Angus | Visitor tee times, about £320 |
| Kingsbarns | Fife | Visitor tee times, about £395 |
| Prestwick | Ayrshire | Visitor tee times, about £300 |
| Royal Dornoch | Highlands | Visitor tee times, about £270 |
Most of these courses cluster into two or three easy bases. Fife around St Andrews gives you the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie; East Lothian links North Berwick with Gullane and Muirfield; Ayrshire and the far north each make a short tour in their own right. A week can comfortably combine two of these regions.
Booking individual rounds? See our recommended tee time partner for the Scottish links.
Plan a Scotland buddies trip
Tell us roughly when you want to travel and how many are in the group, and one concierge secures the tee times, including the Old Course where we can, and builds a costed itinerary around the best of these links, with no obligation.
Scotland buddies trip questions
What is the best golf course for a buddies trip in Scotland?
St Andrews Old Course is the bucket list round every group wants to tick off, secured by ballot or an advance booking. For pure fun in a group, North Berwick West Links is hard to beat, and Carnoustie offers the ultimate test to brag about back home.
How do you get a tee time on the Old Course at St Andrews?
Most visitors enter the daily ballot two days ahead or book an advance tee time when they are released, often around a year out. International visitors can enter the ballot and pay the full visitor green fee, around 295 pounds in the 2026 season. A guaranteed time through a tour operator is the surest option for a group.
Where should a group base itself for golf in Scotland?
St Andrews and the East Neuk of Fife put the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie within reach, while East Lothian's golf coast clusters North Berwick, Gullane and Muirfield together. Ayrshire and the far north around Dornoch are the other classic bases, each a short tour in itself.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course access and host history verified June 2026 from the clubs and leading sources; green fees indicative for the 2026 season, always confirm directly before booking. Last reviewed June 2026.