Buggies, Caddies and Etiquette in Inverness and the Highlands
The far north is walking country, and proudly so: Royal Dornoch reserves its buggies for medical need, Cabot Highlands built two courses it does not want driven, and the caddie yards here are among the best in Scotland. Here is exactly where you can ride, what a caddie costs in 2026, and the habits that mark out a welcome visitor.
Photograph: Cabot Highlands, via Google
How riding works here
Plan to walk, and treat any buggy as a documented exception. At Royal Dornoch buggy hire exists only for medical reasons: the club asks for a medical certificate and a driving licence, wants the booking made through the office before you arrive, and charges 50 pounds per round on its published April 2026 to March 2027 rates. Pull trolleys are free on the day with no booking needed, power trolleys are 30 pounds with prior reservation, and club hire runs 60 pounds for Titleist sets. The dunes are the reason; this is rumpled, raised links land that was never meant for tires.
Cabot Highlands is explicit that Castle Stuart and the new Old Petty are walking courses, kept that way for the experience, with medical exemption buggies at 50 pounds per round on a doctor's note during the walking season, complimentary push trolleys and electric trolleys at 25 pounds. Nairn handles hire through its professional shop with buggies subject to availability, so email ahead rather than assuming. The village links, Brora, Golspie, Tain and Fortrose and Rosemarkie, are trolley country with small fleets at best; anyone with a genuine mobility need should raise it at booking time everywhere, because Highland clubs are generous when asked early and unbending when surprised on the tee.
Buggy and caddie policy, venue by venue
| Venue | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Royal Dornoch | Buggies medical only at 50 pounds per round, certificate and driving licence required, reserved through the office in advance. Free pull trolleys on the day, power trolleys 30 pounds prebooked, club hire 60 pounds. The caddie program is the real asset here |
| Royal Dornoch caddies | Published 2026 to 2027 fees: single bag 75 pounds plus discretionary gratuity, forecaddie 110, 130 or 150 pounds for two, three or four golfers, caddie assistance 30 pounds for a trolley player who wants the reads. Jobs are allocated the day before from reservations, so never arrive hoping; a caddie booked but unused incurs the full fee |
| Cabot Highlands, Castle Stuart and Old Petty | Walking only by design. Caddies 70 pounds plus gratuity paid directly to the caddie on the day, requested in advance, 40 pound late cancellation fee. Medical buggies 50 pounds per round with a doctor's note, walking season only; push trolleys free, electric trolleys 25 pounds |
| Nairn | Caddies arranged through the starter, buggies and hire equipment through the professional shop, both subject to availability. A Walker Cup links the members walk; give the shop real notice in high season |
| Brora, Golspie, Tain, Fortrose and Rosemarkie | Trolley country: pull and electric trolleys at the pro shops, no standing caddie yards, green fees that encourage 36 hole days. At Brora, sheep and cattle graze the links and low fences guard the greens; play it as you find it |
Rates indicative for the 2026 season per club and resort published information. Check tee times · Browse stays.
The etiquette that actually matters
Book the help when you book the golf
Dornoch's caddie master allocates jobs the day before from the reservation system, Cabot's caddies are requested through reservations and confirmed subject to availability, and both charge for late changes, Dornoch the full fee for a caddie booked and not used, Cabot 40 pounds for an uncancelled caddie. The lesson is the same everywhere: the week your dates are fixed, put caddie numbers, forecaddie preferences and any medical buggy paperwork in the same email as the tee time, then leave the numbers alone inside 24 hours.
Pay the yard properly
Gratuities follow the Scottish convention: cash, handed over at the end, scaled to the work. Dornoch's fee sheet calls the tip discretionary and the caddies earn it, this is a links where the right line off the tee is often thirty yards from the obvious one. The full tipping math, and how the culture differs across the water, is in our Scotland and Ireland caddie guide.
Respect turf, gorse and livestock
Replace divots and press them in, keep wheels off fringes and away from the gorse lines, and follow trolley signage in winter without negotiation; frost rules protect the very turf you flew in for. Brora's grazing sheep and cattle are part of the deal, not an obstacle to complain about, and the low electric fences around its greens are there for them, not you. Pace runs about four hours; dress is member club standard, collared shirts and no denim. Access mechanics and booking windows are in how to play golf in Inverness and the Highlands, fees in the Highlands green fees guide, the ranked verdicts in the best courses in the Highlands, and the whole destination at the Inverness and the Highlands hub.
Plan your Highlands golf trip
Tell us your group, your month and who needs wheels or a caddie, and one concierge books the tee times, arranges the yard and costs the trip to the head. No obligation.
Highland buggy and caddie questions
Can you get a buggy at Royal Dornoch?
Only for medical reasons. The club requires a medical certificate and a driving licence, asks you to reserve through the office before arrival, and charges 50 pounds per round for April 2026 to March 2027. Pull trolleys are free on the day and power trolleys are 30 pounds with prior booking. Rates indicative; always confirm directly before booking.
How much is a caddie at Royal Dornoch?
The club's published April 2026 to March 2027 fees are 75 pounds plus discretionary gratuity for a single bag, forecaddies at 110, 130 and 150 pounds for two, three and four golfers, and a 30 pound caddie assistance rate for a player using a trolley. Caddies are allocated the day before from reservations, so request one when you book the tee time rather than hoping on the day.
Are the Cabot Highlands courses walking only?
Yes. Castle Stuart and Old Petty are walking courses, with buggies reserved for medical exemptions at 50 pounds per round, doctor's note required, during the walking season. Caddies are 70 pounds plus gratuity paid directly to the caddie on the day, requested in advance, with a 40 pound fee for late cancellations. Push trolleys are complimentary and electric trolleys are 25 pounds.
What etiquette matters most on Highland links?
Walk where the club walks, keep trolleys away from greens and tees, respect the gorse lines, and mind the livestock at Brora, where sheep and cattle graze the links. Book caddies and any medical buggy when you book the golf, keep pace around four hours, and dress to member club standard everywhere.
Related
The Tee Sheet
Fee changes, booking windows and the trips worth taking. Every other week.
Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Policies and rates verified June 2026 against Royal Dornoch's published 2026 caddie and hire fees and Cabot Highlands' published guest terms. Last reviewed June 2026.