10 Day Scotland Grand Tour Itinerary
This is the trip of a golfing life, a ten day sweep through the home of the game that joins the great clusters of Scottish links into a single journey. From the East Lothian coast to the Kingdom of Fife, north to the Highlands and down to Ayrshire, it gathers the Old Course, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch and Turnberry along the way. Here is a day by day plan, with indicative green fees, drive times, the season and where to stay.
Photo: The Old Course, St Andrews, via Google.
Who this trip suits
This is the grand tour for the golfer who wants the lot: the famous Opens, the hidden gems and the long drive into the Highlands, played end to end in one unforgettable run. It suits a serious fourball, a buddies trip or a once in a lifetime father and son or mother and daughter journey, anyone who will happily play ten rounds in ten days and call it heaven. You need a reasonable game and a love of links golf in all weathers, because the wind is part of the bargain and the rewards are the most storied turf in the sport.
The one thing to accept is the distance. Scotland is compact but the route covers real ground, so you will drive, and the order below runs a single sensible loop to keep you always moving forward rather than doubling back. Fix the hardest tee times first: the Old Course ballot or advance time, Muirfield's limited visitor days and Turnberry's marquee slot, then build the rest of the week around those anchors.
The 10 day plan
North Berwick, West Links
Open gently on the East Lothian coast at North Berwick, a quirky, joyous old links of stone walls, blind shots and the original Redan 15th, an easy hour from Edinburgh airport. It is the perfect first round to find your links legs without a championship interrogation, with the Bass Rock offshore and Fidra on the horizon. Settle into the trip with an evening in the pretty seaside town.
Muirfield
A short drive west brings you to Muirfield, home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers and one of the fairest tests in championship golf, a clever double loop that always gives you the wind from a different angle. Visitor play is limited to set days, so this is one to lock early. Indicatively around 395 pounds for 18 holes, or near 605 for the famous 36 holes and lunch in the clubhouse. A proper day of golf in the grand old style.
The Old Course, St Andrews
Cross the Forth into Fife for the round every golfer dreams of, the Old Course at St Andrews, the shared fairways, the Swilcan Bridge, the Road Hole and the walk up the 18th into the heart of the town. Most visitor times come through the daily ballot or a limited advance booking, so plan this one carefully. Indicatively around 340 pounds in the 2026 high season. Take a caddie and savour every step. The town itself is the perfect base for the Fife leg.
Kingsbarns Golf Links
Just down the coast from St Andrews lies Kingsbarns, a modern links that plays as if it has been there for a century, every hole touched by the sea and the closing stretch along the rocks among the most photographed in the country. Indicatively around 400 to 486 pounds. It is a glorious counterpoint to the Old Course, big, open and thrilling, and an easy day from a St Andrews base.
Carnoustie, Championship
Cross the Tay into Angus for Carnoustie, the toughest of the Open links and the sternest test of the trip, where the Barry Burn and the closing three holes have broken many a card and made the championship famous. Indicatively around 360 pounds. Play it with respect, keep it in front of you, and a clean round here is the badge of the whole tour. A rest evening before the drive north.
Gleneagles, King's Course
Break the journey north at Gleneagles, where James Braid laid the King's Course across the rolling Perthshire moor in 1919, a beautiful heathery contrast to the seaside links and a grand hotel to match. Indicatively around 405 pounds. Play in the morning, enjoy the resort, and break the long drive to the Highlands in the most comfortable way imaginable. A night of luxury before the far north.
Royal Dornoch, Championship
The pilgrimage round. Royal Dornoch, an hour north of Inverness, is for many the finest links of all, a natural masterpiece of raised greens and gorse along the Dornoch Firth, far enough north to feel like a reward. Indicatively around 320 pounds. The long northern light means you can play late, and the wee town of Dornoch is a joy. Make this the high point of the Highland leg.
Cabot Highlands, Castle Stuart
On the way back south, stop at Cabot Highlands, the former Castle Stuart, a modern links of art deco glamour laid along the Moray Firth with the Kessock Bridge and Chanonry lighthouse in view, a former Scottish Open host and one of the best new courses of the century. It is dramatic, generous off the tee and brilliant fun, the perfect bridge between the Highland and Ayrshire legs. An evening in Inverness before the long drive down.
Trump Turnberry, Ailsa
Down the western spine of the country to Ayrshire and the Ailsa at Turnberry, the most spectacular of all the Open links, sweeping along the cliffs past the lighthouse with Ailsa Craig out to sea and the holes from the 4th to the 11th a procession of drama. It is the priciest round of the trip, indicatively up to 1,000 pounds at peak with lower late afternoon and hotel guest rates, so book it as a planned splurge. The setting alone justifies the cost.
Royal Troon, Old Course
Finish with another Open champion just up the coast at Royal Troon, home of the tiny, terrifying Postage Stamp 8th and a classic out and back links that toughens with every hole on the way home. Indicatively around 400 pounds or more. It is a fitting last round, a championship test with Arran across the water, and an easy run afterwards to Glasgow for the flight home. Ten days, ten of the greatest courses on earth.
Drive times and logistics
| Leg | Indicative drive |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh Airport to North Berwick | Around 50 minutes |
| North Berwick to Muirfield, Gullane | Around 15 minutes |
| East Lothian to St Andrews, via the Forth | Around 1 hour 30 minutes |
| St Andrews to Carnoustie, Angus | Around 50 minutes |
| Angus to Gleneagles, Perthshire | Around 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Gleneagles to Royal Dornoch, Sutherland | Around 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Inverness to Turnberry, Ayrshire | Around 4 hours |
| Turnberry to Royal Troon and Glasgow | Around 40 minutes, then 45 to the city |
Drive times are indicative and traffic dependent. A car is essential, and a private driver makes the long legs effortless. Tee time access and green fees change, so always confirm directly before booking. Find places to stay across Scotland.
Where to stay and how to play it
This grand tour rewards a handful of bases rather than nightly moves. Open with two nights in or near North Berwick or Gullane for the East Lothian rounds, shift to St Andrews for three nights to cover the Fife and Angus golf in comfort, then take a Highland base around Dornoch or Inverness for the far north leg, with Gleneagles a luxurious staging post on the drive up. Finish with two nights on the Ayrshire coast at or near Turnberry for the closing rounds before Glasgow. Hire a car or, better still, take a private driver for the long Highland and Ayrshire legs so the golf, not the road, is the focus. Let the order flex around confirmed tee times, especially the Old Course ballot and Muirfield's visitor days, and keep a spare afternoon or two for weather. Ten days is generous enough to do all of this without rushing, which is the whole point of a tour like this.
Plan your Scotland grand tour
We chase the hardest tee times, the Old Course, Muirfield and Turnberry, set the route to keep the driving sane, arrange a private driver if you want one, and sort the hotels, the caddies and the dinners. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling, and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Scotland golf tour questions
How many days do you need for a Scotland golf tour?
Ten playing days is the sweet spot for a true grand tour, enough to run from East Lothian through Fife and Angus, up to the Highlands and back down to Ayrshire, taking in the Old Course, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch and Turnberry without rushing. A shorter week works for a single region, but ten days lets you join the great clusters of Scottish links into one journey, with rest and weather days built in.
How much are green fees for the top Scottish courses in 2026?
Indicative 2026 summer green fees are around 340 pounds at the Old Course at St Andrews, near 400 to 486 pounds at Kingsbarns, about 395 pounds at Muirfield, around 360 pounds at Carnoustie, near 405 pounds at Gleneagles King's and roughly 320 pounds at Royal Dornoch. Turnberry's Ailsa tops the list at up to 1,000 pounds at peak, with lower late afternoon and hotel guest rates. All figures are indicative and change, so always confirm directly before booking.
What is the best order for a Scotland golf tour?
Run a loop rather than a back and forth. Start in East Lothian near Edinburgh, move into Fife for St Andrews and the Kingdom courses, cross to Angus for Carnoustie, head north through Perthshire to the Highlands for Dornoch, then come down the spine of the country to Ayrshire for Turnberry and Troon before finishing near Glasgow. It keeps you always moving forward and puts the long Highland drive in the middle when energy is high.
When is the best time for a Scotland golf trip?
May to September is the heart of the season, with the firmest turf, the longest light and famously long northern evenings in June, when you can play late into the night. It is also the busiest and dearest window and the one that books out first. Spring and early autumn trade a little weather risk for easier tee times and lower rates. Whenever you travel, build in flexibility for wind and rain off the sea.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Course facts and indicative green fees verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.