9 days · 7 links courses · 2 hotels
Some golfers come to the Highlands for the famous names. They play the courses you find in every ranking and stay in grand country houses. Others follow the coast.
Play where the locals play. Discover links courses that have been shaped by the same wind, dunes and rough ground for generations. Stay in smaller Highland towns. Drive through the landscape instead of simply crossing it. This journey is for the second kind of golfer.
The route starts in Nairn and follows the Moray Firth northwards, crossing the Dornoch Firth before continuing towards Brora. Along the way, you will play seven links courses, ranging from the compact coastal setting of Fortrose & Rosemarkie to the rather quirky combination of links and heathland at Golspie.
Royal Dornoch still has its place. The difference is everything you discover along the way.
Day 1
The Moray Firth
Inverness Airport is the natural gateway to the Highlands and is only a short drive from Nairn. Pick up the car and head a few miles east.
Nairn is a good place to begin because it immediately feels like a Highland seaside town rather than a golf resort. The Moray Firth is always close, and the town makes an easy base for the first part of the journey. Fun fact: the wonderful actress Tilda Swinton lives in Nairn. I’ve never seen her on the golf course, but I do bump into her every now and again at Inverness Airport.
Stay
The Golf View sits directly beside the coast, overlooking the Moray Firth and within easy reach of Nairn’s two golf courses. It is a practical first base for the journey and, more importantly, puts you right beside the coast you have come to experience.
Day 2
A quiet start to the journey
The first round is deliberately not one of the famous names: Nairn Dunbar sits on the other side of town from the better-known Nairn Championship course. It is a more relaxed introduction to Highland golf and a reminder that the region’s appeal extends well beyond the courses on the international itineraries.
The golf course runs alongside the Moray Firth, though it does not offer spectacular sea views. But the sea here is more than just a backdrop. It brings the wind, and the wind is part of every round. Personally, I especially like the section of the course furthest from the clubhouse, holes 8 to 12. I also like that I was still able to play Nairn Dunbar when the other courses in the area were closed because of ice. That might have something to do with the trees, which are unusually plentiful for a links course.
No grand arrival. No bucket-list pressure. Just golf.
You can spend the rest of the day relaxing. Explore the centre of Nairn with its pubs and cafés or make the short trip to Brodie Castle and the authentic Brodie Countryfare. And be sure to take a stroll along the lovely beach, which is conveniently situated right in front of your hotel. It’s your first full day in the Highlands. Start to slow down.
Day 3
Watch out for the dolphins
Today the road crosses the Kessock Bridge in Inverness and enters the Black Isle. The destination is Fortrose & Rosemarkie, the 15th oldest recorded golf club in the world, with golf documented on the links at Chanonry as far back as 1702. James Braid was invited to rework the course in 1932. I have to admit that when I first visited, I was so intimidated by how cramped the course layout was that I decided not to play there. However, a few years later, I finally gave it a try – and I was thrilled.
There is a sense of exposure here that is difficult to manufacture. Water appears in the landscape throughout the round, while gorse and the coastal terrain make accuracy important. On a clear day, there is another reason to look away from the fairway: the waters around Chanonry Point are known for their resident dolphins.
A different kind of links. It has history and setting rather than international fame. And sometimes that is enough.
On your way back to Nairn, it’s definitely worth stopping off in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, which has a lively atmosphere. Alternatively, a short detour to Cromarty, located at the tip of the Black Isle, is highly recommended. The historic St Regulus Cemetery, with its skull-adorned gravestones, is quite special.
Day 4
Old Tom Morris and a Wee Dram
Today the journey starts heading north. Tain sits on the southern shore of the Dornoch Firth, with views towards the mountains and the water. The course has roots going back to 1890 and is associated with Old Tom Morris. If you’re lucky, or if you simply ask, the friendly clubhouse staff will show you the location of Old Tom’s original holes and the old clubhouse using a historical map.
The most famous hole is the 11th, a par 4 called ‘The Alps’, where a little dune blocks the view of the green, so your approach is played blind. Seeing that dune might not have reminded me of the mountains at home in Switzerland. But the whole setting here is certainly picturesque. Tain shows that links golf does not have to mean towering dunes beside an open ocean. Here, the setting comes from the Dornoch Firth and the hills beyond.
The two famous distilleries, Glenmorangie and Balblair, are well worth a visit. I will leave it up to you whether you go before or after your round. The journey from Tain to Dornoch is short enough that there is no reason to hurry.
By evening, you have reached the second base of the trip.
Stay
For the next five nights, Dornoch becomes your home from home. I visit several times a year and can say with complete conviction that it is impossible not to like this little town, with its cathedral and the former bishop’s residence, known as the ‘castle’. The Royal Golf Hotel is a lovely retreat. The first tee of the Championship Course is just a few metres away, and the hotel’s restaurant offers superb views of the famous golf course.
Day 5
A different side of Dornoch
After yesterday’s journey north, today is a good opportunity to discover another side of Dornoch. The Struie Course takes its name from the Struie Hills, which form part of the landscape around the Dornoch Firth. It usually feels like a gentler round, although this isn’t necessarily due to the course itself. After all, it can really challenge you, especially when it’s windy.
There is one thing I simply cannot resist when I play Struie: the two trees standing in the middle of the fairway on the 10th hole. I have photographed them every time I have been there. They are not necessarily the most spectacular trees in Scotland, but somehow they have become one of those little images that stay with me.
This is part of what makes Dornoch such a good base for a golf trip. You can play one of the world’s great courses one day and then spend the next day playing something quieter without having to move on. The town itself is one of the pleasures of staying here. Dornoch has a wonderful sense of Highland hospitality, from its cafés and pubs to its hotels and restaurants.
This is the Highlands at their most relaxed.
Day 6
Sheep, sea and a little Highland eccentricity
Today the road leads further north along the coast. The drive from Dornoch to Brora is one of those short journeys where it is worth taking your time. The road passes Loch Fleet, one of my favourite stretches of this coast. The loch and surrounding hills create a wonderfully quiet and atmospheric setting before the view opens up again towards Brora.
The course at Brora dates back to 1891 and was later shaped by James Braid. It runs directly beside the sea, with the railway line and the hills of Sutherland adding to the distinctive character of the place. When I played Brora for the first time, there were cows standing on the first tee. That probably tells you quite a lot about the place.
The sheep are even more closely involved in the game. They graze freely across the course, while the greens are protected by small electric fences. It is a slightly surreal sight: a beautifully traditional Highland links, with sheep wandering across the fairways and tiny electric fences keeping them away from the putting surfaces.
It is also exactly why I like Brora.
It does not try to impress you. Somehow, that is what makes it so memorable.
There are no grand entrances or dramatic clubhouse buildings. No sense that you have arrived at a destination designed specifically for visiting golfers. Instead, you simply arrive, tee off and become part of the landscape.
And so do the sheep.
And the wind.
On the way back to Dornoch, I would make time for a stop at Dunrobin Castle. Rising above the coast, with its turrets and formal gardens, it looks almost as though a piece of the Loire Valley has somehow found its way to the Highlands.
Then continue back to Dornoch for another evening in town.
Day 7
Championship Course
This is the day you have been waiting for. Royal Dornoch needs little introduction. Its reputation precedes it, yet the first impression is still difficult to prepare for.
The Championship Course is challenging, but it is also remarkably fair. There are only three genuinely blind shots on the entire course: the tee shots on the 8th and 17th, and the approach to the 16th. I think this is one of its great strengths. You are rarely asked to play a shot without having a clear idea of where you are going. Even for less accomplished golfers, there is a wonderful sense of being able to see and understand the course.
Then there is the second hole, Ord.
The short par 3 is a proper test, with the raised green and its steep run-offs leaving little room for error. Tom Watson famously called the second shot here – the recovery when you miss the green – the hardest shot in golf. But for me, the real highlight comes afterwards.
Walk behind the second green, through the gorse towards the third tee, and suddenly the course opens up in front of you. The view across the links is extraordinary. After the intimacy of the second hole, the whole links seems to unfold at once. It is a moment when you instinctively stop walking and simply look.
There is another wonderful view from the seventh tee. Before playing the hole, turn around and look back across the course. From here, the shape of the links becomes particularly clear, with the fairways, dunes and greens stretching out towards the Dornoch Firth. At Royal Dornoch, the views are part of the game. For me, this is what makes Royal Dornoch so special. The course does not feel as though it has been imposed on the landscape. It feels as though the landscape has determined the course.
And here is my strongest piece of advice: take a caddie. The caddies at Royal Dornoch know the course like the back of their hand. They know the lines, the bounces, the greens and the wind. But there is another reason to have one. They are genuine characters and, very often, excellent company. Their stories, humour and local knowledge add another dimension to the round.
After playing Tain, Struie and Brora, the experience is even more interesting. You have already seen several different versions of Highland golf. Royal Dornoch brings all of that together on a much grander stage. Take your time. This is not a round to rush.
The new clubhouse, opened in December 2025, is another reason to linger. The building is striking, but it is the atmosphere inside that makes it special: warm, welcoming and unmistakably Highland. The views make it difficult to leave in a hurry.
And because you are staying at the Royal Golf Hotel, you have perhaps the perfect arrangement for it. The first tee is just a few metres from the hotel, so there is no need to get into the car before or after your round.
Have a drink and grab some food. Look back towards the links.
You have just played Royal Dornoch.
Day 8
From links to heathland and back
After Royal Dornoch, the final round deliberately takes you somewhere different. Golspie is not a conventional links course. What makes the round particularly interesting is the transition between the classic links holes and the four heathland holes, from the 8th to the 11th. The change is surprisingly dramatic, and it gives the course a character all of its own.
You start with the sea and the open landscape of the Dornoch coast. Then the course turns inland and the character changes. The ground becomes more enclosed, the vegetation changes and suddenly you are playing a very different kind of golf. And then there is the ninth hole. It is called Paradise. Depending on where your ball finishes, it can become something very different. If you find the heather, Paradise can turn into hell rather quickly. That is exactly the sort of little joke that makes a golf course memorable.
The setting around Golspie is spectacular. Ben Bhraggie rises behind the course, while the Dornoch Firth stretches away in the other direction. After the grandeur of Royal Dornoch, I like the idea of finishing here. There is no need for the final round to be another famous name. Instead, you finish the journey with a course that brings together many of the things that make Highland golf so enjoyable: changing weather, interesting terrain, open views and a strong sense of place.
And then there is one final evening in Dornoch. For me, one of the nicest places to spend it is the bar at Marine & Lawn Dornoch. The hotel has its own sense of style, but the thing I always notice is the tartan covering the walls, made from the Royal Dornoch tartan. It is a small detail, but somehow it makes me happy every time I see it. Perhaps that is a fitting way to finish the trip. A drink in a Highland hotel, surrounded by tartan, with seven rounds of links golf behind you.
Day 9
Back to Inverness
After breakfast, the drive back to Inverness Airport takes a little over an hour. The route follows the coast south across the Dornoch Firth, so you get one last look at the water you have been playing beside all week. If you want to do as the locals do, stop for a cup of tea or coffee at The Storehouse at Foulis Ferry, right on the Cromarty Firth. The place has a wonderfully old-fashioned feel, which is what makes it so distinctly Highland.
WHY THIS ROUTE
This journey is about discovering the Highlands beyond the obvious names.
The courses are deliberately varied. Nairn Dunbar gives you an easy start beside the Moray Firth. Fortrose & Rosemarkie brings history and the exposed landscape of the Black Isle. Tain introduces the Dornoch Firth and its Highland surroundings. Brora shows what links golf can feel like when the boundary between course and landscape almost disappears.
And then there is Royal Dornoch.
The Championship Course is the one famous name on the journey, and it deserves its place. But it feels different when you arrive there after having travelled slowly through the Highlands, rather than flying in simply to play it.
Golspie then provides the perfect contrast to finish the journey, with links and heathland in one round.
Seven rounds in seven days may sound like a lot. But none of the drives are demanding, and with only one change of hotel, there is always time to slow down between rounds.
That is really what this route is about.
Not collecting famous courses.
Taking the time to experience where they are.
Best time: Unlike the west coast, which benefits from the Gulf Stream, the north-east can have long spells of frost, and courses may close for days at a time. The best time to go is from mid-April to mid-November.
Tee times: This route avoids most of the famous names, so tee times are usually easy to get. The one exception is the Championship Course at Royal Dornoch. Book it as early as possible – up to a year in advance – and plan the rest of the trip around it.
Caddies: At Royal Dornoch, a caddie adds a great deal to the round. Request one when you book your tee time, or at least 14 days before you play. The club allocates caddies the day before, based on the bookings in its system. Nobody waits at the clubhouse for last-minute requests.
Rental car: Pick up your car at the airport you fly into. I always follow two rules. First, book an automatic. It costs more, but when you are driving on the left, you will be glad not to change gear with your left hand. Second, choose a smaller car. On the narrower roads, you will be glad it isn’t too wide.
