Club class: a dream Highland golf intinerary

Feeling adventurous and fancy trying your hand on some lesser known but highly stimulating golf courses? Sports writer Andrew Ross takes a tour

Okay, St. Andrews is the home of golf. There's no denying it. The majestic East coast course and its imposing clubhouse is a mecca for golf fans who revel in its formality and history. In fact, you've probably already been there, stood on the first tee, prayed that you don't top your drive down golf's most famous fairway.

So if you've ‘done' St Andrews and all those great courses round about, it could be time to consider a completely different itinerary for your annual trip.

If St Andrews is golf's spiritual home, perhaps the Scottish Highlands is where it comes to let its hair down. It is home to two of the great links courses.

Nairn and Royal Dornoch are two of the most authentic and revered links courses in the world. They are also two of the most accessible. Playable all year-round, and offering huge variety, these courses form the cornerstone of our dream Highland golf pilgrimage.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this pilgrimage would also take in the other great links courses in the region. However, though there are numerous legendary links tracks at Tain, Golspie and Brora, for a truly unforgettable trip you must seek out two of the hidden gems of Scottish golf.

The first, hidden by design, is the exclusive plaything of a group of millionaires. The second, hidden due to its unlikely location, has the reputation as being Scotland's best inland course. More of these later.

1. ROYAL DORNOCH GOLF CLUB
Golf Road, Dornoch. IV25 3LW, Sutherland
Tel : +44 (0)186...

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• By : Andrew Ross
• In : Sport
• Issue : 19
• Page : 66
• Words : 1,688