GROUND-ONLY TAILOR-MADE SINCE 1981

The sixth-oldest club in the world is forty minutes from your tee at St Andrews.

Scotland golf holidays

Play Royal Aberdeen's Balgownie, founded in 1780 and bunkered by James Braid, then turn south for Dumbarnie Links and the wind off the Firth twelve miles from the Old Course. We'll build the order of play, the hotel and the transfers around the golf you actually want.

4.9 from real golfers · 41 courses · from £325pp (≈ €365) (≈ $425) (≈ CA$605) (≈ AU$605) (≈ NZ$745) (≈ CHF 345) · ATOL-protected where flights are added

Scotland is where the game began, and a golf trip here is a pilgrimage as much as a holiday. Within a short drive of one another you can play the storied links of the east coast and the heather-lined parkland of Perthshire, from the Old Course at St Andrews to the cliff-top drama of Cruden Bay and the championship turf of Carnoustie Links. The towns are stone-built and welcoming, the courses are honest, and the standard runs from celebrated names to quiet local gems most visitors never find.

We have arranged Scotland golf since 1981. Every itinerary is hand-built and hand-priced around your dates, your group and the courses you want to play.

Why play golf in Scotland

  • The home of golf: St Andrews alone offers the Old, New, Jubilee, Eden, Castle and Dukes courses, with Kingsbarns Golf Links and Dumbarnie Links a short hop away.
  • Open Championship pedigree on the rota at Carnoustie Links and historic standing at Royal Aberdeen.
  • True variety: classic links on the east coast against the heather-and-pine parkland of Blairgowrie (Rosemount) and Gleneagles in Perthshire.
  • Genuine clusters: Fife, Perthshire, the Aberdeenshire coast and the Highlands each deliver several courses within easy reach.
  • A resort tier when you want it — Gleneagles and Cabot Highlands — alongside member-club character at Panmure, Nairn and Scotscraig.

The courses you’ll play

The east coast is the heartland. Around St Andrews you can play the Old Course, the New, Jubilee, Eden, Castle and Dukes, with Fairmont St Andrews adding the Kittocks and Torrance layouts, and Kingsbarns Golf Links and Dumbarnie Links completing one of the densest links collections anywhere. Carnoustie Links and neighbouring Panmure raise the test, while Crail Golfing Society and Scotscraig offer traditional Fife links. In Perthshire, Gleneagles fields its King's, Queen's and PGA Centenary courses, with Blairgowrie (Rosemount) and Murrayshall nearby. Further north sit Royal Aberdeen, Murcar Links and Cruden Bay, and the Highlands bring Nairn, Cabot Highlands and Edinburgh's Dalmahoy (East and West) and Craigielaw in East Lothian.

Where you’ll stay

We match the base to the golf. In Perthshire, The Gleneagles Hotel, Spa and Golf is the grand resort option, with Dunkeld House Hotel a relaxed country retreat nearby. For the Aberdeenshire and Carnoustie links, the eastern hotels put you within reach of Royal Aberdeen, Murcar and Cruden Bay. In the Highlands, the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness and the resort setting at Cabot Highlands anchor a northern trip, while the Isle of Islay's Machrie Hotel and Golf Links suits those wanting something remote and characterful. Closer to Edinburgh, Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club combines hotel, spa and two on-site courses. We hand-pick the stay to keep your golf clustered and your travel time short.

Best time to play golf in Scotland

Scotland is a summer game. The season runs roughly May to September, when the days stretch long — high-summer daylight can let you play well into the evening — and the links courses are at their firm, running best. June and early autumn tend to offer the most settled conditions, while July and August are the busiest, particularly around St Andrews and Gleneagles. Spring and early autumn shoulders reward flexible groups with quieter tees. Winter golf is possible on some courses but the weather turns cool and often wet, and links can play long and exposed, so we build trips firmly within the playing season and book sought-after tee times well ahead.

A sense of Scotland

History & heritage

Nowhere carries more golfing history. St Andrews is the spiritual home of the game, its Old Course threaded into the heart of an ancient university town. Carnoustie and Royal Aberdeen sit among the sport's oldest and most respected names, and clubs such as Crail Golfing Society trace their roots back centuries. Beyond the fairways, Scotland's culture is woven from stone towns, castles, distilleries and a warm, unhurried welcome at the clubhouse bar. On Islay, home of the Machrie, the island's whisky heritage is as much a draw as the links. We know which clubs prize tradition and how to make a visiting group feel at home.

Food & wine

Scotland's table has come a long way, and the east coast in particular eats well. Expect superb seafood — Aberdeenshire langoustine, Arbroath smokies near Carnoustie, fresh-landed shellfish in the Fife harbour towns — alongside hearty Highland beef and game. Clubhouses such as those at Gleneagles and Blairgowrie pair the golf with proper dining, and The Gleneagles Hotel carries serious culinary credentials. Whisky is the natural companion: the Highlands and Perthshire are dotted with distilleries, and a trip built around the Machrie on Islay sits at the centre of one of the world's great single-malt regions. We can fold a tasting or a memorable dinner into any itinerary.

Beyond the fairways

There is plenty to fill a non-golf afternoon. St Andrews rewards a wander through its medieval streets, cathedral ruins and harbour. Perthshire, around Dunkeld and Gleneagles, is big-sky country for walking, fishing and castle visits, while Gleneagles itself offers spa days, country pursuits and gundog or falconry sessions. The Highlands around Inverness open onto Loch Ness, glens and distilleries, and the Isle of Islay is a destination in its own right for whisky and wild coastline. Edinburgh, near Dalmahoy and Craigielaw, is one of Europe's finest city breaks. We can pair the golf with a partner's-day or a rest day that suits the group.

Getting around & exploring

A trip here works best by car, and most of our itineraries are built around a hire vehicle so you can move between clusters at your own pace. The Fife courses around St Andrews sit within easy reach of one another, as do the Perthshire layouts at Gleneagles and Blairgowrie, and the Aberdeenshire links of Royal Aberdeen, Murcar and Cruden Bay. Distances between regions are manageable — Fife to Perthshire or up to Inverness are comfortable drives on good roads. The Isle of Islay, home of the Machrie, is reached by ferry or a short flight, and we factor that crossing into any island itinerary. We can also arrange private driver-guides on request.

Getting there

Scotland is well served by air, with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness all offering convenient access to the golfing regions — Edinburgh and Glasgow for Fife and Perthshire, Aberdeen for the northern links, and Inverness for the Highlands and Cabot Highlands. As a ground-only operator we tailor each trip on the ground — hotels, tee times, transfers and car hire — and arrange your flights separately as an ATOL-protected add-on when you'd like us to. The Isle of Islay is reached onward by ferry or a short connecting flight. Tell us your home airport and we'll build the routing around it.

Good to know

  • We are a tailor-made, ground-only operator: we arrange your golf, hotels, tee times and transfers, with flights available separately as an ATOL-protected add-on — never bundled in.
  • Marquee tee times — the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Gleneagles in particular — book up well ahead, so the earlier you talk to us, the more we can secure.
  • The Old Course operates its own balloting and access rules; we'll explain the realistic options for your dates.
  • Pack for changeable weather: even in summer, links golf rewards layers and proper waterproofs.
  • Many clubs welcome visitors but have their own dress and pace-of-play expectations; we brief you on each before you travel.
  • Everything is hand-built and hand-priced around your group — we've known these courses and clubs since 1981.

The courses you’ll play in Scotland

Blairgowrie Golf Club, Rosemount — Scotland golfBlairgowrie Golf Club, RosemountDesigned by Peter Alliss and Dave ThomasPlayed on tailored stay & play breaksDiscover this course →Dumbarnie Links, Fife — Scotland golfDumbarnie Links, FifePlayed on tailored stay & play breaksDiscover this course →The Machrie Hotel and Golf Links, Isle of Islay — Scotland golfThe Machrie Hotel and Golf Links, Isle of IslayPlayed on tailored stay & play breaksDiscover this course →Archerfield Golf Club, East Lothian — Scotland golfArcherfield Golf Club, East LothianDesigned by DJ RussellPlayed on tailored stay & play breaksDiscover this course →Carnoustie Links, Carnoustie — Scotland golfCarnoustie Links, CarnoustiePlayed on tailored stay & play breaksDiscover this course →Cabot Highlands, Inverness — Scotland golfScottish Open hostCabot Highlands, InvernessPlayed on tailored stay & play breaksDiscover this course →

Golf resorts — stay & play on-site

The Lodge at Craigielaw, East Lothian — Scotland golfThe Lodge at Craigielaw, East LothianCraigielaw Golf Club, East Lothian · Gullane Golf Club, East Lothianfrom£325 (≈ €365) (≈ $425) (≈ CA$605) (≈ AU$605) (≈ NZ$745) (≈ CHF 345)per personDiscover this resort →The Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, St Andrews — Scotland golfThe Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa, St AndrewsThe New Course at St Andrews Golf Course · The Jubilee at St Andrews Golf Coursefrom£865 (≈ €995) (≈ $1,135) (≈ CA$1,615) (≈ AU$1,625) (≈ NZ$1,985) (≈ CHF 915)per personDiscover this resort →

Hotels — play the area’s courses

Dunkeld House Hotel, Perthshire — Scotland golfDunkeld House Hotel, PerthshireBlairgowrie Golf Club, Rosemount · Murrayshall House Golf Club, Perthfrom£445 (≈ €505) (≈ $585) (≈ CA$825) (≈ AU$835) (≈ NZ$1,025) (≈ CHF 465)per personDiscover this hotel →Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness — Scotland golfKingsmills Hotel, InvernessCabot Highlands, Inverness · Nairn Golf Club, near Invernessfrom£415 (≈ €475) (≈ $545) (≈ CA$775) (≈ AU$775) (≈ NZ$955) (≈ CHF 435)per personDiscover this hotel →Barcelo Troon Marine Hotel, Troon — Scotland golfBarcelo Troon Marine Hotel, TroonRoyal Troon Golf Club, Troon · Prestwick Golf Clubfrom£390 (≈ €445) (≈ $515) (≈ CA$725) (≈ AU$735) (≈ NZ$895) (≈ CHF 415)per personDiscover this hotel →The Lodge at Craigielaw, East Lothian — Scotland golfThe Lodge at Craigielaw, East LothianCraigielaw Golf Club, East Lothian · Gullane Golf Club, East Lothianfrom£325 (≈ €365) (≈ $425) (≈ CA$605) (≈ AU$605) (≈ NZ$745) (≈ CHF 345)per personDiscover this resort →Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club Hotel, Edinburgh — Scotland golfDalmahoy Hotel and Country Club Hotel, EdinburghDalmahoy - West Golf Course, Edinburgh · Dalmahoy - East Golf Course, Edinburghfrom£445 (≈ €505) (≈ $585) (≈ CA$825) (≈ AU$835) (≈ NZ$1,025) (≈ CHF 465)per personDiscover this hotel →Fairmont St Andrews Hotel, St Andrews — Scotland golfFairmont St Andrews Hotel, St AndrewsFairmont St Andrews Scotland - Torrance Golf Course · Fairmont St Andrews Scotland - Kittocks Golf Coursefrom£370 (≈ €425) (≈ $485) (≈ CA$685) (≈ AU$695) (≈ NZ$845) (≈ CHF 385)per personDiscover this hotel →

Ready to play Scotland?

Tell us your dates and group — we’ll build a tailored itinerary and hand-priced quote, usually within 15 minutes.

Plan my Scotland trip →Talk to a specialist · 01277 284284

ATOL & PTS protected · Tailor-made since 1981

Frequently asked questions

Golf holidays in Scotland — answers to the questions our golfers ask most.

Where should I play in the United Kingdom?

From challenging links to impressive parkland courses, the UK has it all. Tell us your dream golf holiday scenario.

It is easy to get around the United Kingdom?

Yes, getting around the UK for golf is very straightforward. Self-driving is the most popular choice — the motorway network connects major cities and virtually all golf courses have excellent road access. For Scotland, flights from London to Edinburgh or Glasgow take around 90 minutes, or take the scenic East Coast Main Line overnight. In England, most golf regions — Surrey heathland, Kent links, Yorkshire moorland — are within 2-3 hours of London. We include all transfers in our UK packages and can advise on the best travel approach for your group.

Is the United Kingdom good for groups?

Yes. There are plenty of great options if you are going away with your golfing friends.

What about if I am looking for somewhere special in the United Kingdom?

We offer superb hotels all around the United Kingdom, ideal if you wish to combine high levels of comfort with great golf courses.

Are flights included?

Our golf holidays are arranged ground-only — hotel, golf and transfers. You can add flights through us, and those flights are ATOL protected as part of your booking.

How do golf holidays with Golf Planet Holidays work?

Every trip is tailor-made. Tell us your group, dates and the destinations you fancy, and we build a personal itinerary — hotel, golf and transfers — around them. There are no fixed packages to squeeze into; we shape the whole break to suit how your group likes to play.

Still have a question? Ask our golf travel team — a free, no-obligation quote, no call centre.

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