Courses by Region¶

Aberdeenshire¶

• Cruden Bay — Old Tom Morris 1899 (with Archie Simpson) — wild dune links north of Aberdeen.

Angus¶

• Carnoustie — Championship Course — The full-blooded version — massive dunes, the deepest bunkers in golf, and the Barry Burn gauntlet.
• Forfar — Old Tom Morris 1871 — the world's first course designed as eighteen holes from inception.
• Monifieth — Medal Course — Real links, cheap, almost nobody plays it from abroad — Angus's underrated links.
• Montrose — Medal Course — Fifth-oldest course in the world (1562); Old Tom fashioned its eighteen-hole layout, 1863.
• Panmure — Probably the purest hidden links in Scotland — dune-backed, zero houses, and Hogan's 1953 prep ground.

Argyll¶

• Machrihanish — Old Tom Morris extended it to eighteen in 1879 and created the famous first "Battery".

Ayrshire¶

• Prestwick — Old Tom Morris's greenkeeper masterpiece — birthplace of the Open Championship, 1860.

County Clare¶

• Lahinch — Old Tom Morris 1892 — the Klondyke and Dell; later shaped by Alister MacKenzie.

County Donegal¶

• Rosapenna — Old Tom Morris Links — Staked out by Old Tom Morris himself in 1893 — the course bears his name.

Devon¶

• Royal North Devon — Old Tom Morris laid out the first course in 1860 and the 18-hole version in 1864 — England's oldest.

East Lothian¶

• Luffness New — Old Tom Morris design opened 1894 — quiet East Lothian links near Gullane.
• Muirfield — Old Tom Morris 1891 — the Honourable Company's masterpiece, refined by Harry Colt.
• North Berwick — West Links — Arguably the most "sea on every hole" links in Scotland — home of the original Redan.

Edinburgh¶

• Royal Burgess — Old Tom Morris surveyed and laid out this 1894 parkland course at Barnton.

Fife¶

• Anstruther — Old Tom Morris advised on the land and extra holes in 1896; home of the famous Himalayas putting green.
• Crail — Balcomie Links — Pure links at Fife Ness — Old Tom Morris 1895, sea on almost every hole.
• St Andrews — Balgove Course — The Links Trust's only 9-hole course — par 30, family/junior friendly, walk-up only.
• St Andrews — Castle Course — David McLay Kidd, 2008 — theatrical clifftop links with sea views on every hole.
• Crail — Craighead Links — Gil Hanse's first solo design (1998) — longer, higher, more exposed than Balcomie.
• St Andrews — Eden Course — Harry Colt, 1914 — the sheltered, friendliest of the Links Trust courses.
• Elie — Earlsferry Links — Gloriously old-school links — no par 5s, the famous periscope starter, golf here since 1589.
• St Andrews — Jubilee Course — The toughest of the St Andrews rotation, pressed right against West Sands — sea on most holes.
• Kinghorn — Old Tom Morris 1877 — a short clifftop nine across the Forth from Edinburgh.
• Kirkcaldy — Old Tom Morris's last design (1904) — his final course, nine holes first, eighteen by 1906.
• Ladybank — Old Tom Morris laid out the original six holes in 1879; now a heathland Open qualifying venue.
• Leven Links — Genuine sandy links between ancient dune ridges — the wilder western half of the shared Leven/Lundin turf.
• Lundin Golf Club — James Braid's 1909 holes on shared links turf — railway line splitting the course, Firth of Forth back nine.
• St Andrews — New Course — Old Tom Morris, 1895 — the classic out-and-back sibling of the Old Course, often the toughest test in town.
• St Andrews — Old Course — The home of golf — 500 years of evolution, Swilcan Bridge, Road Bunker, and the ballot.
• Scotscraig — Old Tom Morris modified the original 1817 layout in 1891; Braid extended it later.
• St Michaels — Old Tom Morris 1903, wooded parkland/heathland mix at Leuchars — views over the Eden to St Andrews.
• St Andrews — Strathtyrum Course — Donald Steel, 1993 — the easy, cheap Links Trust round; wide, forgiving, only 15 bunkers.

Highlands¶

• Royal Dornoch — Old Tom Morris laid out the eighteen in 1886; the championship links of the far north.
• Tain — Old Tom Morris 1890 — fifteenth-century links ground, laid out with 15 holes, eighteen by 1894.

Merseyside¶

• Wallasey — Old Tom Morris 1891 — four of his original greens survive on the Mersey coast.

Moray¶

• Cullen Links — Old Tom Morris 1870 — the shortest true links in Scotland, laid into nine rocks and beaches.
• Moray — Old Course — Old Tom Morris laid out the eighteen in 1889 among the Lossiemouth dunes.

Northern Ireland¶

• Royal County Down — Old Tom Morris advised the 1889–90 extension to eighteen; arguably the world's most beautiful links.
• Royal Portrush — Old Tom Morris played an exhibition here and advised on the 18-hole layout, 1889.