DESTINATIONGOLF. TRAVEL HIGHLANDS
Nairn
Nairn, like Cabot Highlands, sits on the Moray Firth, but it could not be more different in its design or evolution. This is classic links where golf has been played since the 19th century. The land is low and rippling, and the golf is about subtlety and dealing with the challenges of the wind … and the sea: several of the opening holes hug the beach. Designed by Old Tom Morris, Archie Simpson and James Braid, amongst others, Nairn has evolved into a revered links with glorious greens well protected by pothole bunkers and natural hazards. Some are elevated, others sit in natural pockets but they all call for guile. Nairn, in a nutshell, requires intelligent navigation: narrow fairways are often flanked by gorse and heather and there’ s also a burn cutting across the course.
Royal Dornoch( Struie)
The second course at Royal Dornoch, named Struie after the local estuary, is an interesting mix of different holes which have been forged together over the years. The surfaces are pristine but holes definitely shift in style and pace. The newest holes( 1990s) – mid-round – are out near the firth and show how beautifully the low duneland can be used to create exciting holes. The holes here thrive on the natural contours and while the routing is a tad unusual – thanks to an interesting evolution – the quality is consistent and the greens glorious. The two opening and closing holes occupy higher ground before the course stretches out over that more level terrain where deceptive twists and turns are almost invisible to the eye.
Cabot Highlands
When Cabot Highlands opened in 2009, it did so to worldwide acclaim. The Gil Hanse and Mark Parsinen design was seen as dramatic and exciting, with the links routed over two distinct tiers. Wide rolling fairways, infinity greens, and wild, rugged bunkering give it an almost mystical feel which has given links design a new lease of life. This is as exciting as it gets and you can see it all from the spectacular clubhouse, high above the sea. Despite those wide fairways, accuracy off the tee is needed to open up the big, undulating greens. It all looks beautiful and it is playable for golfers of all abilities – those fairways always tempting you from the tee. The opening holes on each nine are low and by the sea, setting a bewitching rhythm that loops around and brings you back to the clubhouse on the higher terrain.
Royal Dornoch
As one of the world’ s greatest and oldest golf courses, Royal Dornoch never fails to enthral. Its location in the Highlands is stunning but the course is even better. Here you will find the soul of Old Tom Morris flowing through the greens which are some of the best you will ever encounter. They frequently sit up on large plateaus which make them delicious targets … even if that frustrates the bump and run approach. The golf course often feels like you have stepped into a painting, so perfect do the holes look from the tee box. It is laid out in a crescent around Dornoch Bay, with the course’ s three tiers slipping down to the beach giving it an undeniable majesty. The new £ 13.9 million clubhouse opened in December 2025.
Cabot Highlands
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