Golf Courses:
Brora Golf Club – There is no better course to start your Scottish Golf Adventure than Brora. Located in the northern Scottish highlands, the unpretentious links of Brora occupy an ancient tract of farming land alongside the North Sea and enjoy spectacular views across the water to the distant purple hills. The club opened in 1891 (originally nine holes) and was lengthened to 18 holes around 1900. Five time Open champion James Braid redesigned the course in 1924, and the course remains mostly unchanged from that era. Brora contains all the characteristics of the Scottish seaside links – and the layout is classic. An easy opening hole, a short hole facing each cardinal point of the compass, a hole you can't reach in two shots, and the last green under the clubhouse window.
It also contains some characteristics you might not expect, like tiny electric fences that surround the green complexes to keep the sheep off of them. But this is only one small element of the charm that is Brora Golf Club. The course ensures you use every club in the bag and that you’ll have to adapt and manufacture according to whether the course is running fast or slow, with the greens throughout renowned for their texture. The rough is negligible in order to facilitate play, so you ought to return home with all the golf balls you brought. Overall, the golf course is a holiday treat, the clubhouse is modern and comfortable and the catering is excellent. But the most overriding, all-important feature, is the warm, friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
Carnoustie Championship Course
Carnoustie Golf Links
Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Course - There is documentary evidence of golf being played over 'Chanonry' which is now called Fortrose dating back to 1702. It was contained in a letter from a Mr George MacKenzie of Balconie, a cousin of the Earl of Seaforth and provost of Fortrose at that time. Writing to his Edinburgh law agent, he thanks him for sending him a club and golf balls but admits that as a farmer he should not really be playing golf at harvest time. He then excuses himself at succumbing to such sporting pleasure by adding the words ‘Oportet Vivre’ (Life is for living) – a philosophy followed by many golfers to this day!
Playing on one of the finest links golf courses in Scotland is a must for your golfing calendar, especially as we are so close to other distinguished links in the area, such as Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart and Nairn. Our passion on what is the 15th Oldest Recorded Club in the World (1793) is to provide all visitors who come to our venue with the most memorable round of traditional Scottish links golf possible.
The greens are not just fast but also deceptive, with tight fairways and strategically placed bunkers throughout the course – the trademark of the all-time master of bunkering, James Braid. Whilst the course is playing to its full capacity, members, their guests and any golfers visiting our links can play from ANY of our Tees. The choice is your own so you can of course play from the Yellow, White or the new Black tees which will add to the experience of playing on a true Scottish Links Golf Course. Ladies are advised to play from the RED tees. Visiting Golfers with a higher handicap are advised to play from the Yellow or White Tees.
Tentative Itinerary:
6/14/22 Depart USA for overnight flight to Edinburgh Scotland (Flight is not included in Package Price)
6/15/22 Arrive Edinburgh Airport & Transfer to Highlands(4 hour drive) Enjoy Welcome Dinner PM Dornoch Hotel – Dornoch
6/16/22 Transfer(30 minutes) to play Brora GC Dornoch Hotel – Dornoch
6/17/22 Walk from hotel to Royal Dornoch, play Championship in AM & optional round on Struie in PM Dornoch Hotel – Dornoch
6/18/22 Transfer(75 minutes) to Nairn GC then after golf continue to Inverness(25 minutes) Mercure Inverness Hotel – Inverness
6/19/22 Free day to enjoy the city of Inverness Mercure Inverness Hotel – Inverness
6/20/22 Transfer(30 minutes) to play Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Course Mercure Inverness Hotel – Inverness
6/21/22 Transfer (15 minutes) to play Castle Stuart Golf Links (36 Holes AM & PM) Mercure Inverness Hotel – Inverness
6/22/22 Depart Inverness and transfer to Carnoustie(3 hours) Play Burnside in PM Carnoustie Golf Hotel – Carnoustie
6/23/22 Final round on Carnoustie Championship Links AM Farewell Group Dinner PM Carnoustie Golf Hotel – Carnoustie
6/24/22 Transfer(90 minutes) to Edinburgh International Airport
Accommodations:
The Dornoch Hotel – While staying at the Dornoch Hotel guests are treated to unspoiled views across the esteemed Royal Dornoch Golf Course and the pristine beaches of the Scottish Highland coastline. The Dornoch Hotel is set in a truly historic corner of the Scottish Highlands. Located within an easy walk of Royal Dornoch Golf Club and the quaint yet historic town of Dornoch. The hotel is Dornoch's largest with 105 rooms. All rooms feature en suite facilities as well as a television, hairdryer, telephone, tea and coffee making facilities. Our participants will stay in Superior Rooms which are more spacious and have been tastefully refurbished. These rooms offer a luxurious Double bed or two Twin beds and views overlooking Royal Dornoch Golf Course and the sandy beaches of the Dornoch Firth. These rooms also come with the facilities to make yourself a hot drink as well as extras such as bottled water and chocolates. Free Wi-Fi. The hotel boasts two restaurants, alongside a wood-paneled bar and relaxing sun lounge ideal for relaxing after a day on the links or exploring the historic nearby town.
Royal Dornoch Championship Course
Hootananny Pub, Inverness
Brora Golf Links
Castle Stuart Golf Links -Gil Hanse has designed a Modern Classic in the Highlands and it is Castle Stuart. With a strategic design philosophy modeled on the ultimate links that is the Old Course at St. Andrews -- wide fairways, big greens, minimal rough -- it represented a welcome respite from the penal, one-dimensional and long grass-covered tracks so often found in professional golf on both sides of the Atlantic. The course is set over a fabulous stretch of coastline with a number of the most striking holes played right along the water’s edge. Luke Donald(2011), Jeev Milkha Singh(2012), Phil Mickelson(2013) and Alex Noren(2016) all have fond memories of Castle Stuart as this is where they all became Champions of the Scottish Open!
Golf & Adventure Travel Expeditions, Inc.
71 Burbank Drive - Palm Coast, FL 32137 - (904) 823 – 3083
Golf & Adventure Travel Expeditions, Inc. is a registered seller of travel with the State of Florida. Registration No. ST-34491
Copyright 2019. Golf & Adventure Travel Expeditions. All rights reserved.
Package Inclusions:
3 Nights at the Dornoch Hotel overlooking the first fairway of Royal Dornoch Golf Club.
4 Nights at the newly refurbished four star Mercure Inverness Hotel in downtown Inverness.
2 Nights at the four star Carnoustie Golf Hotel with a golf view room overlooking the Championship Links at Carnoustie.
9 Mornings with Full Scottish Breakfasts at the Hotels.
Group Dinners on the first and last nights.
Golf at:
- Brora Golf Club – Established in 1891, this is one of the most pure and natural links experiences in golf!
- Royal Dornoch Struie – A fun links with panoramic coastal views and the gorse ablaze with yellow in early summer.
- Royal Dornoch Championship - Golf Digest ranked it number two in the World 100 Greatest Golf Courses 2018.
- Fortrose and Rosemarkie Golf Links – Voted "Golf Club of the Year for Scotland 2018" by the Luxury Travel Guide.
- Nairn Golf Club – The Old Course – This is the favorite of many a golfer including Tom Watson.
- Castle Stuart Golf Links – You'll play (36 Holes) at this highly ranked, four time Scottish Open venue along the Moray Firth.
- Carnoustie Burnside – In 1953 Ben Hogan shot 70 here to qualify for the Open which he subsequently won.
- Carnoustie Championship – 8 Open Championships have been played here, with Francesco Molinari winning in 2018.
Private Motor Coach transportation to/from the hotels and all golf courses except Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie.
Taxes & Gratuities on planned group meals
Private Motor Coach transportation to/from the hotels and all golf courses except Royal Dornoch and Carnoustie.
Taxes & Gratuities on planned group meals
Package Prices:
- $3,850 - Per Golfer Double Occupancy
- $4,410 - Per Golfer Single Occupancy
*Price is based on 16 paid participants; price may increase by 5% if less than 16 golfers participate.
Carnoustie Golf Club - Championship - The Championship Course has hosted eight Open Championships, one Women’s British Open and two Seniors Open making it one of the very few to have done so in the UK. It is one of the three courses used for the annual Dunhill Links, the others being Kingsbarns and the Old Course in St Andrews and in 2018 The Open Championship returned to the course. In 2018, the Championship Course was voted Best Golf Course in Scotland over £100 by the general public, the second time it has won the award in the past three years.
The Carnoustie Golf Hotel – Located on the edge of the Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course, the Carnoustie Golf Hotel is less than 650 feet from the sandy beach. A heated indoor pool, sauna, steam room and gym are all available in the leisure center. The Burnside Course and the Budden Links are also within the Carnoustie Golf Glub. Local produce is served in the Calders Bistro, which has views across the golf course. Guests can relax with a drink in the Carnoustie Golf Hotel's casual Calders Lounge or enjoy the views on the terraced seating area.
Golf view rooms boast the best panoramic view offered by the hotel, overlooking the Championship Golf Courses stunning landscape. Your Golf View room will come with two single twin beds or a queen size bed and offer extensive features in a spacious environment that you will no doubt be able to relax in comfort at the end of the day. These rooms come with en-suite bathroom with a walk in shower, tea and coffee making facilities, Ironing board, Flat screen TV with free view channels and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel. All rooms allow free use of the health facilities. Extensive spa and health facilities include a large heated swimming pool, sauna, whirlpool, steam room and for the more energetic a fully equipped gym.
Dave McDonie asked our company to organize a trip to Ireland last year and it was such a success that he's asked us to organize another trip, this time we'll go to where the game began, Scotland! The country has over 500 courses to choose from but some of the best are located in the Scottish Highlands and that is where this trip will take you. The Highlands experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. It is one of the driest locations in Scotland and offers ideal terrain for golf courses. Almost all the courses you'll play are traditional Links Courses and will include rounds on Royal Dornoch, Nairn, Castle Stuart and more. The trip includes three nights in Dornoch, four nights in Inverness and the final two nights in Carnoustie. That's right, the trip will be capped off at one of the game's most historic and challenging venues, Carnoustie!
Nairn Golf Course
Inverness Castle
Carnoustie Golf Club - Burnside - The Burnside oozes character and from the back tees is a splendid test of golf. Many of the short holes could grace the top links courses around with the 5th and 14th in particular providing dramatic challenges for the player who strives to gain his par 3.The finish is also strong with the 17th proving to be one of the hardest par 4’s that can be found anywhere in golf and many a score has been ruined by the out of bounds fence at the 18th.
Carnoustie Golf Club - Buddon - The newest of the three courses at Carnoustie, originally designed by Peter Alliss and the late Dave Thomas on land that was formerly part of the ladies’ course and Ministry of Defence land, hence the reason why the holes are named after battles. The course was opened in 1979. Since then many changes have taken place including the most recent investment in two new holes in 2014 bringing the course up to a very testing par 68.
Inverness
Nairn Golf Links
Dornoch Hotel
The Mercure Inverness Hotel – This stylish Inverness hotel is newly refurbished throughout, blending traditional Highland hospitality with supreme comfort in the finest waterside hotel Inverness has to offer. The newly refurbished rooms, restaurant, bar and public areas have transformed Mercure Inverness Hotel into one of the most desirable city center Inverness hotels. The Mercure is the perfect hotel for golf groups. Located in the heart of the Old Town a selection of restaurants, shops and nightlife are within an easy walk of the hotel. All 121 guest bedrooms have HDTV and complimentary high speed WiFi so you can relax at the end of a day’s shopping in the vibrant city center, after visiting some of the local links or after a workout in the hotel’s fully-equipped gym.
Royal Dornoch Golf Club - Championship Course - Royal Dornoch has been named the second best in the World by Golf Digest, pipped only by Northern Ireland's Royal County Down and placed three spots ahead of St Andrews' famous Old Course. Dornoch's members include legends of the game Greg Norman, Ernie Els and Tom Watson and more. Royal Dornoch is as much-loved for its technical difficulty as it is for its scenery. The views are stunning. Whether you look up the striking coastline to the north, inland to the mountains or out along the silvery beaches that bound the course, the vistas are captivating. Many believe that the golf course is one of Scotland's very finest links golf courses and that if it hadn't been for its location in The Highlands that it would have hosted many Open Championships. Anyone who has played it could not fail to agree.
Many a local will deliberately play short here, rather than risk missing the green either side with the resulting shenanigans that often entails. The layout forges out from the town, skirting gorse-covered sand hills. That gorse provides a persistent threat while sloping fairways and undulating greens with devilish run-offs add to the challenge. The track climbs to the top of the old dunes and back down to the coast before turning for home and into the prevailing winds. Tom Watson says, “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course.”
Additional Information:
Please fly in & out of Edinburgh International Airport(EDI). (Flights are not included in package price). Your driver will pick you up at 10am, so try to book a flight that arrives close to 9am to have time to collect your bags and pass through customs.
Flights into Edinburgh(EDI) depart from the US in the evening and fly overnight, you arrive in Scotland the next day. In order to arrive on Wednesday June 15, 2022, you will need to depart on Tuesday June 14, 2022.
In Scotland, golfers walk and most courses only offer limited availability of carts. Although most golfers walk, few actually carry their clubs, most rent golf trolleys, which are available in all golf shops at about £5 - £10 per round.
Caddies are available at most courses however, they should be booked in advance. A Caddie will greatly add to your golf experience and really help especially since this will be the first time most have played these courses. You can expect to pay approximately £40 -£50 per bag plus gratuity, typically between 10% – 20% but at your discretion. We will send all participants a caddie request email about six months prior to the trip, this way we'll be sure to get your requests in early.
You'll spend 9 nights in three different hotels located only about a 5-10 minute walk from several restaurants & pubs in Dornoch, Inverness and Carnoustie. Unlike the Ireland trip some of you took with us last year, this trip offers a choice of double occupancy or single occupancy package options. The double occupancy rooms will have two twin size beds.
This trip is limited to only 20 golfers, we suggest you reserve your place as soon as possible!
A $500 deposit is required to register for this trip and it is due now. After that we will bill you in four installments for the remaining balance. We accept MasterCard, Visa or you may pay with a check.
Royal Dornoch Golf Club - Struie Course There are many admirers of Royal Dornoch Struie Course, which is ranked in the UK top 50 links courses. The course originally opened as a 12 hole Ladies course in 1899 and opened to the present 18 holes in 1999. The work of Donald Steel and his design team back in the 1990s encapsulates natural Scottish Links golf, working with the natural landscape, local plant and wildlife, the layout incorporates many of the unique Dornoch features. It is a fitting neighbor to the Championship course and at just under 6200 yards in length it is a traditional links course with narrow fairways, bunkers, thick gorse bushes and fast greens. Most vacationing golfers consider the Struie to be a warm up track conveniently located next to the Championship Links. But the locals who have the pleasure of playing it on a regular basis know that it is a challenge in itself and well worth the green fee
Nairn Golf Club - Ranked number 11 in the list of Top 100 Courses in Scotland(Golf World Magazine), this Traditional Scottish Golf Links Course was created from a Highland wilderness of gorse and heather, and tests the talents of professional and amateur alike. Founded in 1887, it is now one of the best courses in Scotland, and has hosted a large number of important championships. Nairn Golf Club is a private members golf club founded in 1887 and made up of 1300 members. Visitors receive a warm welcome and are encouraged to come and enjoy “The Nairn Experience”. Once you’ve tackled the challenging links it will leave you wanting to come back again and again.
"In 1987 I won the Scottish Amateur Championship at Nairn, which still today holds a very special place for me. I always feel very welcome at Nairn, and I consider it one of the best links courses in our great country". - Colin Montgomerie.
This trip combines rounds on several of the World's Top 100 Courses(Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart & Carnoustie) with rounds at lesser known but outstanding links courses(Brora, Golspie, Nairn, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Carnoustie Buddon & Carmoustie Burnside). And you'll be expected to walk, some courses have caddies, others don't, but you can always rent a trolley.
Accommodations have been selected at mid-range hotels. These are closer to what Americans would categorize as three star, not fancy and some rooms may be small, but they are clean & comfortable. Each hotel is within walking distance of restaurants & pubs. So you'll be able to explore the local villages and towns where these hotels are located without the hassle of having to take a taxi.
This trip also provides transfers to most of the golf courses. You won't need it for Dornoch and Carnoustie as the hotels are an easy walk to the club houses. However, a small bus will transfer the group to all the other courses and to/from the hotels and airport. This will allow you to sit back and enjoy beautiful scenery found throughout the Scottish Highlands.