Scottish Highlands - help with logistics

[Chems77]

Our flights are booked for May 13 - 23 of next year. Three of us are flying into Inverness and plan to play a few of the courses up there before driving down to St Andrews with the hope we'll get on to the Old Course, one way or the other !

 

So far, our itinerary looks like this

2 x at Castle Stuart ( take advantage of the 2 round rate which is currently posted at GBP275 for plays within 7 days)

A round at Royal Dornoch

A round at Brora

 

Logistically, where should one be based in order to limit the amount of driving between these courses, any recommendations for hotels/bnb or airbnbs ? I'm quite partial to staying in Dornoch since i've heard great things about the town but does it make sense to stay somewhere in between to limit the time spent in the car ? We may consider playing our first round at Castle Stuart right off the plane as it comes into Inverness at 11AM.

 

Then, it's down to St Andrews and hopefully our advanced ballots works in our favor. We also plan to play New, Jubilee and possibly Elie a few minutes out of town. Any suggestions for a centrally located hotel or bnb that's not going to break the bank ?

 

Appreciate any help from those that have done this trip before and insights into schedule/ logistics.

 

Thanks !

[raynorfan1]

Depends on the logistics of Dornoch / Brora for you.

 

It’s kind of a hike from the airport / Castle Stuart (which is basically at the airport) to Dornoch.

 

If you’re planning to knock out Brora/Dornoch in a single belt notch, stay in Inverness. If you’re playing one day in Dornoch, one day in Brora; spend at least a night in Dornoch.

[scott_Donald]

Don't know if Castle Stuart os worth two rounds. Looks good and its hard to loose a ball but you will see when you play a better course like Dornoch that to me its just made for tourists.

 

Inverness would be perfect for Castle Stuart but its almost an hour to Dornoch from there.

[Chems77]

Don't know if Castle Stuart os worth two rounds. Looks good and its hard to loose a ball but you will see when you play a better course like Dornoch that to me its just made for tourists. Inverness would be perfect for Castle Stuart but its almost an hour to Dornoch from there.

 

My thinking is that the 2 round rate makes it's worthwhile... i realize it's not your typical Scottish links course but we'll have opportunities to play some of those. Thought of playing twice at Dornoch as opposed to Castle Stuart but to me, Castle Stuart looks pretty spectacular and location close to the airport makes sense for something right off the plane.

[Calliopejuly]

I just came back from a trip last week with a foursome that started in Iinverness and ended in North Berwick. We’ve done a few trips now and so I feel qualified to comment.

 

Castle Stuart is great and deserves the top 50 world ranking. However, in my opinion if you were going to play two rounds at one course, it needs to be at Dornoch. Great course and there’s a reason it is a consensus top five or 10 in the world. Brora is further north, a beautiful drive, and also a lot of fun. You should not miss it. It’s a relative bargain too.

 

We also played at Castle Skibo. That is five minutes from Dornoch. If you have not heard of it you should look it up. It is the most expensive golf you will play in Scotland I think, at 300 GBP per round. However, we all came away with the feeling that it was entirely worth it and among the best overall values we have ever had at a golf course. That owes both to the quality of the course, the uncrowded nature, and the extreme luxury of the surroundings and experience. Breakfast and lunch are included, and there is a fantastic goody bag provided. I will leave it at that for you to investigate, except to say that if you can get a tee time you will not be disappointed. Better than a second round at Castle Stuart.

 

As far as lodging, I would strongly urge you to consider one of the many self catering options that are available. We rented a very comfortable four bedroom house on the edge of Dornoch with a view of the ocean and a very comfortable four bedroom flat right on the beach in north Berwick for a total of eight nights. That cost us $431 each in lodging for the whole trip. We rent a van and drive, and stop at Tesco to buy breakfast and snacks for the flat. Very cost-efficient and VERY comfortable.

 

For a trip around the north, I would strongly recommend dornoch as the base, I think Inverness is too far south and you will be doing a lot more driving than you need to. It’s a much smaller town, and a much different vibe, but I really think that you won’t regret. Dornoch is central. Fly in at 11, get a tee time for about 2, play, drive 50 miles to Dornoch, stopping along the way at Tesco for supplies. Days are long up there in late May, light til after 10.

 

If you are interested, contact me off-line and I’d be happy to give you recommendations on a couple of places to stay in dornoch and in St Andrews that I’ve had good luck with.

 

Sounds fun!

[Chems77]

I just came back from a trip last week with a foursome that started in Iinverness and ended in North Berwick. We’ve done a few trips now and so I feel qualified to comment.

 

Castle Stuart is great and deserves the top 50 world ranking. However, in my opinion if you were going to play two rounds at one course, it needs to be at Dornoch. Great course and there’s a reason it is a consensus top five or 10 in the world. Brora is further north, a beautiful drive, and also a lot of fun. You should not miss it. It’s a relative bargain too.

 

We also played at Castle Skibo. That is five minutes from Dornoch. If you have not heard of it you should look it up. It is the most expensive golf you will play in Scotland I think, at 300 GBP per round. However, we all came away with the feeling that it was entirely worth it and among the best overall values we have ever had at a golf course. That owes both to the quality of the course, the uncrowded nature, and the extreme luxury of the surroundings and experience. Breakfast and lunch are included, and there is a fantastic goody bag provided. I will leave it at that for you to investigate, except to say that if you can get a tee time you will not be disappointed. Better than a second round at Castle Stuart.

 

As far as lodging, I would strongly urge you to consider one of the many self catering options that are available. We rented a very comfortable four bedroom house on the edge of Dornoch with a view of the ocean and a very comfortable four bedroom flat right on the beach in north Berwick for a total of eight nights. That cost us $431 each in lodging for the whole trip. We rent a van and drive, and stop at Tesco to buy breakfast and snacks for the flat. Very cost-efficient and VERY comfortable.

 

For a trip around the north, I would strongly recommend dornoch as the base, I think Inverness is too far south and you will be doing a lot more driving than you need to. It’s a much smaller town, and a much different vibe, but I really think that you won’t regret. Dornoch is central. Fly in at 11, get a tee time for about 2, play, drive 50 miles to Dornoch, stopping along the way at Tesco for supplies. Days are long up there in late May, light til after 10.

 

If you are interested, contact me off-line and I’d be happy to give you recommendations on a couple of places to stay in dornoch and in St Andrews that I’ve had good luck with.

 

Sounds fun!

Awesome !!, thanks for this. Will definetely PM

[jwortsman]

I went over last fall and started in the Highlands and made my way down to St. Andrews as well. I only had 5 days and wanted to play the "big" courses, Dornoch, Carnoustie, St. Andrews, Kingsbarns, and North Berwick. When in the Highlands, we stayed in Dornoch at the Fionn Lodge, a small bed and breakfast, but it was great, just off the 1st green. I wish that I had been able to play multiple rounds there at Dornoch, it's such a great course.

[Mignuz]

As for St. Andrews check the site http://www.stayinstandrews.com/ where you can find a lot of Hotels/B&B.

I stayed at a really nice castle (if you want to have a "castle" experience) here: http://www.stravithiecastle.co.uk/ 5 minutes of car from the centre of St. Andrews, 55£ pp/night

[Shrinkwr4p]

Our flights are booked for May 13 - 23 of next year. Three of us are flying into Inverness and plan to play a few of the courses up there before driving down to St Andrews with the hope we'll get on to the Old Course, one way or the other !

 

So far, our itinerary looks like this

2 x at Castle Stuart ( take advantage of the 2 round rate which is currently posted at GBP275 for plays within 7 days)

A round at Royal Dornoch

A round at Brora

 

Logistically, where should one be based in order to limit the amount of driving between these courses, any recommendations for hotels/bnb or airbnbs ? I'm quite partial to staying in Dornoch since i've heard great things about the town but does it make sense to stay somewhere in between to limit the time spent in the car ? We may consider playing our first round at Castle Stuart right off the plane as it comes into Inverness at 11AM.

 

Then, it's down to St Andrews and hopefully our advanced ballots works in our favor. We also plan to play New, Jubilee and possibly Elie a few minutes out of town. Any suggestions for a centrally located hotel or bnb that's not going to break the bank ?

 

Appreciate any help from those that have done this trip before and insights into schedule/ logistics.

 

Thanks !

 

 

I live in Aberdeen. 8 of us played 2 rounds on Castle Stuart in May. We thought it wasjust great holiday golf.It was a lot of fun despite 20mph winds. We spent the night in one of the 3 (i think) very nice self catering properties on site. It worked out at £60pp bed and breakfast. After our first round they picked us up at the house, delivered us back there at closing time and collected us for the trip to the first tee in the morning. We had a pleasant boozy evening meal in the clubhouse for something like £15 per head plus drinks. It was a really friendly, first class experience. In that first part of May too the course was quiet. The only other match on the course the first afternoon was Paul Lawrie's four ball.

 

Today I'm just back from a week in Skelbo near Dornoch. ( I had 4 rounds on Golspie. At James Braid Association rates it was a bargain.)

 

If I were planning the Dornoch/Brora leg of the trip I'd stay in the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch, no question. It would take you an easy hour from Castle Stuart to Dornoch and it would be 45 minutes or so Dornoch to Brora.

 

BTW i took a run up to Brora and was blown away. I played it last 20 years ago and remember it as quite agricultural in its presentation. On Thursday it looked immaculate. They still have electric fences round the greens but it seemed like they have managed to house train the stirks and the sheep on the course.

 

You might want to look into the Dornoch Firth golf pass. Might save you some cash - https://www.dornochfirthgolf.co.uk/

 

And at least in days gone by the Royal Golf Hotel had preferential rates for local golf.

[driveandputtmachine]

So, I am headed to Inverness and then St. Andres this July. I am staying in Inverness the first 5 days and playing Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart. Inverness seemed the best place to stay in the north to get to these two courses. My wife and I looked at possibly staying up in Dornoch one or two nights, but it didn't make sense to us to pack up and move to another hotel.

 

Then we drive down to St. Andrews where I will be playing the Old Course, Kingsbarns pr possibly the New or Jubilee. Then Saturday and Sunday will be spent at the open, flying home on Monday morning. So we fly out on the 12th and fly home on the 23rd.

 

I am only playing four rounds, possibly a fifth, but I wanted to tour a bunch of distilleries and do some sight seeing. If there is anything specific you would like me to report back on please let me know.

[Chems77]

So, I am headed to Inverness and then St. Andres this July. I am staying in Inverness the first 5 days and playing Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart. Inverness seemed the best place to stay in the north to get to these two courses. My wife and I looked at possibly staying up in Dornoch one or two nights, but it didn't make sense to us to pack up and move to another hotel.

 

Then we drive down to St. Andrews where I will be playing the Old Course, Kingsbarns pr possibly the New or Jubilee. Then Saturday and Sunday will be spent at the open, flying home on Monday morning. So we fly out on the 12th and fly home on the 23rd.

 

I am only playing four rounds, possibly a fifth, but I wanted to tour a bunch of distilleries and do some sight seeing. If there is anything specific you would like me to report back on please let me know.

 

Looks like you're doing exactly the same route as me but our golf schedule is slightly different. I would love to play Kingsbarns but it's a little out of our price range. I'm also travelling with my Dad who is coming over from South Africa and the Rand /GBP exchange rate is just horrendous for him so we need to plan accordingly. As someone else just mentioned on this thread, the Dornoch Firth pass is a great option especially if you plan to play a couple of the courses up north.

 

If you do end up going to a few distilleries please report back, we'd definitely like to visit a few while we are over there.

[Chems77]

Our flights are booked for May 13 - 23 of next year. Three of us are flying into Inverness and plan to play a few of the courses up there before driving down to St Andrews with the hope we'll get on to the Old Course, one way or the other !

 

So far, our itinerary looks like this

2 x at Castle Stuart ( take advantage of the 2 round rate which is currently posted at GBP275 for plays within 7 days)

A round at Royal Dornoch

A round at Brora

 

Logistically, where should one be based in order to limit the amount of driving between these courses, any recommendations for hotels/bnb or airbnbs ? I'm quite partial to staying in Dornoch since i've heard great things about the town but does it make sense to stay somewhere in between to limit the time spent in the car ? We may consider playing our first round at Castle Stuart right off the plane as it comes into Inverness at 11AM.

 

Then, it's down to St Andrews and hopefully our advanced ballots works in our favor. We also plan to play New, Jubilee and possibly Elie a few minutes out of town. Any suggestions for a centrally located hotel or bnb that's not going to break the bank ?

 

Appreciate any help from those that have done this trip before and insights into schedule/ logistics.

 

Thanks !

 

 

I live in Aberdeen. 8 of us played 2 rounds on Castle Stuart in May. We thought it wasjust great holiday golf.It was a lot of fun despite 20mph winds. We spent the night in one of the 3 (i think) very nice self catering properties on site. It worked out at £60pp bed and breakfast. After our first round they picked us up at the house, delivered us back there at closing time and collected us for the trip to the first tee in the morning. We had a pleasant boozy evening meal in the clubhouse for something like £15 per head plus drinks. It was a really friendly, first class experience. In that first part of May too the course was quiet. The only other match on the course the first afternoon was Paul Lawrie's four ball.

 

Today I'm just back from a week in Skelbo near Dornoch. ( I had 4 rounds on Golspie. At James Braid Association rates it was a bargain.)

 

If I were planning the Dornoch/Brora leg of the trip I'd stay in the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch, no question. It would take you an easy hour from Castle Stuart to Dornoch and it would be 45 minutes or so Dornoch to Brora.

 

BTW i took a run up to Brora and was blown away. I played it last 20 years ago and remember it as quite agricultural in its presentation. On Thursday it looked immaculate. They still have electric fences round the greens but it seemed like they have managed to house train the stirks and the sheep on the course.

 

You might want to look into the Dornoch Firth golf pass. Might save you some cash - https://www.dornochfirthgolf.co.uk/

 

And at least in days gone by the Royal Golf Hotel had preferential rates for local golf.

 

We grew up playing Brora type courses in South Africa where we shared the golf course with cows, sheep and one of the fairways was actually a runway for the little propeller planes flying in to the beach resorts. This was back in the 70's so i'm sure playing Brora is going to bring back some happy memories for my Dad and I.

Will look into the golf pass, thank you.

 

another option that looks interesting is getting an overseas membership at one of the courses. I think most offer them in the Highlands and for quite reasonable rates and you then get preferential rates at a bunch of other courses. Not sure how much of a discount though....