Our selection of golf courses in Scotland
The craigtoun course
Duke’s course
The Craigtoun Course (Duke’s Course) is a very solid option to play in the St Andrews environment when you are looking for a course with its own personality and a “serious” challenge from the tee. Unlike the more traditional links courses along the coast, the game here tends to feel more protected and strategic: well-defined fairways, break zones that penalize mistakes, and a constant need to place the ball on the right side to attack the pin with confidence. It’s a rewarding course if you come with a clear game plan (irons to the fairway, avoiding the weak side, and accepting bogey when necessary), but it can become demanding if you get carried away with ambition on long shots.
From an experiential standpoint, this is an ideal course to kick off a trip: it puts you in “Scotland mode” without relying so heavily on extreme winds, forces you to think about each hole, and mentally prepares you for bigger challenges in the following days. The greens tend to reward good approach shots and well-read putting, and the round leaves you with the feeling of having played a complete, balanced course with a variety of shots. My practical advice: prioritize placement over power, play conservatively on the longer holes, and dedicate time to warming up your short game before teeing off, because that’s where shots are won (or lost) on this type of course..
Gleneagles.
PGA Centenary Course
The Gleneagles – PGA Centenary Course is a championship-caliber course, designed to demand skill from the very first shot: long, expansive yet highly selective, with slopes that require precise placement and a defense based on deep bunkers, elevation changes, and greens that are typically well-protected. It’s an interior course (not a links course) with a distinctly Scottish aesthetic in its landscape, where the wind can be a factor, and where the overall feeling is that of playing on a course designed for major tournaments: powerful tees, holes that demand clear decisions off the tee, and long second shots where distance control is crucial.
To truly enjoy the course and score points, it’s best to approach it as a risk management exercise. Choosing realistic tee boxes makes all the difference, because the course can be quite long and punishes you if you push yourself all day. From the tee, a well-placed drive (even with a wood or hybrid) is usually more rewarding than seeking distance at any cost, and on the approach shots, the key is to miss on the “good” side to leave a manageable chip or putt. If you arrive with a sharp short game and are willing to play patiently on the tougher holes, the PGA Centenary becomes a memorable day: a complete, demanding, and truly premium course in terms of experience.
Kittocks course
The Kittocks Course is a very enjoyable course in the St Andrews area, with a distinctly “links” feel and an experience heavily influenced by the coastal landscape. It’s a course that typically offers open sea views and a constant sense of spaciousness, but don’t be fooled: the wind can turn seemingly comfortable holes into a test of trajectory control. The key is to read each tee shot well, understand how the ball lands on each green, and accept that, on a links course, the ground and the bounce are all part of the plan: often it’s better to play a lower, rolling shot with some margin than to try to blast the ball to the flag.
As a course to end a trip, it works very well because it combines challenge and fun: it gives you room to attack when you’re well positioned, but it also penalizes errors in direction or club choice. The greens usually demand fine-tuning and patience, especially if the wind picks up, and the play around the green is very enjoyable with approach options using an iron, hybrid, or rolling wedge. Practical advice: prioritize controlled shots off the tee, play low trajectories when possible, and on par 5s, decide early whether you’re going to build the hole in three shots or if you really have the angle and distance to attack; that decision often determines your scorecard at Kittocks.
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* GGD reserves the right to make modifications to the contracted services, including changes to accommodations, golf courses, activities, or transportation, substituting them with others of equal or higher category. All changes are subject to availability and will be made with the aim of guaranteeing the quality and proper execution of the program.
