The golf world returns home as the 150th Open Championship will be played at the Old Course at St. Andrews.
The fans are excited, the Tour pros are excited, even the LIV golfers are allowed in on the action.
We know that most golf fans will spend the next week and more dreaming of hitting the Scottish links, so we here at Golfweek are doing everything within our power to make that dream a bit more real.
Last week we gave you some of the best U.K. golf vacations out there, but this week our focus narrows to Scotland and the 10 best courses that the home of golf has to offer.
These rankings come directly from the hundreds of Golfweek’s Best Raters for 2021 who continually evaluated courses and rated them based on our 10 criteria. They also filed a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course.
For more of Golfweek’s Best course lists, check out the most recent selection of course rankings:
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The Old Course at St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland. Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
Location: St. Andrews, Scotland
Course founded: Unknown
Memorable major moment: The Tiger Slam. Tiger Woods won the second of the four consecutive majors comprising his Tiger Slam by dominating the field, winning the tournament by eight strokes. Might we be in for another spot of Tiger magic at the upcoming 2022 Open Championship?
No. 10 hole at Royal Dornoch in Scotland.
Location: Dornoch, Scotland
Course founded: 1877
What you need to know: Golf has been played in Dornoch since early in the 17th century. Coming in at No. 3 on Golfweek’s list of Best 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain and Ireland, Royal Dornoch is often thought of as one of the best courses in the entire world and was the home course of architect Donald Ross, who was known as the “Keeper of the Greens” while growing up in Dornoch.
GULLANE, SCOTLAND – JULY 20: Tiger Woods of the United States plays out of a bunker on the fourth hole during the third round of the 142nd Open Championship at Muirfield on July 20, 2013 in Gullane, Scotland. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
Location: Gullane, Scotland
Course founded: 1892
Memorable major moment: Phil Mickelson’s furious comeback. Just shy of his 50th birthday, Miguel Angel Jimenez led the tournament after 36 holes. However, Mickelson fired a final-round 66 to overcome a five-shot deficit entering Sunday and defeat Henrik Stenson to win his fifth major and only Open Championship.
An aerial view of Trump Hotel and golf course on June 14, 2020 in Turnberry, Scotland. Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Location: Turnberry, Scotland
Course founded: 1901
Memorable major moment: The Duel in the Sun. 1977’s fight to the finish between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus is still considered one of the best final rounds in major history. Watson held off Nicklaus by making birdie on the 72nd hole and winning the 106th Open Championship by one shot. Watson and Nicklaus were paired together for the final two rounds, and finished 11 and 10 shots clear of the field, respectively.
The final match finishing up at the 18th green during the second day of the AAM Scottish Open Qualifier at North Berwick Golf Club on July 5, 2015 in North Berwick, Scotland. (Mark Runnacles – Getty Images)
Location: North Berwick, Scotland
Course founded: 1832
What you need to know: While the Genesis Scottish Open takes place at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick, the West Links at the North Berwick Golf Club are actually the village’s highest rated golf course. The course is located on the Firth of Forth, and the sea is in play on six different holes.
French golfer Jean Van de Velde (bottom, center) takes his fifth shot on the 18th green in the final round of the 1999 British Open Championship at Carnoustie. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Location: Carnoustie, Scotland
Course founded: 1830’s
Memorable major moment: The van de Velde collapse. Known for being one of the most difficult courses in the world, Carnoustie has given us many memorable major moments. Francesco Molinari held off Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in 2018, Padraig Harrington defeated Sergio Garcia in a four-hole playoff in 2007, but we have to give special mention to Jean van de Velde’s infamous collapse on the 18th hole of the 1999 Open Championship. As painful to watch now as it was then, van de Velde entered 18 needing a double bogey or better to win the Claret Jug. You know the rest, he carded a triple bogey and lost in a playoff to Paul Lawrie.
Tyrrell Hatton of England tees off on the 7th during day three of the 2017 Alfred Dunhill Championship at Kingsbarns on October 7, 2017. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Location: St. Andrews, Scotland
Course founded: 2000
Memorable major moment: A first for Kim. Always the bridesmaid, In-Kyung Kim had her moment when Kingsbarns hosted the 2017 Women’s British Open. After 14 top-10 major finishes without a win, Kim shot an opening-round 65 and never looked back en route to her first and only major title.
The 17th green at Loch Lomond during the 2010 Barclays Scottish Open.
Location: Dunbartonshire, Scotland
Course founded:1993
What you need to know: Tom Weiskopf’s “lasting memorial to golf”, Loch Lomond hosted the Scottish Open on the European Tour from 2001-2010 and produced winners including Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer.
Castle Stuart Golf Links in Scotland will be renamed Cabot Highlands. (Courtesy of Cabot)
Location: Inverness, Scotland
Course founded: 2009
What you need to know: Castle Stuart is soon to be renamed Cabot Highlands. “Castle Stuart has been considered a benchmark of exceptional Scottish golf since it first opened thirteen years ago,” said Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot. “We are honored to be a steward of the land and carry the original vision for the property forward. Our goal is to create unforgettable memories in magical places, and there are few places in the world more awe-inspiring than the Scottish Highlands.”
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