The 13 best golf courses in Scotland | GOLF Top 100 Courses in the World

If you’re craving a getaway abroad and seeking a destination where you can play a high number of GOLF’s Top 100 Courses in the World in one trip, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better destination than Scotland.

The home of golf seems made for jaw-dropping courses, with a varied landscape that includes mountains, lochs, woodlands and sandy beaches. And the best part? Even the private courses are generally accessible to the public in some way.

GOLF’s latest ranking includes a total of 13 courses in Scotland, which surpasses the number in Ireland (six) by seven and England (10) by three.

Unsurprisingly, the Old Course at St. Andrews is Scotland’s top-ranked course, coming in at No. 3, followed by Royal Dornoch, which leaped two spots to crack the top 10 this year.

Scotland boasts an impressive three courses in the top 12 with the inclusion of Muirfield, and four in the top 18, with Trump Turnberry’s Ailsa.

Check out the list of all 13 Scottish courses in GOLF’s Top 100 World ranking below.

The 13 best golf courses in Scotland

3. St. Andrews (Old Course) (St. Andrews, Scotland)

10. Royal Dornoch (Dornoch, Scotland)

12. Muirfield (Gullane, Scotland)

18. Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) (Turnberry, Scotland)

30. North Berwick (West) (North Berwick, Scotland)

40. Carnoustie (Championship) (Carnoustie, Scotland)

56. Cruden Bay (Cruden Bay, Scotland)

63. Prestwick (Prestwick, Scotland)

65. Ardfin (Isle of Jura, Scotland)

66. Royal Troon (Old) (Troon, Scotland)

86. Kingsbarns (Kingsbarns, Scotland)

89. Castle Stuart (Castle Stuart, Scotland)

97. Machrihanish (Campbeltown, Scotland)

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.