Course: North Berwick Golf Club - North Berwick
 
Scotland is home to some of the most natural links courses in the world and the west course at the North Berwick Golf Club in the Royal burgh of North Berwick is a prime example. Located on the Firth of Forth, North Berwick is the 13th oldest golf club in the world. It is second only after St. Andrews to have the game played continuously on its original fairways.

Founded in 1832 and designed by an architect whose name is lost in the annals of time, North Berwick is a quirky little layout that is neither too long nor very demanding. It started out life as a 6-hole course and was extended to 18-holes in 1877. Measuring just 6,420 yards and playing for a par of 71, North Berwick is short but engaging and requires every shot making skill a golfer has. The course has a world class collection of oft-replicated holes with its 7th, 9th and 15th finding a place in The 500 World’s Greatest Golf Holes. Its signature hole, the 15th, called ‘Redan’ has inspired similar construction at both Pebble Beach and Shinnecock Hills.

With the entire course carved out of land raised 300 ft. above the sea level, North Berwick offers a panoramic view of the sea across to Craigleith Island and Bass Rock. Largely untouched by human interference, the layout has evolved naturally over the years and makes a round at North Berwick a stimulating experience. The receding sea that once covered the land has left behind its indelible impressions in the form of mounds, ridges and depressions, adding to the beauty of the layout.

Whether it is due to the short, lenient rough or its deep bunkers, its many burns, hollows and humps, North Berwick offers a very pleasurable round of golf. Incoming winds from the sea ask for a battle, but the spectacular view of their origin make it worth the while.

Nairn Golf Club – Nairn
 
One of the lesser known gems of Scottish golf, the Nairn Golf Club is located on prime linksland on the Moray Firth coastline in the Highlands. With contributions from several architects like Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Ben Sayers, the original design created by Archie Simpson opened to play in 1887 and represents Scottish links golf at its best. The claim is verified by the fact that the Nairn golf club has been host to several amateur and professional championships ever since its inception. Probably most remembered for hosting the Walker Cup in 1999, the Nairn golf club is one for the purists.

Measuring a total of 6,705 yards and playing for a par of 72, Nairn GC has been hailed as one of the most visually pleasing golf courses in Scotland. With ‘pretty’ comes ‘tough’ at Nairn mainly due to its heavy bunkering – over 100 of them placed right where you don’t want them – its subtle greens and narrow fairways lined with gorse. Every hole in this setting would and does demand extreme accuracy in shots and the wayward stroke is heavily penalized.

Natural hazards arise from the track’s proximity to the coast and are coupled with fast, tricky greens, an abundance of heather, whins and burns. Lost balls are a regular feature on this fiercely undulating layout featuring a superb collection of holes. One of the most noteworthy holes at Nairn GC is the 390-yard par four 5th better known as “Nets” located on the beach.

The front nine is also famous for its 2nd and 7th holes and as you navigate the layout further, the level of difficulty increases. The back nine is an equally tough test of a golfer’s skills with the most remarkable holes being the 12th, 13th, 14th and the 16th.  The Nairn Golf Club is a fine example of Highlands Golf and suits a skilled golfer better.

Course: Muirfield - Gullane

A golf holiday to Scotland is perhaps one of the busiest and the most pleasurable for any avid golfer. Playing golf in the birthplace of the game is an unparalleled experience and one course that features on every tour is the Muirfield Golf Club in Gullane. One of the greatest tracks in the world, Muirfield is the course of “The Honorable Company of Edinburgh Golfers” and the world’s oldest golf club, formed in 1744. However, the course at Muirfield opened for play only in 1891 and before that the game was played over the links at Leith. Interestingly, the ‘Gentlemen Golfers of Leith’ are credited with having drafted the original 13 rules of the game of golf.

Apart from the historical importance attached to it, Muirfield is a must play for its unusual layout, originally designed by Tom Morris. Most links courses of this period were laid out in the simple ‘nine out, nine back’ format but Muirfield is quite a surprise. Two loops of nine holes, with the second resting within the first make the layout extraordinary and a difficult one to navigate. No two holes lie in the same direction and the wind makes matters worse on every hole ensuring the player stays on his toes.

Host to 15 Open Championships, Muirfield is an enigmatic course not to be missed. The layout spread over 7,034 yards playing for a par of 71 offers some great holes like the par five 9th and the uphill 13th, considered one of the toughest on the Open circuit. Muirfield is a tough course perhaps best known for its bunkering looming in unsuspected on the putter. With no water hazards or trees coming into play, Muirfield’s wares are open to anyone who wishes a duel with the best of the courses in the world.