Best golf courses: Scotland

The course has evolved over time, with design input for the original nine holes from Willie Park Jr.

David J. Russell

David J. Russell

Australian course architect Bob Harrison.

Original design by Old Tom Morris (1891), refurbished by Gordon Irvine & Martin Ebert (2006-08).

Current nine-hole "Old" course laid out by Ben Sayers (1913). Extended to 18-holes in 1979.

James Braid

Unknown

James Braid

Dave Thomas & Peter Alliss

Original design by Dr Alister MacKenzie; substantially revised by James Braid.

James Braid

Robert "Bob" Ferguson (three-time Open Champion - 1880, '81 and '82), and local club-maker Peter McEwan.

James Braid

Original layout designed by Willie Park Jr (1898). Subsequent improvements made by Dr Alister MacKenzie (1922), James Braid (1930) and Frederick W. "Fred" Hawtree (1974).

Original design at this location by Willie Park Jr (1896); updated by James Braid (1922).

Mark Parsinen & Gil Hanse

Tom Doak

Dave Thomas

Donald Steel (a coincidence that Andrew Carnegie made his fortune in steel!). Modifications by Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie & Ebert (2006).

Peter Alliss & Dave Thomas.

Unknown

Original 18-hole course laid out by Old Tom Morris (1867). Significant changes made by James Braid (1926), which brought the course up to Open Championship standard.

Golf in the town of Carnoustie has been played since at least the mid-1500s, while the first record of a Carnoustie Golf Club dates from 1839.

Canadian course architect Doug Carrick.

James Braid designed both the Cawder and Keir courses.

Donald Steel

Balcomie Links - Old Tom Morris (1895). Craighead Links - Gil Hanse (1998).

Original design by James Braid. Extension and alterations designed by John Stark (1980).

Original layout by Old Tom Morris, with significant redevelopment in 1926 by Tom Simpson and Herbert Fowler.

Old Tom Morris

James Braid

Robin Hiseman designed the current 18-hole Haughton and 9-hole Blairs courses (1994).

Original 18-hole course designed by James Braid (1932). Course significantly restructured by C.K. (Ken) Cotton (1964).

Original design by Willie Park Jr.; updated by James Braid.

Original course laid out by James Braid (1910). Later redesigned by Dr Alister MacKenzie, working with his brother Major Charles A. MacKenzie (1923).

Clive Clark

Designer of original layout unknown; remodelled after WW2 by George MacMillan (greenkeeper) and local members.

Old Tom Morris

The short-lived (and never to open) Southern Gailes Golf Club was completely redesigned by Kyle Phillips in 2002, and re-opened as the Dundonald Links in 2005.

Designed by three local golfers: Lachie Ross, Ian Morrison and Francis Keith.

James Braid

Original design by Bob Simpson (1895); redesigned by James Braid (1933/34), and upgraded by Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert (2015).

Originally a 9-hole layout, extended to 18-holes in 1924 by its long-serving greenkeeper John Macpherson.

Old Tom Morris and later James Braid are thought to have had the biggest influences on the design of the current Elie course.

Bruce Devlin (with contributions from Gene Sarazen).

Sam Torrance (with contributions from Gene Sarazen)

Original layout by Old Tom Morris of St Andrews (1871); later alterations by James Braid (1926) ... 13 of today's holes and greens are in much the same location as in Morris's original 1871 layout.

James Braid designed the current layout in 1932. Golf was probably played on the Chanonry Peninsula from at least 1700 onward, and a club formed in 1793.

James Braid (1922). Four new "replacement" holes added at eastern end of the course by Alex Swan, with input from Sir Henry Cotton (1976).

The current course at this location was laid out by Willie Park Jr in 1912.

Current layout by Old Thomas Morris of St Andrews (1903), the last 18-hole course he designed. Course updated by James Braid (1924) and Dave Thomas (2005).

James Braid

Designed by James Braid, assisted by Cecil K. Hutchison (1919).

Jack Nicklaus

Designed by James Braid, assisted by Cecil K. Hutchison (1919).

James Braid and Ben Sayers

Designer unknown. In 1890 the original six-hole course (of full length holes), was redesigned into the current layout of 36 Pitch&Putt short holes.

James Braid

Original nine-hole course laid out by A.C. Brown (1890); extended to 18-holes by Willie Park Jr (1911) and modified by James Braid (1921).

Unknown

Willie Park Jr.

Willie Park Jr.

Original designer unknown. In 1990s Dave Thomas designed six new holes, replacing six lost to the construction of the neighbouring M77 motorway.

George Smith and J J Fraser with alterations made by James Braid.

James Braid

Laid out by local golfers.

James Braid designed the current layout in 1924.

Theodore Moone

Willie Park Jr and Ben Sayers.

Original nine-hole layout by Old Tom Morris (1887).

Old Tom Morris

Kyle Phillips & Mark Parsinen

Harry Vardon

Original 6-hole course laid out by Old Tom Morris (1879). Extended to 9-holes (1910). Extended to 18-holes (1961).

Original 18-hole layout designed by Old Tom Morris (1897). New holes designed and modifications made by James Braid (1927).

Donald Steel & GK Smith

Unknown

Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish

Original design by Harry Colt (1920), with subsequent modifications by James Braid (1926), Philip Mackenzie Ross (1945) and more recently Donald Steel.

Old Tom Morris

Originally laid out by Old Tom Morris. Extensively redesigned by James Braid (1908).

Willie Campbell

Old Tom Morris

David McLay-Kidd

Dave Thomas

Graeme Webster

Unknown

Much of the current layout is credited to Willie Park Jr (1903).

Old Tom Morris

James Braid, J.H. Taylor and Willie Park Jr all contributed to the early design of Mortonhall. Improvements and new holes added by Frederick W. "Fred" Hawtree (1975).

Original course on this site was laid out by Old Tom Morris (1891). Later modifications by Harry Colt and Tom Simpson (1928).

Archie Simpson

Hamilton J. Stutt designed both the Murrayshall and Lynedoch courses.

James Braid

Unknown

Original layout by Old Tom Morris. Later modifications made by James Braid, Tom Simpson and Ben Sayers (1920).

Current course designed by Scottish course architect Peter Robertson (1936).

Original 9-hole course laid out by Mr McAndrew (1918), extended to 18-holes by Greens of Scotland (1996).

Dave Thomas designed both the Hawkshill course (1990) and Swailend course (1997).

Designer of original layout unknown; later extensions and modifications by Old Tom Morris and David "Davie" Strath (1876), Tom Dunn (1880s), and Ben Sayers Jr and Major Cecil K. Hutchison (1932).

Panmure's original course at this location (following their 1899 move from Monifeith Links) was laid out by Old Tom Morris. Subsequent modifications by James Braid (1922).

The Craigewan Links began as a nine-hole course designed by Willie Park Jr (1892); extended to 18 holes by Archie Simpson (1908). A second 18-holes, the New course, was established in 1923; today it exists as a nine-hole course.

Original course designed by Willie Fernie (1908); modified by Major Cecil K. Hutchison (early-1920s).

Charles Hunter

James Braid

Old Tom Morris

Charles Hunter & John Allen

Tom Doak

Unknown

Colin Montgomerie

Dave Thomas

Originally designed in 1888 by the Simpson Brothers (Archie & Robert) of Carnoustie. Later re-bunkered and lengthened by James Braid. Donald Steel has made recent alterations.

Many have contributed to the Old Course layout. Most recently: Daw Anderson (1850s), Old Tom Morris (1860s to 1900) and Dr Alister Mackenzie (1930s).

Original layout at this location designed by Old Tom Morris (1894). Subsequent improvements made by Willie Park Jr, Harry Colt, Philip Mackenzie Ross and James Braid.

Original nine-hole layout dates from 1877. Extended to 18 holes by Old Tom Morris (1886). Later improvements made by John Sutherland, Donald Ross (born in Dornoch) and J.H. Taylor.

Originally laid out as Dornoch's 12-hole Ladies course (1899); later replaced by a new design (1923). Expanded to 18 holes by Donald Steel and Robin Hiseman (1999). Parts of the Struie will be revised again with the advent of the new clubhouse in 2025.

Much of the current Montrose Links layout is credited to Willie Park Jr (1903).

Original layout at this Prestonpans location by James Braid & Frederick G. "Fred" Hawtree (1925).

Old Tom Morris

Original layout designed by George Smith (golf professional of Lossiemouth).

Current layout by Willie Fernie (1910); significant renovation and bunker modifications by James Braid (1922).

Original layout by Willie Fernie, with major modifications and re-routing by Dr Alister MacKenzie (1921).

Current course has its origins in a layout designed by Old Tom Morris (1905). Alterations and extensions made by James Braid (1923).

Willie Fernie, with later substantive changes designed by Willie Park Jr.

Scottish course architect Philip Mackenzie Ross (known as Mackenzie Ross).

Original design by Ben Sayers (1907). Renovation by Mike Clayton, Mike DeVries and Frank Pont (of CDP Golf Design) (2024).

Dave Thomas

David McLay-Kidd

Original design by Peter Thomson, with significant later alterations and a new back-nine layout by Tim Liddy in 2006.

Harry Colt

John Angus Jr designed the original 12-hole layout (1897). The course was extended from 12 to 18 holes (1905), and significantly redesigned by Donald Steel (1989).

Old Tom Morris

Many have contributed to the Old Course layout. Most recently: Daw Anderson (1850s), Old Tom Morris (1860s to 1900) and Dr Alister Mackenzie (1930s).

Donald Steel

Laid out by the original members.

James Braid

Old Tom Morris

Johnny Salvesen designed the current course in 1993 with input from Jimmy MacDonald (head-greenkeeper at Royal Lytham at the time). They significantly revamped what had originally been a private course, played on since around 1900.

Martin Hawtree, with Christian Lundin and Christine Fraser.

Martin Hawtree

Original course at Turnberry laid out by Willie Fernie (1901); later revisions by Major Cecil K. Hutchison (1938). Following WW2, when the course was transformed into an airbase, major renovations and revisions were made by Philip Mackenzie Ross (1945), and more recently by Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert (2016).

Donald Steel significantly revised and extended the old Arran course to create the new Kintyre layout (2001). The course was then revamped by Martin Ebert of Mackenzie & Ebert (2016) and renamed the King Robert the Bruce course.

Designer of original layout was the first greenkeeper, Mr Morris. Subsequent modifications made by Tom Simpson, and then by Frederick W. "Fred" Hawtree.

Original 9-hole course laid out by Old Tom Morris (1893). Extended to 18-holes by James Braid (1905).

Original nine holes designed by Charles Hunter, professional at Prestwick GC (1894). Extended to 18 holes by Gordon Cunningham (1978).