Golf & City Breaks in Scotland

Sometimes you want to plan a golf trip and also discover a new city whilst you’re at it. It is easy to plan a trip to Scotland to take in the world-famous courses but what else can you plan around your golf?

A night out in Scotland is something to savour, you never quite know how the night will pan out and what adventures you might end up on. It’s not all about nights out and drinking though, Scotland has so much to offer in its big cities.

Here is a taster of some of the courses to play and things to get up to whilst you are in town. The question that you need to consider is what do you book up first, the golf or everything else? Read on for some pointers.

Edinburgh

Let’s start in a place that covers almost everyone’s taste, Scotland’s capital. Here you have some of the best restaurants around, great cocktail bars and clubs to end the night with a dance. Edinburgh is also close to some of the best links golf in the world so it is an ideal base for this kind of golf trip.

Depending on budget, Archerfield and Renaissance are two modern links clubs you should visit and there are three courses to play here. The Direlton and Fidra at Archerfield are great modern links courses that have a bit of a heathland feel about them. On the same estate, Renaissance is the home of the Scottish Open so you can follow in the footsteps of the world’s best.

For a more classic links experience, the three courses at Gullane should be on your list. The views across the Firth of Forth to Edinburgh and Fife add a little extra to your round here. Gullane, like St Andrews and Carnoustie, is a town that is devoted to and obsessed by golf. It is a great place.

For the proper Lothian golf experience you absolutely must stop by the Duck’s Inn. One of the best golf pubs in the world, you will be treated with the warmest of welcomes and be surrounded by fellow-golfers. You can even take part in the barstool putting competition if you’re feeling brave.

The city’s most famous export is the annual Edinburgh Festival. If you head to the capital in August then you will definitely not be short of things to do. Another option in Edinburgh is to take in some of the gruesome history of the city that makes for some macabre appeal.

Follow the story of Burke and Hare or walk through The Vaults underneath the city and hear about the literal underworld that used to be such a part of old Edinburgh. This is a fascinating city that can have the least cultured person in the world seeking new experiences.

Aberdeen

Known for being one of the best places for a night out in Scotland, Aberdeen has the perfect mix of great courses and great nightlife. You will find that a night out in Aberdeen can get away from you quickly as you get caught up in the spirit of the city, it just loves a party.

Being a town made up of fishermen, oil executives and students, there is a potentially lethal mix of those who can and like to put away the drink. Just don’t try to keep up, you won’t win and your golf game could suffer. Just minutes from the city you can find some world class links courses.

Royal Aberdeen is a former Scottish Open and Walker Cup host course, it is a traditional links that deserves all of its plaudits. A round here will definitely blow any cobwebs off you from the night before, especially if the wind from the North Sea picks up!

From a classic links to a new one, our next recommendation is a controversial one. When you’re in Aberdeen you really should give Trump International Golf Links a play. Like or loathe the ex-President, this course is utterly incredible and easily one of the most beautiful links courses.

The course is the work of Martin Hawtree and it runs along the coast whilst cocooning you in the dunes. This is as links of the highest quality and anyone who has played it raves about it. Make sure you add the Trump Links to you itinerary.

Glasgow

If you want a nightlife in Scotland then it really has to be Glasgow. Here you will end up part of the city and undoubtedly make new friends along the way. The West End is a great place to go for bars filled with character, a good whisky and maybe a proper rowdy night at one of the pubs in the teuchter triangle. The Merchant City is another great spot to check out.

In terms of golf, there are some great inland courses very close to the city. They are a short drive away and offer fantastic golf. First stop has to be Mar Hall, a fairly new championship course designed by Dave Thomas. This course is set in the Earl of Mar Estate with the beautiful hotel as a centrepiece. It is a tacticians course that requires patience.

Views of the Clyde River and the Kilpatrick Hills await to enhance the great golf on offer. If you’re lucky you may get a sail past from a cool ship or two and the Auchentoshan Distillery is just over the river if you want to do a tour after your round too.

Another great course is Glasgow Killermont. This Old Tom Morris course is on the shorter side but the course is always in immaculate condition. There are some truly wonderful parkland holes during this round and it is only ten minutes by taxi from the West End of Glasgow.

The Borders

There is something about a night out in a small Scottish town that is hard to beat. You never know where your night is going to take you or who you’ll end up sharing a pint with. They are like a proper adventure and some of the towns in the Borders are perfect for this kind of night.

For easy to get to golf, Peebles is probably the best town to use as a base. This is a rugby town and going there during a game is quite the experience, especially if they win. Peebles Golf Club is a perfectly good inland course with lush rolling fairways and exceptional greens.

The course is famed for its velvety putting surfaces and also offers some beautiful views of the town and the Tweed Valley. Another incredible option nearby is Cardrona. Like Mar Hall, in Glasgow, this course was designed by the late Dave Thomas and is a phenomenal track.

This is a course that tests you control of the ball and that you can’t just overpower with booming Bryson-style driving. Tricky green complexes and large putting surfaces are a signature of Thomas and Cardrona is no exception. There is also a hotel of the same name onsite which could be your perfect base camp for the trip.

Dumfries and Galloway

Dumfries is a very underrated destination for a nightlife and golf trip. This is another one of these places that you should never take on a local in a drinking contest because they are a hearty peoples and a bit of a different breed when it comes to drinking. You have been warned.

Staying in the town of Dumfries is perfect as it boasts two brilliant courses that you will want to play more than once, Dumfries and Galloway was designed by Willie Fernie, a former Open Champion and designer of some great courses. At 6,200 yards in its modern form, it isn’t long but it is a great length that you can enjoy.

This is a beautiful parkland course with nice elevation change and tall trees to navigate between as you make your way round. This course is an absolute bargain and the welcome you get is second to none. This is simply golf as it should be.

Dumfries and County is the other course in the area that you should visit and is another by Willie Fernie. This time, with the help of Philip MacKenzie Ross, Dumfries and County is probably the best course in the southwest of Scotland. It is another club that prides itself on the warm welcome that they offer to guests.

With a full complement of USGA standard greens and beautiful fairways to get you there, you will love your round here. It is a fairly gentle course which is always a nice thing when playing somewhere you’ve never played before.

We all love the experience of the 19th hole, that chance to talk through your round. The chance to boast of your best shots and slag your mates for their worst. Having a golf trip that is designed around the nightlife means that this experience can go on through the night.

The decision that remains is whether you want to prioritise the nightlife or the quality of the golf courses that you will visit. Sometimes you can have the best of both worlds too, Scotland offers a great smorgasbord of golf and nightlife so you are well served in the home of golf.

A great night out after an equally great round can help you continue basking in the glow of those birdies into the night. It can also help you forget a bad round and be a nice distraction before you tee it up the next day to try again.

If this kind of trip sounds like it’s perfect for you and your group, YourGolfTravel absolutely have you sorted to help you enjoy jam-packed days and nights of fun. The golf may be great, it may be less than that, but trips like these make for a great break.