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Country: gb Page generated at: Monday, 4 May 2026 at 6:59:41 British Summer Time
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Courses and Travel
Golspie: Links, parkland and heathland in one venue

published: Jan 20, 2025

|

updated: Apr 14, 2025

Golspie: Links, parkland and heathland in one venue

Matt ColesLink

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Why we’d rather be playing this impeccably presented course in the shadows of Dornoch

Golspie: A truly special course that never disappoints

With a mixture of links, parkland and heathland, Golspie Golf Club is certainly one of a kind in the Scottish Highlands.

The club may be in the shadow of the nearby Royal Dornoch somewhat, but Golspie is one of several incredible golfing layouts in a wondrous stretch of coastline in the Highlands.

The early holes at Golspie are largely links along Dornoch Firth, before a delightful loop of heathland around the turn. It then returns to links towards the end of the course. 

History

Formed in 1889, various course alterations were made in the early 20th century. Then, in 1925, James Braid was invited to make his mark.

His improvements – which included adjusting the layout, adding a number of bunkers, and relocating some greens – were completed by 1926, including the signature 16th, Cairngorms, where Braid envisioned a two-tier green set behind its then-location.

Braid’s layout remains largely unchanged to this day, while the clubhouse, sited at various locations over the years, found its current home in 1967 and continues to offer a warm 19th hole welcome to all visitors.

In the dying embers of 2012, Golspie was overcome by extreme weather conditions, as strong winds and saltwater from the North Sea battered the links course over three days. The club faced its biggest challenge in its 135-year history but fought through brilliantly to bring the course back to its high standard.

What makes Golspie Golf Club special?

There are not many places around the country that can claim to have a mixture of links holes, parkland holes and heathland holes. Golspie is one of those!

The club also pride themselves in being largely run by volunteers; the only employees being a greens staff of three, plus the club professional and shop manager.

But what makes Golspie truly special is their very popular and in demand course that will not disappoint visitors all year round. 

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best Scottish links holes Golspie Golf Club

Where does it rank?

53rd in Scotland, 8th in the Highlands

Where is it?

Golspie Golf Club is one of the northernmost locations you will find on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. It is an hour north of Inverness and based in the Scottish Highlands. The club sits just off the A9 – which runs from Falkirk to Scrabster – and runs along the coastline of the North Sea. 

Get in touch with Golspie Golf Club

For more information about the club and course, visit its website or call them on 01408 633266.

Now have your say

Have you ever had the pleasure of playing at Golspie? Let us know your thoughts with a post on X, formerly Twitter!

About the author

Matt Coles
Matt Coles

Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…

Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.

He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.

Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…

Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.

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