I am currently on a solo golf trip in Scotland. This is my second trip but first one alone. I wanted to share my experience thus far mainly for others to know they can absolutely do it on their own. Don’t wait for those friends who never commit to do it, just do it. Life is too short. Additionally, thank you to all the rando’s I have messaged and corresponded with that helped put together this itinerary. Finally, if anyone has any questions or needs help planning a trip, I’d love to help. It’s such a special place and deserves the foot traffic it enjoys (and even some below that don’t get as much as they deserve).

Courses Played: Boat of Garten, Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Ullapool, Durness, Reay, Brora, Golspie.

Boat of Garten (1-2)- Fantastic course. Played solo and saw very few golfers. Great views and exceptionally designed golf holes. #1 was a long par 3 which is kind of annoying. #3 might be the most punishing/innocent looking par 3 I’ve ever played. The stretch from 11-14 were incredible golf holes with great views of the mountains. Courses it reminded me of: Gleneagles, Bethpage Red (ish). 8.5/10

Fortrose & Rosemarkie (3-5) -  An absolute gem. The views were phenomenal and the routing was very interesting. Tricky greens. On the downside, some womp womp throwaway holes, honestly might be better as a 12 holer. Ultimately well worth the trip to the Black Isle. Course it reminded me of: Pacific Grove, but on steroids. 8.5/10

Ullapool (6-8) - I wanted to love Ullapool. And I still may on a revisit, I think I just caught it at a bad time after a crap ton of rain. Like having to wipe off your putter and ball after every hole kind of wet. But on the positive side, holes 2-4 are worth the price of admission and worth playing on repeat. Especially when I played, at twilight watching the sun set over the loch and the ocean. Ultimately a worthwhile stop if in the area, but can’t say I’d go out of my way to ensure you play it. Course it reminded me of: Honestly maybe Pacific Grove again 😂. 7/10

Durness (9-11) - I can think of no other course that can match the views of both infinite mountains and oceanfront beaches. A tough walk but a worthwhile one. The views from the top are worth it. And every hole is well thought out and requires some real risk/reward analysis. My only complaint is the amount of golf balls I lost that I just couldn’t find. Comparable courses: Sheep Ranch, Kapalua Bay Course. 8/10

Reay (12-13) - Another gem tucked away on the NC500. Most northerly 18 hole on mainland Britain, this course is a proper test of wind management. Great links course with some sand dunes and a couple great viewpoints. Pay via honesty box and no merch was kind of a bummer. Worth stopping for sure. Course it reminded me of: Bandon Dunes 8.5/10

Brora (14-16) - Holy moly what a track. Definitely lived up to the hype. Great out and back routing with little nuances to every hole that makes each one unique and special. The wind was playing with me the entire round, seemingly changing on every hole lending some extra spice. Borderline unmissable if coming up to the highlands. Courses it reminded me of: Pacific Dunes, Reay, with a little bit of Old Mac sprinkled in? 9.5/10

Golspie (17-19) - Just down the road from Brora, arguably the best routing of them all. Start by playing into town, pivot to the ocean, turn into the heathland, and back out to the ocean. 4/5 par 3’s are exceptional. Truly a great course that seems to get overlooked. Courses it reminded me of: Little bit of Boat, little bit of Brora, and a zest of Prestwick? 9/10

Upcoming courses in part 2: Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Muirfield. And ballot willing, Old Course.

A Solo Scottish Golf Trip (Part 1)