Region: Western Isles, Orkney & Shetland
Golf-Link-Scotland Top 10 Western Isles, Orkney & Shetland Golf Courses. For a comprehensive listing of all the courses in this region of Scotland and the relevant contact information please scroll down the page.
- Askernish
- Barra
- Benbecula
- Isle of Harris
- Orkney
- Shetland
- Stornoway
- Stromness
- Westray
- Whalsay
Western Isles, Orkney & Shetland:
A paradise for wildlife. Beautiful white sands on the Western Isles help to make this special place a golfing heaven. Visit Skara Brae on Orkney to see Stone Age settlements. These islands have strong Nordic influences, which can be found in their place names and culture. It is believed that 100 Iron-Age settlements stood on the Shetland Island, and many impressive artefacts have been discovered.
If you are up to some island hopping then trying out some of Orkney’s magic might be just the thing you’re after. With six golf courses to tempt you across to this cluster of islands why not try out a couple for yourself? The courses in Orkney are a real “stomach” as the locals might call it, a right mix of parkland, links and even the odd bunker left over from the war to contend with.
Stromness Golf Club with magnificent views over the Hoy Sounds boasting what must surely be one of the only golf courses to promote midnight golf on a mid summers day, could be the most interesting round you’ll ever play! Stromness translates from “headland in the stream” and there is plenty to interest the visitor with it’s small lanes twisting and turning along the shore. Stromness Golf Club have their own Open Championship each year with players taking part from home and abroad.
Perhaps you’d like to be able to say you’ve played golf on the most northerly course in the UK? Then Whalsay on the Shetlands will fit the bill with it’s amazing setting upon the cliffs. Once it was a proud fishing port, and locally known as the “bonny island”.
“Old Tom Morris” weaved some of his magic away in South Uist at Askernish, now restored to Open Championship standard and already welcoming new visitors to the idea of island golf.
With a back drop of stunning white beaches and a view across to the famous island of Taransay, Harris Golf Club is designed for you to enjoy the experience of playing amidst the brimming character of machair dunes. Harris and Lewis are in fact only one landmass although very different in landscape they are divided by hills and sea lochs.
Take a hop across from Papa Westray to Westray a flight taking a mere three minutes, it’s believed to be the shortest scheduled plane trip in the world, and enjoy playing a nine hole links course there, but keep an eye out for the rabbit holes. The oldest standing house in Europe is found in Papa Westray and is known as The Knap of Howar.
The Uists showcase beauty and a rich history if you are prepared to venture further afield. Barra Golf club enjoys views over the Atlantic as the UK’s most westerly golf course. It’s at Barra that you might just find yourself facing the challenge of sharing the greens with some wandering livestock!
An interesting footnote from the Isle of Harris Golf Club is a five pound note signed by Sir Nick Faldo which they have framed and is played for every year, it’s known as The Faldo Fiver! He dropped it into their “honesty box” after enjoying a round on what he claimed was “one of the most beautiful spots for golf”. The degree of difficulty will sometimes tax you depending on the extent of any gale force winds gushing in across the Atlantic at the time!
Benbecula Golf Course is pretty flat, with a few tricky holes not made any easier to navigate due to the rabbit population, although it’s normally kept in good condition.
Founded in 1889 Orkney Golf Club is an 18 hole parkland course is just a short crossing or flight from the mainland which sets you upon a voyage of discovery. Situated in the Island’s capital of Kirkwall which comes from the Norse meaning Church Bay, Orkney is steeped in history and Kirkwall is a fairly bustling wee town.
Take the time to lift your head as you stand ready to tee off amid some of the most beautiful scenery, and drink in the beauty of the place. There are whales, otters and seals to be seen if you care to seek them out. Orkney is home to around 60,000 puffins most of them across on Sule Skerry which is an in-accessible island about fifty miles off the coast.
Island folk don’t need much encouragement to celebrate a festival or event of some kind or another. From Jazz to fiddle playing and all types of music in between. The year kicks off on Shetland in January with the Scalloway Fire Festival consisting of a torch lit procession and galley burning, just to set you up for the year!
So why not put your golf clubs down for a few days and enjoy the inspirational scenery and diverse culture that this part of Scotland has to offer you.
| Askernish Golf Course | Lochboisdale, Askernish,South Uist | agc@askernishgolfclub.com | Links, H: 18 Par/SSS: 72/67 |
| 01878 700083 | HS81 5ST | www.askernishgolfclub.com | Length: 6,167 yds |
| Asta Golf Course | South Garth, Asta,Scalloway, Shetland | astagolfclub@btinternet.com | Inland, H: 9 Par/SSS: 62 |
| 01595 880538 | ZE1 0UQ | N/A | Length: 4,000 yds |
| Isle of Barra Golf Course | Cleat, Castlebay,Isle of Barra | duncanmackinnon@live.co.uk | Links, H: 9 Par/SSS: 68/64 |
| 01871 810944 | www.isleofbarra.com/golf1.html | Length: 5,032 yds |
| Benbecula Golf Course | Balivanich, Benbecula | enquiries@benbeculagolfclub.co.uk | Links, H: 9 Par/SSS: 62/63 |
| 01870 602679 | HS7 5LA | www.benbeculagolfclub.co.uk | Length: 4,380 yds |
| Isle of Harris Golf Course | Scarista, isle of Harris | harrisgolf@ic24.net | Links, H: 9 Par/SSS: 68/64 |
| 01859 550226 | HS3 3HX | www.harrisgolf.com | Length: 4,864 yds |
| North Ronaldsay Golf Course | Sangar, North Ronaldsay,Orkney | peter.donnelly2@virgin.net | Links, H: 9 Par/SSS: 35 |
| 01857 633242 | KW17 2BG | N/A | Length: 2,212 yds |
| Orkney Golf Course | Grainbank, Orkney | orkneygolfclub@yahoo.com | Parkland, H: 18 Par/SSS: 70/67 |
| 01856 872457 | KW15 1RD | www.orkneygolfclub.co.uk | Length: 5,411 yds |
| Sanday Golf Course | Sanday, Orkney | N/A | Links, H: 9 Par/SSS: 35/36 |
| 01857 600341 | KW17 2BW | N/A | Length: 5,200 yds |
| Shetland Golf Course | Dale Gott, Shetland | info@shetlandgolfclub.co.uk | Parkland, H: 18 Par/SSS: 68/68 |
| 01595 840369 | ZE2 9SB | www.shetlandgolfclub.co.uk | Length: 5,562 yds |
| South Ronaldsay Golf Course | Bypass Road, St. Margarets Hope,Orkney | N/A | Parkland, H: 9 Par/SSS: 37 |
| 01856 831395 | KW17 2RJ | N/A | Length: 2,754 yds |
| Stornoway Golf Course | Lady Lever Park, Stornoway,Isle of Lewis | admin@stornowaygolfclub.co.uk | Parkland, H: 18 Par/SSS: 68/67 |
| 01851 702240 | HS2 0XP | www.stornowaygolfclub.co.uk | Length: 5,252 yds |
| Stromness Golf Course | Ness, Stromness,Orkney | colin_john_macleod@btopenworld.com | Links, H: 18 Par/SSS: 65/63 |
| 01856 850772 | KW16 3DW | www.stromnessgc.co.uk | Length: 4,804 yds |
| Westray Golf Course | Westray, Orkney | N/A | Links, H: 9 Par/SSS: 34 |
| 01857 677303 | N/A | Length: 2,320 yds |
| Whalsay Golf Course | Skaw Taing, Whalsay,Shetland | alan.solvei@lineone.net | Links, H: 18 Par/SSS: 71/69 |
| 01806 566481 | ZE2 9AL | www.whalsaygolfclub.com | Length: 6,140 yds |