To drive north from Inverness towards Dornoch is to leave behind most of what the modern world looks like and enter something older and more elemental. The Highland landscape opens. The Dornoch Firth appears. And the links of Royal Dornoch, set on the natural coastal shelf above the town, come into view as one of the most naturally perfect pieces of golf land on earth.
Tom Watson said Royal Dornoch was the most fun he had ever had on a golf course. Nick Faldo spoke of it as the finest natural links he had ever played. Cabot Highlands at Castle Stuart, south of Inverness, is the second essential Highland course — running along the shore of the Moray Firth with the Highland mountains rising on all sides. The Highlands reward the commitment of the journey.
Plan Your Highlands Experience
Royal Dornoch is the course that serious golfers build Scotland Experiences around. The Championship Course was laid out originally in the 1870s with significant contributions from Old Tom Morris. The links sit above the town on a natural coastal shelf with the Dornoch Firth below and the Highland hills rising beyond. The greens are superb — subtle, fast and among the finest on any links in Scotland. Tom Watson's favorite course on earth.
Cabot Highlands opened in 2009 and immediately established itself as one of the finest new golf courses built anywhere in the world in the previous decade. Designed by Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse along the southern shore of the Moray Firth with the Highland mountains rising on all sides. The course has hosted the Scottish Open and continues to rank among the finest modern links in Scotland.
Nairn Golf Club sits on the Moray Firth coast west of Inverness and offers a championship links of genuine quality. The club has hosted the Walker Cup and the Curtis Cup — two of the most significant amateur golf events in the game.
Brora Golf Club, designed by James Braid, sits on the Sutherland coast north of Dornoch. The course is still grazed by cattle and sheep as it has been for over a century. One of the most genuinely traditional and personal links experiences in Scotland.
Garmany's Highland properties range from the intimate luxury of Ness Walk on the banks of the River Ness to Links House in the village of Dornoch, steps from one of the world's great golf courses.
A beautifully renovated Victorian mansion on the banks of the River Ness. Intimate, exceptionally well run and within walking distance of the city's finest restaurants. Garmany's preferred Inverness property.
In the village of Dornoch, steps from Royal Dornoch Golf Club. The most direct connection between accommodation and one of the world's great golf courses available anywhere in Scotland.
Well-positioned and comfortable. A natural base for groups focused on the Inverness-area courses who prefer a more familiar hotel environment.
A characterful Dornoch property for groups who want to be in the village at a more accessible price point, within easy walking distance of the course and the town.
Inverness's restaurant scene produces cooking of genuine ambition built on extraordinary Highland produce — from the converted church above the River Ness at The Mustard Seed to the reliable quality of Café 1 and the contemporary confidence of Rocpool.
One of Inverness's most celebrated restaurants, in a converted church above the River Ness. Modern Scottish cooking with a strong local and Highland produce focus. Garmany's primary recommendation for the significant Highland dinner.
Reliably excellent Inverness cooking from well-sourced Scottish and Highland ingredients. The mid-week dinner that requires quality without formality.
Contemporary Scottish cooking above the River Ness. Consistently good and popular with Garmany groups spending multiple evenings in Inverness.
The Highlands offer non-golf experiences of a power and grandeur that no other part of Scotland can match — from the ruins of Urquhart Castle on the shores of Loch Ness to the battlefield at Culloden and the falconry at Dunrobin.
Urquhart Castle stands on the shore of Loch Ness with a history spanning from the 13th century. Garmany arranges private guided visits with historical context that goes beyond standard sightseeing. A morning at Culloden combined with an afternoon at Royal Dornoch is one of the most complete days available in the Highlands.
The last pitched battle fought on British soil took place at Culloden Moor in April 1746. The site carries a weight that affects almost every Garmany Guest who visits. One of the most powerful and affecting experiences in Scotland.
Scotland's most northerly great house, set on the Sutherland coast above formal French-style gardens. The falconry displays in the grounds are among the most enjoyable non-golf experiences Garmany arranges in the Highlands.
Above the city with Highland panoramas. Combined with a riverside walk and lunch at The Mustard Seed or Rocpool, a straightforward and enjoyable non-golf morning.
Royal Dornoch is approximately 45 miles north of Inverness, around an hour by car. Inverness Airport receives direct flights from London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton and other UK cities.
Without reservation. Royal Dornoch is among the ten finest golf courses in the world and the experience of playing it — the natural terrain, the extraordinary greens, the Highland setting — is precisely what Garmany Experiences are built around.
For courses around Inverness — Cabot Highlands, The Nairn and Brora — Ness Walk is Garmany's primary recommendation. For Royal Dornoch specifically, Links House in Dornoch village is the natural choice.
Yes. The Highlands pair most naturally with the Aberdeen and Northeast Coast region. The combination of Cabot Highlands, Royal Dornoch and the Aberdeen courses over five or six days is one of the finest multi-region Scotland Experiences that Garmany designs.
