The home of Golf, yes that is Scotland!   The oldest course being Musselburgh...not as most people think St Andrews which is probably the most famous course in the world and where each year thousands of tourists come from all over the world to play on its majestic if somewhat unchallenging fairways. We have courses around the Loch as well, this is a taster of what is on offer within an hours drive of the Hotel. So, lets start with our local course...
Fort Augustus.   Last week I lost 4 balls on one hole... mainly due to the fact that I am stubborn and secondly to do with the fact that I am terrible at golf...but God loves a trier!!    The course though is very pretty and runs alongside the Caledonian Canal as it winds its way into Fort Augustus. Per Round £10.00 / Day Ticket £12.00 / Honesty Box for Green Fees / Club Hire available.	This was voted the hardest 9 hole Golf Course in Scotland by a national newspaper, and should you play it you can understand why.   It is a 9 hole course however it has 18 tees, lots of gourse and heather, the occasional (or not so occasional lamb and sheep) and should you not hit the ball deadly straight you will, and I mean will lose the ball.
Inverness Golf Club Situated one mile from the city centre and only 6 miles from the airport Inverness Golf Club provides an excellent test of golf. The course, which has been used for The Northern Open, measures 6256 yards and although considered short by modern day standards it has many fine features which makes it a most enjoyable test of golf.    Thursday is ladies day and Saturdays are to be avoided due to competitions. Sundays tee times are availble from 11am onwards however booking early is advised to avoid disappointment. Per Round £33.00 / Day Ticket £42.00	The highlight of the course has to be the dog-leg 14th hole. At 475 yards it not only demands length and accuracy off the tee but an extremely narrow entrance into a small green normally requires the steeliest of nerves with a long iron or wood. At 461 yards the 18th hole is one of the best finishing holes in the North of Scotland, and a par to finish makes the following refreshment in the 19th, overlooking the green, all the more enjoyable.
Loch Ness Golf Course (Fairways) Loch Ness Golf Course was opened in June of 1996 and has gained a reputation as an excellent test of golf for players of all abilities.   With generous fairways and large greens you may be fooled into thinking that the course was easy but the putting surfaces are some of the best in the Highlands and have developed both subtle and obvious borrows that mean you have to place your ball in the correct position on the fairway to attack the flags.	The signature hole is the 14th and is only 76 yards long, but there is nothing between the green and the tee except a deep gully with a burn at the bottom so it is not for the faint hearted!   The 2nd hole is the longest at over 550 yards from the medal tees and is a true 3 shotter as you also have several ditches and burns to contend with.
The course has a mixture of short and long par 4’s, reachable par 5’s and testing par 3’s offering something for everyone, and even if the golf is not up to scratch the views are of Inverness, the Moray Firth and the surrounding hills are truly outstanding.   Per Round from £15.00 (Winter ) £25.00 (Summer)
Boat of Garten Golf Club This course sitauted about 45 minutes drive from the hotel also made the newspapers along the same vein as Fort Augutus, it was voted the course with the most beautiful views and it certainly lives up to its repuation on that account.   Established in 1898 and designed by one of the grand-masters of golf course architecture - James Braid, "The Boat" is not only a demanding test of sporting skill but also a magnificent setting for the game.	The view from the clubhouse, over the 1st and 2nd fairways and beyond, to the Cairngorm mountains - with such distinctive features as the Lairig Ghru and the northern corries of Braeriach - is incomparable, certainly within the realms of Scottish golf.    Per Round £30.00 / Day Ticket £40.00
Royal Dornoch Golf Club So, we have saved the best till last, often referred to as one of the Top 5 courses in the whole of the UK, this is certainly challenging with its 3 courses and also extremely difficuly to get a tee time at. Booking is essential as far in advance as possible.     Dornoch is considered the finest northerly course in the world, and no other course offers as delicious a feeling of getting away from it all or better provides the pieces of natural seaside beauty , challenge and enjoyment and shot values.   The fairways are inviting as they ramble this way and that, and golfers may feel encouraged to take a big swing and still stay on course. But simply hitting the fairway is rarely enough. It’s no good, for instance, to hit the right side of the fairway on "Foxy," the par-four, 445-yard 14th hole, because the green isn’t visible from there. It’s hidden behind a sand hill that cuts into the fairway. Better to drive down the left side, then try to contrive a shot that finds the green, which is set on a precipice at nearly 90 degrees to the fairway.	After the second hole at Royal Dornoch, you round a corner past a hedge and golfing heaven breaks loose. Holes are visible everywhere, the North Sea frames the right, mountains are ahead and hills lie to your left. You’ll see people walking their dogs, cycling or wandering along a path up above. In late April and May the banks of whins are a carpet of yellow. Although it’s a private course, Dornoch sits on public land, meaning that visitors are welcome.       Royal Dornoch’s second links the Struie has been improved by the construction of 5 new holes, plus some existing holes have been extended with new tees/greens. Now Par 72, 6276yds the new layout is a fine test of golf and will require the use of all clubs in the bag. The Course can be enjoyed by the average player, but offers repeated and fresh challenge to the expert. As with most links it is flat and easy to walk round. Equally important golfers will be able to enjoy the views of the Dornoch Firth - as some of the new holes lie alongside the shoreline - the Struie Hill and the further mountains to the west.
Despite its northerly latitude, some 45-miles north of Inverness and nearly 200 from Edinburgh, improvements to roads help Royal Dornoch to continue to be one of the most popular golf courses in Scotland. Per Round from £48.00 (Winter) / £72.00 (Summer)