Pick Your Spots for a Budget Trip to Scotland

Intimidated by the cost of a dream golf vacation in Scotland? The answer is to mix your bucket-list courses with affordable gems, and to check into a guesthouse or a B&B rather than splurge on a five-star hotel.

(Last updated February 2024.)

Many golfers put off their dream pilgrimage to the links of Scotland because of the expense.

But the key to an economical and fun trip to golf’s birthplace is picking your spots. Instead of a five-star resort, stay in a cozy guesthouse or B&B. Always sleep two to a room. And mix in affordable hidden gems with the bucket-list courses you feel you absolutely have to play.

My last trip, sponsored by Visit Scotland and tour operator Golfbreaks.com, followed this formula during a weeklong journey from the links-rich Ayrshire Coast near Glasgow to the ‘Auld Grey Toon’ of St. Andrews, a first glimpse of heaven for everyone who loves the game.

Home to Royal Troon, Prestwick and other hallowed links, Ayrshire is steeped in history, with ties to William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Robbie Burns. My base here was the Mercure Ayr Hotel, a clean and welcoming three-star hotel in the centre of the popular seaside town of Ayr.

Royal Troon, which will host its 10th Open Championship in 2024, is an obvious must-play. This was where Phil Mickelson and eventual winner Henrik Stenson fought their epic final-round duel in the 2016 Open. An equally essential stop is Prestwick, especially for anyone fascinated by the history of the game. Full of blind shots and crazy bounces, this lovable Old Tom Morris design has hosted 24 Opens, including the first 12 ever played.

Other high-profile local links include Western Gailes, Dundonald Links and the Ailsa course at Trump Turnberry. All rank among Scotland’s outstanding courses. But like every leading golf destination, Ayrshire is also rich in less heralded, though still highly recommended, courses. Irvine Golf Club, Gailes Links, Barassie Links, West Kilbride Golf Club and Prestwick St. Nicholas Golf Club are all strong courses that live in the shadow of the big guns.

Of course, Ayrshire (and almost every other region of Scotland) is worth its own trip. But nowhere offers the allure or possibly as many brilliant golf courses as St. Andrews, on the Fife Coast, about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Ayr.

As recognizably Scottish as the kilt and sporran, St. Andrews is a starkly beautiful tumble of sandstone buildings blackened with age and cathedral spires that thrust like medieval pikes into the sky. Dominating the bustling downtown is the University of St. Andrews, founded in 1413. And smack in the heart of it all is the Old Course, the world’s most revered links.

Once I’d settled in at Six Murray Park, a charming nine-suite guesthouse near the centre of town, I entered the daily ballot to play the Old Course, the experience of a lifetime. My number didn’t come up this visit, but no matter. There are six other terrific courses also managed by the St. Andrews Links Trust right in town, as well as several other must-play links—including Kingsbarns Golf Links and Crail Golfing Society’s Balcomie Links—within easy reach.

Affordable nearby gems Scotscraig Golf Club, Elie Links, Leven Links and Lundin Links all await discovery by budget-conscious golfers determined to finally make their dream trip to Scotland come true.