Take on the Highland swing

Tuesday 5 July 2016 13:57, UK

Highland swing: Castle Stuart is the destination of choice for golf travellers flying north to Scotland to follow The European Tour.

With The 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open returning to the Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, this summer, now's the time to book a golf break to this striking destination overlooking the Moray Firth.

What's more, with the European Tour Travel Club you can enjoy a unique playing experience, including opportunities to tee it up on the day after the event with a special 'Monday-round-with-Sunday-pins' package.

Whenever you go, you'll find this corner of the Scottish Highlands is rich in golfing history with an array of world-class links to choose from, including Nairn, Nairn Dunbar and Royal Dornoch.

Distinctive links

The history of golf in the Highlands is rich indeed, with some of the game's great architects, including Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Archie Simpson creating many of the best layouts on the ancient lands from the Moray coast to Sutherland in the northern Highlands.

Castle Stuart Golf Links, overlooking the Moray Firth, Kessock Bridge and Chanonry Lighthouse, is a striking, modern links that has already sealed its place in golf history. Opened for play in 2009, the layout is rated inside the top 60 of the World Top 100 by www.top100golfcourses.co.uk.

What makes the course special, in addition to its location, is its distinctive features, including traditional links-related 'rumples' to 'infinity edged' greens that dramatically display standout Highland landmarks, making this a memorable links golfing experience.

Castle Stuart's European Tour heritage, which includes previously hosting the Scottish Open from 2011-2013, with Phil Mickelson claiming the title the week before he went on to win The Open at Muirfield, continues to ensure the course adds to the rich fabric of golf in the Scottish Highlands.

Highlands heritage

As well as teeing it up at Castle Stuart Golf Links, there's an array of world-class links just a short drive from Inverness, including The Nairn Golf Club, Nairn Dunbar Golf Club and Royal Dornoch Golf Club.

The Nairn Golf Club has a grand history in the game. Founded in 1887 on the shores of the Moray Firth, the course is based on the original design of Archie Simpson and is one of the most spectacular in Scotland.

Boasting sea views from every hole, with a number of fairways framed by gorse bushes and heather, it is a must-play course on any golf trip to the Highlands.

Only two miles from The Nairn Golf Club, is Nairn Dunbar Golf Club, a hidden gem on the Highlands Coast. Voted Scottish Golf Club of the Year in 2015, the traditional links course, with its spectacular scenery and history, is one Scotland's great links layouts and a must visit on any trip to the area.

Alongside the two courses in Nairn, Royal Dornoch's Championship Course is ranked number five in the world by Golf Digest Magazine in 2016.

Formed in 1877 at the suggestion of Alexander McHardy and Dr. Hugh Gunn, who had learned golf when studying at St Andrews, Dornoch Golf Club (the Royal charter would follow in 1906) was initially a 9-hole course.

All that was to change in 1886 when Old Tom Morris arrived at Dornoch, declared it the finest linksland he had every laid eyes on, and set about sculpting the course and its idiosyncratic greens to create what five-time Open Champion Tom Watson declared was "the most fun I have ever had playing golf".

Inverness is the best of both worlds; far enough away for the golf and the sea breezes to be pure, yet convenient and accessible thanks to its airport and transport links.

Whenever you go, you'll love this Highland swing. If you happen to go this July, with the European Tour Travel Club, you could be enjoying a unique experience at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open.

BOX SECTION

European Tour Travel Club Package

The European Tour Travel Club offers unique experiences for golf fans looking to combine breaks away with once-in-a-lifetime rounds.

Following The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, which features a stellar line-up of European Tour stars including Inverness-born Russell Knox alongside former winners Luke Donald, Graeme McDowell and Martin Kaymer, golfers can play the famed Castle Stuart Golf Links with this European Tour Travel Club package.

Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open, July 7-10

Venue: Castle Stuart, Inverness, Scotland