Golf & Music Tour to the Highlands

Brora Golf Club is about 20 miles north of Dornoch and skirts around the westerly edge of Loch Fleet before passing through the Highland village of Golspie.Those of us playing golf can get a glimpse of Dunrobin Castle, however our non-golfers can take a tour of the stately home that has been continuously inhabited since the early 1300s.

Brora was founded in 1891 and is about 590 miles south of the Arctic Circle but the region enjoys the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. Like many other courses, Brora started as a nine-hole course and was later extended to 18 holes. J.H. Taylor made further changes following a visit, and in 1923 James Braid was commissioned to redesign Brora.

We will get to play this traditional out-and-back layout with the opening holes hugging the North Sea coastline. Might you see some sheep or cattle grazing on the course? Yes, but don’t worry, little electric fences keep them off the greens. One thing we might all consider doing is a visit to Clynelish Distillery, located right in Brora. Of interest to some, Clynelish has had a strong connection with Johnnie Walker blended whisky for many years.

After bringing us golf pilgrims to the hugely popular Kingsbarns in Fife, Mark Parsinen used his wealth of knowledge about golf in Scotland and co-designed Castle Stuart with Gil Hanse in the Highlands. The course, set by the Moray Firth, opened in 2009 and has hosted multiple Scottish Opens.

Kevin and Taba got to witness Luke Donald win there in 2011, as guests of Mark and Dede Parsinen, and then our group played the course the next day with the tournament pin placements still in place.

The course is brilliantly laid out with a sort of upper and lower tier. It is one of the most fun courses anywhere in the world, thanks to Mark’s design philosophy, with playability being the priority, which you will experience for yourself. The iconic art deco style clubhouse has always been a welcome sight upon arrival or whenever you glimpse it from the course. However a new clubhouse facility (and luxury lodges) are now currently in design.

In June of 2022 Ben Cowan-Dewar’s company bought Castle Stuart Golf Links and rebranded it Cabot Highlands. Then he hired Tom Doak to design the second course now known as Old Petty, officially opened on May 15, 2026.

We have been excited about this development for quite a while and even included the artful rendering of the course by Don Placek in the Terroir of Golf book. For those of you who have a copy, look it up in the chapter on Designers Talk Turf where Tom Doak is profiled.

The routing threads its way around the 1839 Old Petty church. The name reflects the traditional geographic and parish name. This course also sits along the Moray Firth and the gently rolling terrain also spans a tidal estuary. The late Mark Parsinen had always envisioned a second course and now it has come to life.

Nairn is a great favorite of both Kevin and Taba. It is also featured in Terroir of Golf in the beginning of the book called “Let’s Talk Scotland.” This is a rather long story where in addition to playing the historic links course, we introduce you to the joy of sticky toffee pudding!

Nairn Golf Club was founded in 1887 and is another outstanding seaside links along the Moray Firth. The first seven holes run right along the coastline. It is just about 20 minutes northeast of Inverness and close by Castle Stuart. The original holes were laid out by Archie Simpson and later on Old Tom Morris and James Braid brought their design ideas to the course, along with several others since then.

Non-golfers have an excellent chance to visit the site of the Battle of Culloden which took place on April 16, 1746. I write about my amazing experience there in a story called Thin Red Line which is included in my book: Golfers, Scotland is Calling. Nairn has hosted both the prestigious Walker Cup and Curtis Cup.

This is a bit of a surprise to our itinerary! Founded in 1898 “The Boat” sits in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

James Braid redesigned it into a full 18 holes in the 1930s. The undulating fairways are carved through a forest of dense pine and silver birch. The heather is said to remind people of Surrey heathland courses like Walton Heath and Sunningdale. Although the overall length is only 5,876 yards from the back tees, it is a compact, quirky course. On the famous 15th, (spoiler alert) we use an elevated viewing tower to line up a shot on the short par-4.

Another fun aspect is the vintage Strathspey Steam Railway rambling past parts of the course with the Cairngorm Mountains forming a magnificent backdrop. For the non-golfers, an option to ride on the train could be an interesting way to have lunch and an upgrade to First Class allows you to have a meal in a finely decorated compartment. The impressive journey is a 20-mile roundtrip.