Schedule
Day One
We arrive at your airport of choice and transfer to our accommodation in Dundee. The four-star Apex Hotel is situated in Dundee’s vibrant waterfront district and boasts excellent facilities including a gym, spa and swimming pool. We’ll have breakfast here each day. A further meal, either lunch or dinner depending on tee times, will be provided in the clubhouse at each day’s golfing venue. After freshening up, we’ll have a chance to explore the neighbourhood before returning to the hotel for an evening meal.
The subtle links at Monifieth, on the outskirts of Dundee, is a great place to start our tour. The Medal Course is a regular host of final qualifying when the Open Championship is played at nearby Carnoustie. The undulating fairways offer an early lesson in one of the most important factors in links golf – watch out for the bounce of the ball. In summer conditions, when the landing areas are baked dry, shotmaking from the tee rather than pure length becomes key. We are following in famous footsteps by starting our tour at Monifieth. Tom Watson played his first ever round of links golf here in the week before the 1975 Open at Carnoustie. Forty-one years, and five Open wins later, he returned to the club to accept an honorary membership.
Golf has been played over the links in the season town of Montrose, 45 minutes north of Dundee, since 1562. It’s an outstanding natural links and one of our favourite courses (you can read more about why we love it so much here). The opening stretch, threaded along the top of dunes and bordered by a sweeping beach, are a pure joy. With a wind whipping in from the North Sea, approaches to the small greens require sound judgement and strong nerves. The back nine, while less spectacular, is a terrific test of strategy. The layout is threaded through gorse and sandhills, with nasty pot bunkers guarding the putting surfaces. We’ll take a late lunch after our round at one of the homely private members’ clubs which neighbour the course.
Day Four: Gleneagles (Kings and PGA Centenary)
An early start and a hearty breakfast are required today. We’re taking the 45-minute drive into the glorious Scottish Highlands for 36 holes of spectacular golf. The Gleneagles resort has been welcoming visitors for more than a century. Today we’ll play two of Scotland’s best inland courses. The Kings Course is a majestic test, featuring dramatic changes in elevation and panoramic green complexes. After lunch at the celebrated Dormy House, overlooking the Kings’ 18th green, we’ll play the PGA Centenary, which has hosted both the Ryder and Solheim Cups in recent years. This Jack Nicklaus signature design incorporates water hazards and sweeping bunkers among remarkable scenery. Putting out on the 18th in the long summer twilight is an unforgettable experience.
Panmure is short by modern standards but any golfer who can match the par of 70 will have played very decent golf. Located right next to Monifieth, the narrow fairways are flanked by hazards including burns, gorse and, on several holes, the main railway line from Dundee to Aberdeen. Panmure is celebrated for its association with the legendary Ben Hogan, who prepared here for his only appearance at the Open Championship. His preparation was certainly effective as he went on to triumph at nearby Carnoustie with a peerless display of ball-striking.
After lunch at the clubhouse, we’ll make the short journey back into Dundee, where we will have time to explore some of the city’s best attractions. Near our hotel, the RRS Discovery sits in harbour. This iconic vessel was at the heart of early efforts to explore Antartica in the early 20th Century. A tour of the Discovery is a chance to, well, discover more about this amazing ship and the heroes who sailed on her.
The final round of our tour is at Carnoustie, one of the world’s best – and toughest – tests of golf. This elegant links is a supreme test of shotmaking and score building. Careful positioning off the tee is key to a good round. It’s fitting that the final holes of our tour should be over one of the most formidable closing stretches in all golf. The sequence from the 15th to 18th is a riot of bunkers, burns and out of bounds. It’s a thrilling challenge and a memorable way to end a visit to this corner of Scotland. After our round, we’ll have a farewell dinner at the Carnoustie’s recently built clubhouse, as the sun goes down on our Scottish adventure.
Day Seven
We’ll transfer to your departure airport of choice. Dundee is one hour from Edinburgh International Airport and 90 minutes from Glasgow International Airport. Both are served by transatlantic flights.