Scottish Golf History
How Many Golf Courses Are There in Scotland?
Scotland has around 550–600 golf courses — more per head of population than any other country on earth. Here's how they break down and why the number matters.
Scotland has approximately 550–600 golf courses — the exact number depends on whether you count 9-hole courses, seasonal closures, and private clubs with restricted access. Scottish Golf, the national governing body, registers around 580 member clubs. Wikipedia places the figure at 587. Either way, Scotland has more golf courses per head of population than anywhere else on earth.
How many people does that serve?
Scotland's population is approximately 5.5 million. At 580 courses, that's roughly one course per 9,500 people. Compare that to:
- England: ~1,800 courses for 56 million people (~1 per 31,000)
- USA: ~15,500 courses for 335 million people (~1 per 22,000)
- Ireland: ~400 courses for 5 million people (~1 per 12,500)
Scotland's density is exceptional. This is why you can almost always find a game without weeks of advance planning.
Breakdown by type
| Course type | Approximate count |
|---|---|
| Links (coastal) | 50–60 |
| Parkland (inland) | 350–400 |
| Heathland | 30–40 |
| Highland / moorland | 70–100 |
The majority of Scottish courses are parkland, despite the country's global reputation for links golf. The famous courses are links — Old Course, Carnoustie, Royal Dornoch, Royal Troon, Turnberry — but they represent a small fraction of the total. Most golf played in Scotland week to week is inland parkland.
Breakdown by access
| Access type | Approximate count |
|---|---|
| Public / municipal (pay-and-play, no membership required) | 200–250 |
| Private members' clubs with regular visitor access | 250–300 |
| Restricted visitor access (by member introduction or limited visitor days) | 30–50 |
| Resort and hotel courses (fully visitor-accessible) | 20–30 |
Most of Scotland's golf is accessible. The truly restricted courses — Muirfield, Royal Burgess, some city clubs — are a minority. The majority of private clubs will take you with an advance booking.
Breakdown by region
Scotland's golf is not evenly distributed. The densest concentrations are:
- East Lothian: ~22 courses (the highest density by land area in the world)
- Fife: ~30 courses (St Andrews and surrounding area)
- Ayrshire: ~50 courses (Open Championship heartland)
- Highland: ~90 courses (vast area, lower density but extraordinary settings)
- Greater Edinburgh: ~40 courses
- Greater Glasgow: ~70 courses
Why so many?
Golf's cultural roots in Scotland pre-date any organised sport. The game evolved on land that was unsuitable for farming — coastal links, upland heath — and became woven into civic life in a way it wasn't elsewhere. Every significant Scottish town has a golf course; many have several. The council-run municipal tradition kept the game accessible across the economic spectrum in a way it never was in England.
The result is that Scotland has, by any measure, more golf than it needs — which for a visiting golfer is the closest thing to a gift a destination can give.
Also in the Almanac
The Complete History of Golf in Scotland: From the 1457 Ban to the Present Day
Golf was banned in Scotland before it was celebrated. The full story runs through kings, shepherds, three Acts of Parliament, the feathery ball, the Park-Morris rivalry, and the small Fife town that accidentally gave the world its most enduring sport.
Old Tom Morris: The Man Who Shaped Scottish Golf
An almanac of the life of Thomas Mitchell Morris of St Andrews. Apprentice, Champion Golfer four times over, designer of half the great Scottish courses, and the man who buried his own son on Christmas Day, 1875.
Is Scotland the Home of Golf?
Yes — and the evidence is stronger than you might think. The history of golf's Scottish origins, why the claim is legitimate, and the one rival that's usually raised.