Which should you play?

Course vs course

The rounds golfers actually argue over — bucket-list neighbours, same-club siblings, splurge versus the smart alternative. Each pairing lays the green fees and the facts side by side, then gives you a straight answer on which one to book.

Modern Fife links

Dumbarnie Golf Links vs Kingsbarns Golf Links

Two modern Fife links you'd bolt onto a St Andrews trip — and one costs close to double the other.

£195–£350 · vs · £399–£486

Modern St Andrews clifftop links

St Andrews Castle Course vs Kingsbarns Golf Links

Two 21st-century clifftop links minutes from St Andrews — is Kingsbarns worth close to three times the Castle Course?

£120–£180 · vs · £399–£486

Same hill, East Lothian

Gullane No. 1 vs Gullane No. 2

Same hill, same club, very different green fees — which Gullane course should a visitor actually play?

£285–£325 · vs · £100–£175

East Lothian coast

Archerfield Fidra Links vs Craigielaw Golf Club

Two East Lothian links a stone's throw apart — which makes the better second round on a Gullane trip?

£135–£185 · vs · £60–£160

East Lothian bucket-list

North Berwick West Links vs Gullane No. 1

The two great East Lothian day-out links — the quirky historic one, or the pure championship one?

£220–£320 · vs · £285–£325

Highland links

Royal Dornoch Championship Course vs Castle Stuart Golf Links

The two Highland bucket-list links either side of Inverness — which one anchors the trip?

£200–£360 · vs · £285–£385

Royal Dornoch Championship Course vs The Nairn Golf Club

The two great Moray Firth links — one is a world top-ten name, the other is an hour closer to Inverness.

£200–£360 · vs · £100–£350

Ayrshire Open venues

Trump Turnberry (Ailsa) vs Royal Troon Old Course

Two Ayrshire Open Championship venues on the same coast — which is the round of the trip?

£425–£1000 · vs · £250–£395

Aberdeenshire links

Cruden Bay Golf Club vs Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie Links)

The two great Aberdeenshire links north of the city — quirky dunes classic or championship test?

£110–£220 · vs · £175–£265

Open venues — and the ballot

Carnoustie Championship vs St Andrews Old Course

Can't land an Old Course tee time? Carnoustie is the Open venue you can actually book.

£249–£360 · vs · £180–£355

Same resort, Perthshire

Gleneagles King's Course vs Gleneagles PGA Centenary

Same resort, same green fee — the James Braid classic, or the Ryder Cup course?

£260–£405 · vs · £260–£405

Same club, East Neuk of Fife

Crail Balcomie Links vs Crail Craighead Links

Two courses at one clifftop Fife club — the Old Tom Morris classic, or the modern Gil Hanse?

£70–£170 · vs · £70–£125

Kintyre neighbours

Machrihanish Golf Club vs Machrihanish Dunes

Two links side by side at the end of the Kintyre road — the Old Tom classic, or the modern dunes?

£95–£125 · vs · £75–£125

St Andrews Links rotation

St Andrews Old Course vs St Andrews New Course

The Old Course needs a ballot and costs three times the New — and plenty of St Andrews regulars prefer the New.

£180–£355 · vs · £45–£155

St Andrews New Course vs St Andrews Jubilee Course

Two St Andrews Links courses on the same strip of turf — one is the locals' favourite, the other is the toughest of the rotation.

£45–£155 · vs · £75–£150

Open venue vs modern showpiece

Carnoustie Championship vs Kingsbarns Golf Links

An Open Championship venue against a modern links built for the camera — and the modern one costs more.

£249–£360 · vs · £399–£486

Ayrshire Open history

Prestwick Golf Club vs Royal Troon Old Course

The course that invented the Open against the one that still hosts it — three miles apart on the same coast.

£175–£380 · vs · £250–£395

Sutherland links

Royal Dornoch Championship Course vs Brora Golf Club

Forty minutes up the coast from Dornoch is a James Braid links with sheep on it that costs half as much.

£200–£360 · vs · £90–£180

Aberdeenshire dunes

Royal Aberdeen (Balgownie Links) vs Trump International (MacLeod Course)

The sixth-oldest golf club in the world against a 2012 course built on the biggest dunes on the coast, twenty minutes apart.

£175–£265 · vs · £195–£435

East Lothian Open coast

Muirfield vs North Berwick West Links

An Open venue that takes visitors two days a week against the quirkiest famous links in Scotland, ten minutes down the road.

£150–£395 · vs · £220–£320

Same club, Perthshire heathland

Blairgowrie (Rosemount Course) vs Blairgowrie (Lansdowne Course)

Two 18-hole heathland courses at one Perthshire club — the 1889 classic or the 1979 bruiser.

£95–£140 · vs · £85–£155

Musselburgh golf history

Musselburgh Old Links vs Royal Musselburgh Golf Club

The oldest playing golf course in the world against the fifth-oldest golf club — two different things, two miles apart.

£20–£25 · vs · £45–£65

Same resort, Perthshire moorland

Gleneagles King's Course vs Gleneagles Queen's Course

James Braid laid out both Gleneagles courses in 1919 — and one of them costs a great deal less than the other.

£260–£405 · vs · £100–£325

Can't see the match-up you want? Every one of our 250 Scottish course profiles carries the verified green fee, and the course matchmaker will shortlist courses to your budget, region and style.