Blair Atholl Golf Club

Blair Castle — the whitewashed seat of the Duke of Atholl and home of Scotland's only private army, the Atholl Highlanders — sits directly above the first tee at Blair Atholl Golf Club. The nine-hole course was established in 1896 on level ground by the River Garry, with the castle to the north and the Pass of Killiecrankie gorge just south. Par 31, around 2,100 yards.

The nine holes play across flat river meadow ground between the village and the River Garry to the west. Five of the nine face the castle directly during the approach; the course is long enough for proper par-4 and par-3 holes to coexist without feeling cramped. The 5th, a mid-iron par-3 with Blair Castle immediately behind the tee and the river gorge visible to the south, is the hole that earns the most deliberate club selection. The ground is firm and fast through summer — the river plain drains well, and the Highland altitude produces wiry, consistent turf.

Green fee £30 (2026). Blair Atholl is at the end of the A9 before it enters the Highland pass — accessible by train from Perth (the Blair Atholl station is on the Perth-Inverness main line). A morning visit to Blair Castle, an afternoon nine-hole round, and the drive or train south through the Pass of Killiecrankie makes a compact Perthshire Highland day.