A Journal for the Thrifty Gowfer
Highlands
Balnakeil, Durness, Sutherland
Plate I — Links course — coastal exposure, firm running turf
9-hole links at Balnakeil laid out in 1988 — Britain's most north-westerly course on the mainland, with a closing tee shot across an Atlantic inlet.
Durness calls itself Britain's most north-westerly golf course on the mainland, and nobody is queuing up to dispute it. The nine holes at Balnakeil were laid out in 1988 by Lachie Ross, Ian Morrison and Francis Keith on the headland above Balnakeil Bay, with a second set of tees stretching two loops into a full round. The lone par 5 winds around Loch Lanlish; the rest is fast, exposed links ground where the wind sets the exam paper.
The famous one is the ninth — or the eighteenth, by the time you reach it again — a short hole of 108 to 155 yards played across a genuine sea inlet to a small green guarded by sand. It has earned this remote nine-holer a run of accolades the club lists with justifiable pride: 12th in Golf Magazine's world top-50 nine-hole courses in 2020, a place in Golf World's GB&I Top 100 in 2021, and Scotland's best nine-hole course in 2025.
The NC500 passes the gate, which has transformed the visitor book — Tom Coyne played it for A Course Called Scotland, and Cafe 19 in the clubhouse feeds the road-trippers. Book online before arriving; play starts strictly from 8am, and the £70 day ticket is the way to do the double loop justice.
The Full Scorecard
Fields marked “Contact club” aren’t public-facing in a way we’ve been able to verify. Call the club directly for these — we’ll update the entry when we have it from source.
Conditions This Week
Scored 0–10 for golf — wind, rain, conditions · Full 7-region forecast →
Location
Balnakeil, Durness, Sutherland · IV27 4PXOpen in OpenStreetMap →
Plan This Round
Where to Stay
Hotels, lodges and self-catering near the first tee. Map-style search via Stay22 covering Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and Vrbo.
How to Get There
Inverness (INV) is 60 minutes away by car. Train + onward taxi works for the carless visitor.
Insure Your Round
Most home contents policies don't cover golf clubs in transit. The picker matches you to the right kind of cover in two minutes.
Played here? Consider
Picked for links rounds on the Scottish coast.
Outerwear
Wind off the firth changes club selection two irons. A breathable, fully-waterproof shell that's light enough not to swing in is the single biggest upgrade for Scottish links golf.
Layer
Scottish-made merino — the locals' choice for shoulder-season rounds. Warm enough for a 7am tee time in October, light enough for the back nine when the sun comes out.
Tech
Handles blind tee shots and exposed-coastal yardage cleanly. Battery lasts a 36-hole day; the wind-direction overlay justifies the price on its own.
Stays Nearby
Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of Balnakeil. Tap any property to check rates.
Rates and availability via Stay22. We may earn a small commission if you book — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work.
Frequently Asked
Nearby courses
Highlands golf hub
Browse all Highlands courses →
Royal Dornoch and the long drive north. Six hours from London, three from Edinburgh — and the most consistently brilliant links country in Scotland once you get there.
While they golf — Inverness
For the non-golfer in Inverness →
Culloden Battlefield is 6 miles from Inverness — NTS visitor centre, clan graves, and moorland. Fort George's Georgian artillery ramparts are 11 miles east.
Read more about Highlands
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