A Journal for the Thrifty Gowfer
Highlands
Lybster, Caithness
Plate III — Heathland course — heather-framed, sandy subsoil
Nine holes over fifteen acres in a Caithness fishing village, established 1926 — with its own 90-yard Postage Stamp and a clubhouse built from the old railway ticket office.
Lybster crams nine holes into fifteen acres above a Caithness fishing harbour and has been doing so since 1926. The official scorecard reads 2,023 yards at par 31 — 4,046 and par 62 if you go round twice — with a 90-yard hole the club cheerfully calls its Postage Stamp, and views over the Moray Firth from most of the property. The club's own claim is measured and probably right: one of the best short courses in the Highlands.
The railway history is built into the fabric. The clubhouse incorporates the ticket office of the old Wick & Lybster light railway, and the practice area occupies the site of the locomotive turntable — the line closed in 1944, the golf club simply absorbed it.
This is volunteer-run golf with modern plumbing: £30 buys a full summer day, £10 a winter one, and the honesty-box era has given way to card payments and online tee booking through MasterScoreboard. On the road between Wick and the Ord of Caithness it is twenty minutes of detour for a couple of hours of entirely unpretentious golf.
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
Lybster, Caithness · KW3 6BJOpen 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 heathland rounds in Scotland.
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 Lybster. 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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