Royal Tarlair Golf Club

Royal Tarlair (the 'Royal' was granted by King Edward VIII shortly before his abdication in 1936) sits on the cliffs above the harbour town of Macduff, on the Moray Firth coast. The course is a clifftop links of striking drama — six of the eighteen holes play directly along the cliff edge, with drops of 80 to 200 feet to the rocks below.

Par is 71 across 5,866 yards. The course was laid out in 1926 by Major Pollard. The 13th — Clivet — is the signature hole, a par 3 played from a clifftop tee across a chasm to a green perched on the next outcrop. Get it wrong by ten yards and the ball is in the North Sea. Get it right and it's the photograph of the trip.

Visitor fees of £35–£45 make Royal Tarlair the most dramatic round you can play in Scotland for under £50. The clubhouse is small and friendly, with a bar that runs evenings and a kitchen for soup and sandwiches. Pair Royal Tarlair with Cullen (15 minutes east) and Lossiemouth (50 minutes west) for a three-course Moray Firth day. It will be among the most memorable rounds of any Scottish trip.