A Journal for the Thrifty Gowfer
Highlands
Thurso, Caithness
Plate II — Parkland course — tree-lined fairways, year-round play
Founded 1893. Mainland Scotland's most northerly 18-hole course.
Thurso Golf Club sits at latitude 58.6 degrees north — one of the most northerly 18-hole courses on mainland Scotland, roughly on the same latitude as the southern tip of Greenland. Founded 1893 in Caithness, the flattest and most treeless county in Scotland: a plateau of flagstone, peat, and pasture that drops to the Pentland Firth. The course occupies parkland at the edge of Thurso, the main settlement of the far north and the departure point for CalMac ferries to Orkney.
Par 69, around 5,800 yards on the Caithness plateau. The terrain is flatter than most Highland courses — Caithness is not the Highlands in any topographic sense. What the course provides instead of elevation is exposure: the wind off the Pentland Firth reaches Thurso with little to slow it, and a Caithness summer gale is a different proposition from a coastal breeze further south. The course has been shaped by this reality over 130 years.
Visitor green fee is £20. Most visitors come to Thurso for the Pentland Firth crossing to Orkney — Skara Brae, Maeshowe, the Ring of Brodgar. The golf club serves those who want a round before or after the ferry, or those making the 100-mile drive from Inverness who want to break the journey with golf. Golspie (50 miles south) and Brora (55 miles south) are the nearest Highland links alternatives for those building a northern circuit.
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
Thurso, Caithness · KW14 7XFOpen in OpenStreetMap →
While They Golf
Highlands isn't only for the golfers. Walks, drives, distilleries, castles, a long lunch — five picks within thirty minutes of the first tee.
The Highlands companion guide →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 parkland rounds in Scotland.
Outerwear
The mid-weight option for parkland — fully waterproof but lighter than the wind-spec links jackets. Packs into a back-pocket pouch when the sun comes out.
Layer
Scotland's premium sportswear name. Cut for a swing rather than a jog; the moisture-wicking suits warmer parkland rounds where the wind isn't doing the work.
Tech
Tree-lined parkland holes are exactly the situation where a rangefinder pays for itself. The V6's slope mode is allowed in any non-tournament round.
Stays Nearby
Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of Thurso. 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.
Getting there by train
On TripSCOTAbout 10 minutes on foot from the course. Inverness in 4hr on the Far North Line.
Read more about Highlands
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