Grand Scotland Golf Vacation: Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Royal Aberdeen & Trump

The woods are covered in gentle morning dew. The fire in the lobby of your hotel roars, adding comfortable warmth to the lavish hall. The crackling wood accompanies a steaming cup of freshly brewed tea. The herbaceous scent wafts up from the mug’s lip. The city contains a dreamy quality in the morning. The sunlight barely hits the old stone buildings, which are absent of their silver streak. The medieval constructs of the city are present on the 14th century Tolbooth, once the town hall and prison.

The Mercat Cross holds the city’s medieval icon, giving Aberdeen a right to hold market. The symbol shows 10 Stuart monarchs etched into the high stone cross. Arrive at Cruden Bay and find a sumptuous course offering panoramic views of the North Sea. The history of the course is tangible, dating back to the 18th century. Cruden Bay has consistently reached a status of top 100 golf courses in the world, adding prestige to the challenging course ahead.

The entire course reaches a length of 6,287 yards. You step to the tee and dig the wooden tip into the grass at just the right height. The layer of early hour moisture remains. The cold water brushes your fingertips. You look out over the stretching fairway and find the hole bounding to the left. Gorse bushes line the right border along rolling dunes. The aroma of freshly cut grass enraptures you. For the moment it is just you and the ball as you take your first swing in Scotland.

The oldest standing residence in Aberdeen dates back to the 17th century and is constructed of polished multicolored stones. Painted wooden ceilings decorate the bedroom and depict life during the 1600s. The décor of your hotel combines antique adornments with contemporary comforts, providing the best of both worlds. The aroma of a full honey and raisins rises out of creamy breakfast oatmeal. The hearty and sweet meal is comforting in the cool morning light. Your private transfer meets you at the hotel and escorts you to the celebrated golf course at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. The club was erected in 1780 and was originally designed by the Simpson Brothers.

The course meanders around the natural ecosystem of rich prairie and tight, long fairways. The course is flush with natural scenery and the beauty intensified with seclusion. Sailboats catch the wind and push across the cobalt water of the bordering North Sea. The same breeze brushes the pin, which waves to you across 248 yards of Hole Three, the most challenging hole on the course. When you place your ball on the tee the direction of the wind can affect the ball’s efforts. The par three has a nice clearing to the right of the green but a can quickly be taken by the slopes, sinking own into a grassy fringe. When you watch the ball soar over the fairway you remember that the challenge is half the fun.

The sunlight washes across Aberdeen and shines through the windows of the Aberdeen Art Gallery. The 19th-century building is comprised of a thorough collection of pieces between the 17th and 20th centuries. The main hall is lined with black and white checkered tiles. An arched colonnade supports the second-story. An elegant glass dome provides natural light to the gallery. The sleek architectural design of the museum allows for bright, graceful light and elegant placement of art. The Trump International Golf Links course does the same with the placement and maintenance of each hole.

The fairways are trim and run alongside rolling dunes flush with gorse bushes. The hills slope down to the beach and connect to the sand. The North Sea lulls against the coastline. You can hear the lapping water as you position your tee along each hole. The tenth hole is a par five and stretching an average of 500 yards. The native heather, shrubs that can grow up to 19 inches tall and blossom vivacious flowers, flourish near the tee. The fairway narrows into a small pass flanked by long-grassed dunes. A natural amphitheater holds the green. When you pull the pin it feels like you have an audience waiting for your golden putt.

The cobalt surface of the North Sea reflects the rising sunlight. The succulent aroma of a full Scottish breakfast overtakes the fragrant tea. Your private transfer meets you at the hotel after your meal and takes you around the famed Scottish Highlands to the city of Inverness. The River Ness runs alongside the town. The calm, wide trickling water creates a picturesque and serene scene. At certain times of the year you can venture up stream to follow the salmon. People from around the world dress in their fly fishing best and wade knee deep into the cold rushing water, casting out their lines and watching the salmon leap against the current.

Inverness maintains a sleepy and enchanting character underneath the guise of neo-medieval Inverness castle. The 19th-century construct stands on a small hillside overlooking the River Ness. The modern edifice replaced the ruins of the medieval castle attacked and left to collapse during the Jacobite Uprising. The day is yours to relax in the historic city or stroll along the quiet Victorian bridges that connect the Ness islands. The castle is visible between the rising trees. The rounded towers stand tall over the lush landscape, replacing the powerful atmosphere with a more enchanting character.

Timelessness marks the landscape around Inverness. The lines between classic and neoclassic blur across the landscape. The beauty of rolling hills and sporadic river islands washes away the contemporary world for moments at a time. The atrium restaurant at your hotel fills with morning light. Prisms spread through the glass fixture refract the visible color spectrum and add vibrancy to breakfast. You make your way to Royal Dornoch Golf Club, situated on the eastern slopes leading to the North Sea. Gorse bushes blossom and add light purple petals to the edges of the far-reaching green fairway.

The area has maintained human life for over 4,000 years and the course has been sustained for hundreds of years. Quaint homes hide behind the rolling knolls. Deep, narrow bunkers hide in the distance and guard the green. The course distributes a total 70 par across the traditional 18 holes. The greens rise on plateaus to add a particular character to the Dornoch, varying in size and upturned circular shapes. The wind often helps carry your ball farther down the fairway, adding a few yards to each hit. Bars of sandy beaches flank the 17th and 18th holes. The North Sea once again wades against the coastline and adds a familiar salty, comforting moisture to the air.

The shores of the Black Isle are visible from Castle Stuart, overlooking Moray Firth. The peninsula is named for its coloration during the winter. Snow surrounds the landscape but doesn’t stick around the watery lands of the peninsula, making the grounds swell with black hues against the blanket of white. Now you can only see extensive greenery beside the rippling azure sea. The clubhouse reminds you of a contemporary home situated in New England, with elegant white exterior walls, receding circular stories, and sea foam roofing. Castle Stuart brings visitors from across the world to the Highlands adding the illustrious course to the already impressive Scottish catalogue in 2009.

When you reach the third hole, you find a solid tee reaching towards 290 yards to the green. The par four encompasses a narrow fairway sloping rightwards to the sea. The green is elevated and adds to the challenge of knolls and sudden bunkers. When you angle your shot you watch the ball sail closer to the pin. The bushes don’t bother you as the green opens up and the pin is in your grasp. The midmorning light glances off of the water. The grass subtly moves in the direction of the drifting sun. It is you and the ball in search of personal victory.

Your five-star luxury hotel has helped sooth you after each round of golf. The charm of Inverness has given you historic buildings lining the cobblestone streets of Old Town. River Ness continues to wind around the cityscape. Inverness Castle watches over the rushing water. The Victorian Market bustles with contemporary shops inside historic architecture. After breakfast, your private transfer meets you at the hotel and escorts you to the airport. You have played the same courses as legends and relished the remarkable natural scenery across the Highlands. Scotland remains the home of golf and will always have more courses for you to play, and more challenging obstacles, from bunkers to narrow fairways, for you to conquer.

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