I am currently in Dornoch with my wife, who is a very, very avid golfer. So our situation is a bit different than yours.
We were here on a two-couples trip in 2006, and one thing this trip has convinced me of is that playing lesser-known courses is a a hell of a lot of fun, and WAY less costly. And looking for Open competitions to play in is another way to enjoy Scotland at value prices.
Just this morning we played a mixed foursomes with a £10 entry fee for both of us. Last week we played one at a course that would have been £90 for both of us to play, but the entry was only £18.
You can find a good list of them here:
http://www.scottishgolf.org/index.cfm?objectid=9433383D-CE9C-8542-E9CB510BC6A412D1&fuseaction=doCompSearchThe thing that makes these even more fun is playing in competition with Scots. And inevitably it seems that the locals are truly happy to have Americans playing in their events. Today, the Secretary made certain to get the details on our home course so he could "show the captain," what kind of entrants the club had attracted. It's been a looong time wince anyone cared that much about a yutz like me playing their course.
And to make the day even more fun, we played the round in 2 1/2 hours.
Our follow competitors were on holiday but the husband grew up nearby and they'd played the course dozens of times. He said, "Make sure to tell your friends that they should look for lesser-known courses. Too many American comes here and only play the famous courses, paying too much money, and often struggling to get around a hard course."
Playing a "member's course" on real links land is one of the best things you could ever do. Two days ago we drove from Nairn to play Fraserburgh, and drove past at least a half-dozen courses that are calling my name.
Today, our partners suggested stopping at Strathlene, and while we didn't have time to play, the site of the course is amazing.
K