Scotland House Rental

[Kirk Stewart]

If you were renting a house for 8 guys from Saturday to Saturday, where would you go and where would play ? Please include any hidden gems like the 12 hole Shriskine course. This is for 2010 so the Open is at TOC.

Would the Highlands be condusive for a trip like this?  How is rental availability in Dornoch ?

I am trying to get my father to go on this trip so I want to make it very special. I think we may need to include TOC for this reason.

Thanks and I will get the "winning advice" a shirt or sweater for the trouble.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Kirk- Whilst Scotland looks small on the map, it takes much longer to go fromthe South of Scotland to even half way up, than it does from London to Scotland. If you want to play St Andrews, that area is a great base but courses like North Berwick, Muirfield are a bit far away, the west coast courses much too far away, highlands also too far but you could do the courses near Carnoustie.

[David_Tepper]

Kirk -

There are plenty of house rentals available all over Scotland, especially in and around popular tourist & golfing areas.

Are you hoping to attend the Open at TOC as part of your visit? If so, you would want to find a place somewhere in Fife. My guess is the rentals in Fife for next summer's Open week will fill up quickly.

I have a place in Dornoch that is available for rent and sleeps 4 guys. It is a 4-minute walk from Royal Dornoch. There are other places to rent close by. If you want more info, please send me an IM.

In addition to the 2 courses at Dornoch, the courses at Brora, Goslpie & Tain are all within a 15-20 minute drive. Nairn and the new Castle Stuart course are an hour or so away.

Figure it is a 3-4 hour drive from Dornoch to St. Andrews or Edinburgh.

DT   

[Kirk Stewart]

Kirk -

There are plenty of house rentals available all over Scotland, especially in and around popular tourist & golfing areas.

Are you hoping to attend the Open at TOC as part of your visit? If so, you would want to find a place somewhere in Fife. My guess is the rentals in Fife for next summer's Open week will fill up quickly.
We are not going to attend the Open

I have a place in Dornoch that is available for rent and sleeps 4 guys. It is a 4-minute walk from Royal Dornoch. There are other places to rent close by. If you want more info, please send me an IM.

I will David Thanks

In addition to the 2 courses at Dornoch, the courses at Brora, Goslpie & Tain are all within a 15-20 minute drive. Nairn and the new [/color] Castle Stuart course are an hour or so away.

This is precisely the situation we desire. Have a house and be able to play 7-8 places without changing base camps.and not driving 2-3 hours to play. So I guess my question is should we do the Highlands (Dornoch) ,Fife, Ayr or East Lothian Figure it is a 3-4 hour drive from Dornoch to St. Andrews or Edinburgh.

DT  

Da

[Kirk Stewart]

Adrian,

Thanks for the response. I have been before and tried to do too many courses in too litle time. I did not enjoy driving from base camp to base camp to base camp.

We have all agreed that we would like to try something different this time. Essentially we would like to stay in one place and play as much as the area has to offer. We are especially keen on trying the "off and beaten path courses" for our afternoon rounds or "hit and giggle" rounds. These second go arounds usually have one thing in common--scotch and lots of laughs.

The 12 hole Shiskrine course or Boat of Garten are perfect examples of the type of places we would like to try as part of our adventure.

[David_Tepper]

Kirk -

Here is a link to a reputable firm that rents houses & cottages in Scotland:

http://cottages-and-castles.co.uk/property/large_houses.htm

As far as recommending where to go in Scotland, a lot depends on where your group is coming from, how many times some of the guys in your group have already been to Scotland, what courses they have played, whether they want to play the high-profile courses, etc. Other factors might be whether you are looking for some typical tourist-type attractions (museums, restaurants, shopping, etc.) that access to a larger city might offer.

Obviously, I am a big fan of Dornoch and the Highlands. Based on your post directly above, I think it would fit the bill perfectly. The good news for you is that there are really no bad choices.

DT  

[Dan King]

I don't think you can go wrong in the Highlands. You have more daylight than anywhere else in Scotland. You have a nice combination with Royal Dornoch, Skibo and Old Morray along with Brora, Fortrose, Tain and Wick. I always wanted to go up to Wick just to play golf that far north but never made it that far. You could also check out some of the Western Islands on a day trip.

I'm thinking it would be too much fun.

Cheers,
Dan King

You have to play golf in Scotland. What else is there to do there? Wear a skirt?
  --George Low

[David_Tepper]

Dan K. -

The course at Skibo/Carngie Club has gotten VERY private since the property changed hands 3-4 years ago. The chances of playing the course if you are not staying there are very slim. You cannot even drive on the property anymore to have a look around.

In addition to the courses I mentioned earlier, Fortrose & Rosemarkie is well worth playing and is 35-40 miles from Dornoch. I have not played the course at Muir of Ord (also 35-40 miles from Dornoch), but I have heard it is pretty good.

DT