Isle of Skye

It’s certainly one of the most spectacular you will come across in the British Isles.

On a sunny day the expanse of glistening water towards the Isle of Raasay acts as a backdrop to many of the holes whilst the huge mountain of Glamaig, one of the Red Cuillins, lies on the inland side.

The course itself is classed as a ‘true links’ but doesn’t really have the firmness and tightness of fairway to qualify in my book, however, for those seeking a gentler type of golf the Isle of Skye will not disappoint.

The opening hole is a fine start played downhill to a green just short of the water’s edge with a putting surface that significantly slopes away from you. Holes two and six play right alongside the shore, the sandy beach very much in play, but in opposite directions whilst the third, fifth and seventh are short holes played either directly towards or away from the sea.

The best hole on the course is easily the eighth. It has a blind drive to lovely rolling fairway that requires a drive down the left for the best angle into the green. Fail to reach the steep drop in the fairway at around the 200 yard mark, or stray to the right, and you face a much tougher approach over a corner of rough and a stream.

I played the Isle of Skye en-route from the Isle of Harris back to the mainland and it provided a couple of hours of jaw-dropping scenery. The greens at this seaside course were also in excellent condition and putted lovely on our visit in August 2014.