Whiskey and Golf in Scotland
 

Planning a guys trip up to Scotland before I start a family. Thinking this could be my last hurrah before I can plan a trip with my buddies.

We're thinking about 6 days and 7 nights in the UK with a focus on Scotland. We'd also consider parts in Ireland and/or England. However, the focus is for us to get to some distilleries and some courses.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

whisky (Scotland) and whiskey (Ireland)
If you are looking for the perfect tour guide then
Ian Banks Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram is a good place to start.

Golf, a waste of a good walk. :-)

Whisky = go somewhere near Dufftown. There's no such thing as Scottish whiskey.

Don't know how interesting the distilleries are. The shops are another matter . . . like Royal Mile Whiskies in Edinburgh or Loch Fyne Whiskies in Inveraray. You can get lost in there with ease.

And yes, you need some courses on the whisky and of the whisky . . .

As for the various links - check out the history of where the British Open has been hosted for suggestions. Thinking that the Brits wouldn't hold their signature tournament on a muni-quality course.

Can't help with the distilleries. We have done a few of these trips. I suggest you look at two locations of three days each. In Scotland I would suggest either just east of Edinburgh and/or the St Andrews area and/or on the west coast around Ayr. Or Ireland but not both. I can suggest places in Ireland if you want.

The biggest issue with us is whether the guys want to play the name courses or the out of the way and cheaper courses. You can spin your wheels doing a lot of wasted research if you haven't settled on that question.

Stick to Scotland, you don't have time for other countries. Unfortunately the areas colduphere recommends are fab for golf, but not hotbeds of whisky distilling.

How much 'into' golf are you? Do you want to play some of the biggies like the Old Course, Carnoustie, Troon, Prestwick, Dornoch . . . Or do you simply want to play <i>some</i> golf any old place? Just about every wide spot in the road has a decent course nearby.

Most of the biggies are public courses and you can book like any other course. But you generally would need a handicap cert and/or a letter from your own club. The little/local courses are sometimes walk on/honesty box sort of places. The Old Course is a special case - all the details are on its website.

I've taken many golfing friends to Scotland - I don't play myself (or haven't in 30+ years) but have arranged rounds for most of them.

For a guys trip for Whisky/Golf I'd probably spend 2 days in/near Edinburgh, a couple of days in Fife (for St Andrews and all some of the other wonderful/smaller coastal courses like Crail and Lundin Links), 2 days up north for Speyside distilleries and Dornoch (universally LOVED by everyone I've take there -even more than the Old Course), and one day traveling back to EDI or GLA to fly home.

Go to Islay; play Machrie. Go to Campbelltown; play Machrihanish; Go to Tain; play Royal Dornoch; Go to Speyside; play Spey Bay.

Ooops, you've run out of town.

>time<

Oh -- Machrihanish is another BIG time favorite. But you have very little time. Especially if you want to see/play St Andrews and/or Carnoustie. You'll have to be pretty selective re where you go for how long.