Struie Course

Royal Dornoch's Struie Course sits just outside the charming town of Dornoch, offering a proper links experience without the eye-watering green fees of its more famous neighbour. It's the clubhouse's second course - shorter, more forgiving, and frankly brilliant if you're not scratch golfers pretending otherwise.

The layout plays through natural dune-land with genuine character. You'll walk fairways that feel properly Scottish rather than manicured, with views across the Dornoch Firth that alone make the round worthwhile. The greens demand respect but aren't so brutish that a mid-handicapper can't post a decent score. Expect generous rough and a couple of genuinely testing par-fours that catch you out.

This is squarely for golfers. Non-players will find themselves trailing bored partners, though the walk itself is pleasant enough on decent weather days. Allow three hours minimum. It's a pay-to-play operation, so book ahead, particularly in summer - Highland courses fill up fast when the weather behaves.

Stay at Dornoch Caravan & Camping Park just half a mile away and you're sorted for the week. Play Struie in the morning, explore Royal Dornoch in the afternoon if your wallet can take it, then potter round Dornoch town itself. Parkdean's bigger holiday park at Grannie's Heilan' Hame sits a couple of miles south if you want more facilities alongside your rounds. The Highlands are thick with courses - Struie won't blow your mind, but it'll give you a solid day out that won't cost you an arm and a leg.