I'm certain there are people who probably think that St. Andrews is a golf course where they play all of the British Opens.  This is, of course, partially true as St. Andrews Old Course (there are 7 courses at St. Andrews)  has hosted quite a number of the Open Championships and is scheduled to host again in 2010.  This year it will be contested at Turnberry on the west coast.  In 2011 it will be held at Royal St. Georges on England's southeast coast and in 2012 it will be played at Royal Lytham and St. Annes on England's aptly named Golf Coast.  In modern times it is rotated, though not evenly through 9 venues, of which 5 are in Scotland and 4 are in England.  One of the really terrific things about these courses in the British Isles is that, unlike some courses that major championships are contested on in the US, you can actually play any of these Open Championship venues.  Naturally, tee times are not easy to get on all of these courses but they are attainable.  The other Scotland British Open venues are Royal Troon, also on the west coast,  and Carnoustie and Muirfield on the east coast as is St. Andrews.  In addition to the 5 Scottish courses currently in the Open Championship rotation, Scotland has a number of highly thought of courses not listed in the Hidden Gems section.  Kingsbarns, not far from St. Andrews and Carnoustie, is currently ranked #6 on the Top 100 courses in the UK on one list.  Royal Dornoch in the north is a must play if you are going to be in Scotland for a couple of weeks and there are several terrific courses on the Hidden Gems list in fairly close proximity.  Loch Lomond, which is not a links course, is certainly rising in world ranking and would be on a lot of golfers itineraries.  Courses like Prestwick, which held 24 Open Championships between 1860 and 1925 when it was last utilized, North Berwick (West), Gullane No. 1, and the Castle, New, Jubilee and Eden courses at St. Andrews are all worthy of your consideration.

I guess the bottom line is that just like Ireland and England and even areas of the US you cannot hope to play all of the really good golf courses that there are in just one trip.

 HIDDEN GEM (Picture)

My thanks to Ken Brien for giving me pictures of this golf course.  Those of you who have played it will no doubt know which course it is.  It is another James Braid course and like a lot of the hidden gems it can be played for considerably less than many of the more famous courses.  While I have not personally played it, I am looking forward to the day when I do.  If you have pictures you would like to share, I would be happy to find a place on my site to publish them in the future. Check out the Additional Hidden Gems link to take a look at some other Scottish courses that are great values.