YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO GOLF COURSES IN SCOTLAND

Scotland's heartlands are where the game of "gowf" was founded all those centuries ago. There is some thing very special about the golf courses to be found in Perthshire, Angus and Dundee and the Kingdom of Fife. With 106 courses in total, some just a few years old and some of 100 years' vintage, it's hard to think of an area better suited to establishing a flavour for Scottish golf. Almost every town, no matter the size, houses a golf course. The locals have a knowledge of the game that can only be found in this part of Scotland. In all honesty, it is considered an honour to play golf in these parts, such is the region's attachment to the game.

The trio of Alyth, Glenisla and Strathmore are pillars of Perthshire and remain extremely popular with visitors. Open qualifier Downfield in Angus and Dundee and the delightful Piperdam are also worthy favourites and not to be missed. Famous names, however, are simply par-for-the-course in this region.

Gleneagles, in Perthshire, is very much the embodiment of everything that is good about Scottish golf. The moorland setting of the King's and Queen's courses are wonderful examples of James Braid's brilliance in the field of course design. Some believe it to be his best work. Carnoustie, in Angus, is widely considered one of the toughest tests of golf in the world. It is a genuine monster of a course and will test even the most gifted of players.

Fife may be home to many famous courses, but the Old Course, St Andrews, is certainly the pick of the bunch. Crail is another great links test and Kingsbarns, just a quick drive from Crail, is perhaps the best links course to be built in the UK for many years.