Scotland’s West Coast Golf Vacations
Done St Andrews? Maybe look West next
Western horizons
It needed the advent of the railways in the 1880’s to open up the Ayrshire coast for golf, but as interest poured out from Glasgow the impact was explosive as Prestwick, Troon, Western Gailes, Glasgow Gailes and finally Turnberry all began to headline and throw down a bit of a challenge to the established epi-centre on Fife’s East Coast
In truth, the golf is very much more dominant on the west coast as Ayrshire needn’t have the same levels of non-golf interest, and Troon (despite being a perfectly pleasant enough place) still isn’t St Andrews either. If you were looking to spend a week here though, we’d probably advise that its best for golfers. If you have non-golfers in your party, then you’ll probably need to consider a split destination combination
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Golf arrived later to Ayrshire and owes its expansion to the railway boom of the 1880’s that brought in money from Glasgow to develop courses like Troon, Turnberry, and Prestwick. Ayrshire quickly established itself as a credible alternative to St Andrews and could be considered Scotland’s ‘second region’. A tour of the west coast is one of the few which doesn’t need St Andrews to reinforce it.
Duration
Typically about 8 nights
Features
Turnberry, Royal Troon, Prestwick, Machrihanish, Western Gailes, Machrihanish Dunes, Dundonald and Shiskine
Traditionally, the West Coast of Ayrshire might have been considered Scotland’s ‘second region’ after St Andrews and the East Coast. It was perhaps no surprise therefore that as visiting golfers expanded their dragnet beyond Fife, that they started to take in Troon, Turnberry and Prestwick. The Coast to Coast tour is therefore quite an old one too, and linked by Gleneagles at the halfway point
Duration
Typically about 9 nights
Features
St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Dumbarnie with Turnberry, Royal Troon, Prestwick & Gleneagles
‘Best’ is inevitably subjective since it’s always possible to defeat such a claim by simply name checking another course and saying you’ve improved it. Fair enough. We could do that too. All we have to do is add Royal Dornoch and say the ‘best just got better’. What we’ve tried to do therefore is balance the duration and the mileage demands and base the claim on that.
Duration
Typically about 9 nights
Features
St Andrews, Muirfield, North Berwick, Turnberry, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns, Gleneagles, Royal Burgess, with St Andrews New Course
The Highlands and Islands Golf Vacation begins on the west coast and takes in Troon, Shsikine and Machrihanish before working its way up a chain islands through a series of car ferries to remote locations in pursuit of golfing Shangri-la. Needless to say however, there is a little bit of a transport risk involved to poor weather with car ferries, and this is perhaps a trip we normally only encourage the more experienced traveller to undertake who is able to go with the flow and adjust to any disruption we might encounter. It’s otherwise a tranquil and peaceful experience
Duration
Typically about 14 nights
Features
Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart, Prestwick, Machrihanish, Machrie, Machrihanish Dunes, Askernish, Brora, plus nine-holers including Shiskine (12), Traigh, Isle of Harris, Isle of Skye & Durness
We sometimes refer to this ambitious break as our ‘par 5’ tour. The longer duration is naturally more expensive than the par 4, but needn’t be as intense as the shorter durations as we’re able to better distribute the mileage
Duration
Typically about 11 nights
Features
St Andrews, Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch, Turnberry, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, North Berwick, Kingsbarns, Portmarnock, Castle Stuart, & Gleneagles
Testimonial
From BB Canada
“I told Alun the courses I was interested in playing and he prepared a stay and play package with 14 days of outstanding golf, but also tremendous site seeing opportunities for my wife.”
From JC Illinois
“His attention to detail is amazing--I think our travel plan booklet ran to forty-eight pages, with gorgeous descriptions of cities and sights, plus maps showing where to go to catch trains, or walk from trains to hotels, sights and golf courses, etc.”
From DF Alabama
“I will cherish the memories for a long time- especially the wonderful times spent on and off the golf course with two of my brothers and brother-in-law. None of the memories and golf would have been possible or enjoyed without your tremendous planning and logistical support.”
AS from Colorado
“Alun and Faraway Fairways created possibly the most memorable golf trip we have ever experienced. EPIC is the only word that comes to mind.”
AC, From Florida/ New York, 2025
“We were hopeful to secure a 4 ball at St. Andrews while avoiding the massive expense other operators had quoted. He was very clear about the plan for achieving a tee time at the Old Course through the ballot, including detailed instruction on how it could be done, and what our odds were. He suggested mid- to late April as the best chance of success and advised that this is also the least rainy part of the year. We took his advice and trusted the process. Well, he was right on all counts!”
From SB, Minnesota
“We wholeheartedly recommend Alun and Faraway Fairways if you’re looking for a golf trip that is effortless, enjoyable, and truly unforgettable—even for a non-golfer in the mix! My husband and I will be daydreaming about this trip for years to come. 5.5 stars!”
From JB, California
“The best part was that the service was surprisingly affordable. They were thousands of dollars below other quotes that I received, in fact the prices were very similar to what I would have paid if I would have booked everything on my own.”
From JCA, Maryland
“I would and will highly recommend your company to anyone looking to plan an unforgettable golf trip. Thank You for putting together a fantastic trip for J.C. and me”
From WF Connecticut
“I think all eight of us would agree that Alun at Faraway Fairways did an absolutely wonderful job of putting this “golf vacation of a lifetime” together for us. His focus on the details was extraordinary from the choice of courses and the timing of the tee times, the amazingly beautiful accommodations along with some excellent meal selections, and the transportation options he provided to get us from place to place.”
From DR South Carolina
“You are about to tee it up in your Major. Seek wisdom, integrity and professionalism. Alun Davies and Faraway Fairways will not disappoint you. They cannot assure a calm sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s on the Old Course.”
From MM, California
“One fantastic trip you organized, and more importantly took ownership of in terms of daily communication and stewardship during our 2+ weeks in Scotland and Ireland. The logistics were spotless…100% of the transports were on time and excellent, the lodging choices spectacular and the golf was off the charts in terms of quality and arrangements made”
DH from California
“You cannot go wrong with the support Faraway Fairways offered. I did this trip solo and all last minute but I have already begun to plan the next trip which will include my best golfing buddies.”
Enquiry
We don't need to make this an ordeal by 101 filtering questions! In reality there are probably little more than half a dozen things we need to know to build out a proposal. The guidance below might help you frame answers
Duration - usually best expressed as a range up to a maximum
Time of year - can be anything from a specific date range to a named season
Travel class - Faraway Fairways uses 'Luxury', 'Premier' or 'Affordable' for generic purposes. You might choose to reference the international 'star' rating system. We're only looking for something to help steer us into the right sector
Self drive or hired driver - In broad terms, self driving is normally less expensive, and much more flexible, but some folk just don't want to do it
Must play courses/ must do places - a few name checks is all that's needed