Scotland Through My Eyes

Six Legendary Courses That Every Golfer Should Experience

There are places you visit...

...and there are places that stay with you forever.

For me, Scotland is one of those places.

Every golfer dreams of making the pilgrimage to where the game began. I'd certainly dreamed about it for years. But nothing prepares you for actually standing on those first tees, walking fairways that have challenged the greatest players in history, and realizing that golf has been played here for hundreds of years.

As the world's best gather this week in North Berwick for the Genesis Scottish Open before heading to Royal Birkdale for The Open Championship, I can't help but think back on my own journey through Scotland.

Each course had its own personality.

Each taught me something different.

And every one reminded me why golf is the greatest game ever invented.

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North Berwick

My Scottish journey really begins here.

North Berwick isn't just another seaside town. It's the kind of place where golf is woven into everyday life. The streets are lined with history, the North Sea is never far away, and almost every conversation somehow circles back to golf.

With the Genesis Scottish Open now played at The Renaissance Club, the world's best get a taste of authentic Scottish links golf before The Open. Watching them navigate the firm turf, unpredictable bounces, and ever-changing wind always brings back memories of my own first rounds in Scotland.

One of the biggest surprises wasn't the scenery.

It was learning that links golf isn't played through the air as much as it's played along the ground.

Americans instinctively try to fly every shot.

The Scots let the golf course do half the work.

That lesson stayed with me the rest of the trip.

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St Andrews

There are very few places in sports where you immediately understand you're standing somewhere sacred.

The first tee at the Old Course is one of them.

Walking across the Swilcan Bridge wasn't simply another photo opportunity. It was impossible not to think about everyone who had stood in that exact spot before me—Jones, Hogan, Nicklaus, Watson, Woods and so many others.

The Old Course isn't intimidating because of its length.

It's brilliant because every hole asks you to think.

The greens seem impossibly large.

The fairways unbelievably wide.

Until you discover exactly why both were designed that way.

The New Course surprised me just as much.

Despite being more than a century old, it feels every bit as relevant today. Many locals even prefer it because of its tighter driving corridors and stronger finish.

St Andrews reminded me that the greatest golf courses aren't always the hardest.

They're the ones you can't stop thinking about after the round.

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Carnoustie

If St Andrews is golf's cathedral, Carnoustie is golf's ultimate test.

Everything you've heard about this legendary Open Championship venue is true. The fairways are demanding, the pot bunkers are deep, and the Barry Burn has a way of finding golf balls at exactly the wrong moment. Carnoustie doesn't overwhelm you with length alone—it challenges every decision you make. Miss your target by just a few yards, and you're suddenly playing defense.

What makes Carnoustie so memorable, however, isn't just its difficulty. It's the history. Every hole seems to have a story, and nowhere is that more evident than the famous 6th hole, known around the golfing world as "Hogan's Alley."

During the 1953 Open Championship, Ben Hogan played the 6th hole with remarkable precision, choosing the same conservative line off the tee in all four rounds. His disciplined strategy helped carry him to victory in his only appearance in The Open Championship, completing the career Grand Slam in the process. Standing on that fairway, it's impossible not to imagine Hogan executing the very same shots more than seventy years ago.

Carnoustie taught me that championship golf isn't about perfection.

It's about discipline.

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Turnberry

Some golf courses impress you because of the golf.

Turnberry takes your breath away before you ever hit a shot.

Every turn seems to reveal another spectacular view of the sea. The famous lighthouse watches over the coastline, waves crash against the rocks below, and there were moments when I found myself looking at the scenery longer than I looked at my golf ball.

It's impossible to rush around Turnberry.

The course almost forces you to slow down and appreciate where you are.

I still remember standing on several tees thinking, "This might be the most beautiful golf hole I've ever seen."

Sometimes we judge golf courses by our score.

Turnberry reminded me they're better judged by the memories they create.

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Prestwick

Prestwick feels wonderfully different.

It doesn't try to be modern.

It doesn't try to be perfect.

It simply reminds you where championship golf began.

This was the home of the very first Open Championship, and the course still reflects that early era of golf. Blind tee shots. Stone walls. Railway sleepers. Pot bunkers that seem impossibly deep.

Every hole feels like an adventure.

More than once I found myself smiling simply because I'd never seen golf presented this way before.

Prestwick rewards imagination as much as execution.

Perhaps that's why it remains one of Scotland's most unforgettable experiences.

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Cruden Bay

Every great golf trip includes one pleasant surprise.

For me, it was Cruden Bay.

It doesn't receive the same international attention as St Andrews or Carnoustie, yet by the end of the round I found myself wondering why more golfers don't talk about it.

The routing moves naturally through towering dunes with one spectacular view after another. Every hole feels unique. Nothing feels manufactured.

There are courses you admire.

Then there are courses you simply enjoy.

Cruden Bay belongs firmly in the second category.

It may have been the final stop on my journey.

But it was one of the courses I thought about the most on the flight home.

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What Scotland Taught Me

Looking back, I realized that every course shared something in common.

None demanded perfect golf.

They demanded thoughtful golf.

The wind mattered.

The turf mattered.

Patience mattered.

And perhaps most of all, the ability to adapt mattered.

Playing Scotland reinforced something I've believed for years about the short game. Great wedges shouldn't only perform from soft fairways and fluffy sand. They should give golfers confidence from the tight, firm lies that challenge even the best players in the world.

Those lessons helped shape how I think about wedge design today, and why Edison wedges feature our Dual Bounce Sole—to help golfers play the shot the course gives them, not the one they wish they had.

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Final Thoughts

People often ask me which course was my favorite.

The truth is, I can't answer that.

Each one gave me something different.

North Berwick welcomed me to links golf.

St Andrews connected me to the history of the game.

Carnoustie humbled me.

Turnberry inspired me.

Prestwick surprised me.

Cruden Bay stole my heart.

If you've ever dreamed of playing golf in Scotland, my advice is simple.

Stop dreaming.

Start planning.

Because long after you've forgotten your score, you'll remember the feeling of walking those fairways, standing where legends once stood, and discovering why Scotland will always be golf's true home.

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Bill's Scotland Scorecard

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