Kings (Torvean)

Kings Golf Club is one of the newest venues on the NCG Top 100s website, with this iteration of the club only founded in 2019.

The layout stands on the site of the old Torvean Golf Club, which was first founded in 1962, and was then shut down by the city’s government to make way for housing developments.

Although still a young course, Kings has a great reputation, and it is a solid inland championship course that will test your entire game.

Visit the Kings Golf Club website here. 

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The Kings Golf Club is one of the youngest venues that you will find on the NCG Top 100s website, having only been founded in 2019.

The history of the club dates back to the 1960s though, as it has been formed following the collapse of Torvean Golf Club, which used much of the same land.

Torvean Golf Club was closed to make way for housing developments, but a new course was designed by Stuart Rennie, incorporating some of the land used by the old Torvean layout.

The new course at Kings, despite being relatively young, has already emerged into a proper championship layout, with many a water hazard running through the layout. The course is also not flat, with plenty of rises and falls to make certain holes feel even longer. From the Gold tees, Kings Golf Club stretches past the 6,600-yard mark, making it a proper test of length as well as accuracy. It is also just a par 70, with just the two par 5s compared to the four par 3s.

The layout begins with a 385-yard par 4 with an opening tee shot played up the hill. The green, along with three bunkers, sit across the other side of a small burn. The 2nd is shorter, at 355 yards from the tips, and plays slightly downhill. It runs from right to left and has a fairway bunker on the left side that must be avoided. At 416 yards, the 3rd is the first real test of distance. Water is on the right side of this hole throughout, while the two bunkers on the inside corner of this dog-leg left add to the danger off the tee. Two more bunkers protect the putting surface. 4 is another lengthy par 4, and one where a burn runs across the fairway, so work out the distance as to whether you can carry it of you have to stay short. There are no greenside bunkers, but there are run-offs on all sides of the green.

The first of the two par 5s at Kings comes at the 5th. It is only 515 yards, and moves round to the left, so favour the left side of the hole for the shortest route to the green. The surface itself sits above a rock wall and behind two greenside bunkers. For most, it will be a three-shot hole. The 6th is the Stroke Index 1 at Kings Golf Club, and plays as a very tough dog-leg right. It measures 433 yards, around a steep slope. A bunker sits on the outside corner of the dog-leg, and anything right of that will be in good position. Again, there are plenty of bunkers surrounding the green. The first of the quartet of short holes comes at 7. It is 177 yards, and has a water hazard on its right, with anything missing the green right bringing that water into play. Bunkers front left and front right are also in play.

A pair of very different par 4s bring to you to the turn. The 8th is 420 yards in length, and plays arrow straight. It runs slightly downhill towards the green, with a pair of bunkers in play on your approach to the putting surface. Meanwhile, the 9th is only 346 yards. Avoid the fairway bunkers – one on either side of the short grass – and you’re in great position to give yourself a birdie chance. The first of three par 3s on the back nine comes at the 10th. It is 160 yards from the tips and plays over a small burn, though that should not be in play off the tee shot. The three bunkers that surround the green, though, definitely are!

The 11th is carded at 354 yards, but it plays more than that as it runs uphill. There is a wide fairway on offer, and with all the sand coming at the green, the tee shot can be attacked. Four bunkers protect the surface, which sits above the fairway and has a false front. 12 continues uphill, this time moving slightly from left to right. The play is down the left side of the fairway to give yourself the best view of the green, which is back down the slope. Anything long of this green will be in danger of running away and OOB. The 13th is a long par 3 of 190 yards, but it plays slightly downhill. It is all carry on this tee shot, with a small valley in between yourself and the green.

The closing stretch at Kings gets underway with the Stroke Index 2, par 4 14th. It is more than 470 yards from the tips, but does play slightly downhill to alleviate a touch of that distance. Avoid the fairway bunker on the right side with the tee shot, and you’ll be able to reach the green in regulation. Another bunker sits 20 yards short of the green, so carry that to make sure you have a chance of finding the surface. The longest hole on the course comes at 15, which is a 570-yard par 5. It is pretty straight, but all three shots (if you can’t reach in two) must be accurate. There are plenty of sand traps on the fairway, and then a burn that runs diagonally across the fairway, cutting close to the front left of the green. If you can keep it out of all that, then a par, or maybe even birdie, is on offer.

The 16th is the last of the par 3s, and plays 191 yards from the back tees. It plays downhill, so it might be one club less, with the miss being to the left of the green. On the opposite side lies a large bunker, which covers the right side of the putting surface. Water comes back into play on the 475-yard 17th - another lengthy par 4 that requires two long and accurate shots. A bunker on the left side of the fairway, along with a burn running down the right side make the short stuff feel very narrow. The green is more open, but there are two bunkers on its right side. The closing hole at Kings is a 366-yard par 4 that offers a wide fairway, and one that can be attacked with driver. The green sits behind a lake, with no more than a yard from the front of the surface to the water hazard. Make sure your approach carries all the way to the surface, otherwise your round might come to a horrendous end.

Where is Kings Golf Club located?

Kings Golf Club is situated to the southwest of the city of Inverness, just north of Torvean Park – hence the original name for the first iteration of the club. By road, the centre of Inverness is just three miles away from Kings Golf Club. The A82, which runs from Inverness southwest towards Glasgow, runs around the southern side of the golf club.

Thanks to its proximity to the city, Inverness Airport is the nearest international airport to Kings Golf Club. The airport sits just ten miles to the east, on the opposite side of the city, and it is the third busiest airport in Scotland behind only Edinburgh and Glasgow. Inverness Station is just three miles from the golf club, making it the nearest stop for rail users. Services run from Inverness to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and many other destinations.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

Inverness is a great base for those looking to play golf courses on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. Cabot Highlands’ Castle Stuart Course is just ten miles from Kings, with Nairn, Nairn Dunbar and Fortrose & Rosemarkie all within 20 miles of the venue.

What golf facilities does Kings Golf Club offer?

On the opposite side of General Booth Road, Kings Golf Club has a short game area and a driving range, which are both available for use for guests and members alike. The club also has a putting green by the first tee of the course.

What are the green fees at Kings Golf Club (Torvean)?

The price of a green fee at Kings Golf Club changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Kings Golf Club, visit their website here.