Skibo Castle

At Skibo Castle, instead of a genie you have a telephone. Just dial zero and your wish will come true, no matter how great or small...

 

This isn’t the kind of place where you come to be seen. Quite the opposite, in fact. The kind of people who are members here are beyond the stage of flaunting their wealth. The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle, to use its full title, is an experience like no other.

 

You won’t even notice it unless you know to peel your eyes to the left as you cross the Dornoch Firth, and even then you could be forgiven for missing the turning a few hundred yards later. This Highlands estate is to be found, or not as the case may be, just off the A9 before, heading north, you reach the golfing paradise of Royal Dornoch.

 

The golf course, parts of which you can see from the Dornoch Firth Bridge, is a stunning 6,900-yard layout that features water around three sides of it, thanks to the Firth, and to Loch Evelix to the north.


Visit Skibo Castle's website here.
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Andrew Carnegie, the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist, purchased Skibo Castle in 1898 and undertook extensive renovations of the estate. As part of his improvements, he commissioned the creation of a golf course on the castle grounds. 

Carnegie's golf course at Skibo Castle was one of the earliest examples of a private golf course associated with a grand estate. The course was designed by renowned Scottish golf course architect Donald Ross, who is known for his contributions to golf course design in the United States.

 

The 1990s saw the estate become known as the Carnegie Club, and Donald Steel was brought in to design a brand-new 18-hole golf course. That underwent significant changes thanks to the design duo of MacKenzie & Ebert in the early 2000s.

Today Skibo Castle remains a private members' club, known as the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle. It offers luxurious accommodations, fine dining, outdoor activities, and a golf course, continuing its tradition of exclusivity and hospitality. 
 

The Carnegie Links is designed to provide a challenging yet enjoyable experience for golfers. The course layout takes advantage of the natural terrain, including undulating fairways, strategically placed bunkers, and coastal features. It offers a mix of holes that require precise shot-making and strategic course management. The course seemingly has water all around – occupying as it does a tongue of land. The Dornoch Firth is on two sides, with the River Evelix emptying into the firth on a third. Beyond, and a constant backdrop, looms Struie Hill, Skibo’s answer to the Mountains of Mourne at Royal County Down.

At 6,900 yards, the Carnegie Links will challenge golfers of all abilities. It begins with a straightforward par 4, though the length will cause problems for some, seeing as it pushes the 450-yard mark. A quintet of fairway bunkers, two left and three right, await anything slightly off the fairway. The 2nd is a left-to-right dogleg where the second shot is usually played blind or semi-blind over the shoulder of the dune that protects the angle.

 

You then come to a run of par 5, par 3, par 5, par 3 across the next four. 3 and 5 run parallel to each other - the 3rd moving slightly from right to left, with the 5th going in the opposite direction. Both are more than 530 yards, and will be three-shotters for all bar the longest of hitters. As with pretty much every hole on the Carnegie Links, avoiding the fairway bunkers is the key. 4 and 6 are both around the 155-yard mark, with the latter being played over sandscapes to a green guarded by just the one pot bunker front right of it.

 

The run around the turn starts with the incredible 7th. The fairway is split in two by a pair of bunkers, and you can opt to go either left or right of them. There are no bunkers on 8, but you have to deal with the Dornoch Firth instead, as it makes its first appearance. The water is on the right of the fairway, and it makes it a very narrow tee shot. The front nine closes with a par 3 of more than 200 yards. The length, along with the pot bunker in front of the putting surface, are the issues here.

 

A trio of par 4s kick off the back nine, and all three are brutes. The 10th pushes to 500 yards from the tips, while 11 is around 475 yards. The latter is a dog-leg, with the added danger of Loch Evelix on the right side, as the hole winds its way around the corner of it. 12 is similar, with the ideal tee shot almost having to carry some of the hazard. This is gentle at just 425 yards compared to the 10th and 11th, but that doesn't mean it is easy. The 13th provides some respite, a par 3 of just 150 yards, and one where there is space to miss to the left of the green.

 

At 555 yards, the 14th is a lengthy par 5, and it plays as a double dog-leg - first left and then back to the right. Avoid the fairway bunkers off the tee, and the lay-up is relatively simple with a wide fairway in front of you. 15 is a 215-yard par 3 played slightly over water (another section of Loch Evelix) to an angled green. Take a par and run to the next!

 

The closing stretch on the Carnegie Links begins with the long par 4 16th. Anything left of the fairway runs the risk of going OOB with the driving range facility in close order on that side. The green is long, and much wider in the middle than at either end, so make sure you have the right club in hand for your second. At just 300 yards, 17 will be driveable for some. For most, though, avoiding the four large bunkers in the fairway is the key once more. The course concludes with an amazing par 5. Teeing off from the very corner of this small slug of land, you aim your tee shot well away from the eventual finish of this hole. From there, you make a sharp turn left, and see that the River Evelix is in play once more on your left side for the lay up and the approach to this green. A great par, and an incredible hole to birdie, if you can...

 

Where is Skibo Castle located?
Skibo Castle is situated in the Scottish Highlands, with the turning for the club coming off the A9 - the main road which runs all the way from Stirling up to Thurso on the northern coastline of the country. The golf course at Skibo Castle sits on the banks of the Dornoch Firth, with Loch Evelix on the northern side. Dornoch is just five miles to the east, while Inverness is around 40 miles south - an hour's drive.

 

Inverness Airport, which sits on the opposite side of the city to Skibo Castle, is around 50 miles from the venue. Edinburgh Airport, the biggest international airport in Scotland, is just shy of 200 miles to the south. The nearest train station to Skibo Castle is in Tain, which is seven miles south, across the Dornoch Firth.

 

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?
The northeastern coastline of Scotland is blessed with some incredible golfing venues. The likes of Brora, Golspie, Tain and Royal Dornoch - with its Championship Course and Struie Course - are all within half an hour by road. The likes of Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Nairn Dunbar, Nairn and Cabot Highlands, home to the Castle Stuart Course and the new Old Petty Course, are all within 55 miles to the south as well. 

What golf facilities does Skibo Castle offer?  
Along with the stunning golf course, the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle also plays host to a full-length driving range which is just a short walk from the sublime clubhouse. There is also a short game area and a putting green to practice on before taking to the course.
  

Is Skibo Castle a private club?
The Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle is a members-only club and only offers its facilities to members and their guests. If people wish to be considered for membership, they apply to the club's committee for a one-time visit before deciding to apply for membership. Members do not have to book times to play and can use the facilities when they wish.

The Carnegie Club does not believe in tee times, so members and their guests are able to play whenever the course is free.

 

However, with that it means that there is no information with regards to the price of a green fee at Skibo Castle.

Visit Skibo Castle's website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.