Scotland: The Best of Scotland | 10 nights, 13 games

The King's Course, opened in 1919, is a masterpiece of design, which has tested the aristocracy of golf, both professional and amateur.

James Braid's plan for the King's Course was to test even the best players' shot-making skills over the eighteen holes. When they play the King's the world's greatest golfers admire the cunning and craft with which he achieved that goal.

You find out all about it with your first approach shot. If you have driven straight and long from the tee, you will have what looks like a simple pitch to the elevated green. But you must be sure to select the correct club, because the shot is always a little longer than you think, with the wind over the putting surface often stronger than you can feel it from the fairway. And if you do not make the severely sloping green, a bunker yawns twenty feet below.

Selecting the right club for each approach shot is the secret on the King's. It is certainly one of the most beautiful and exhilarating places to play golf in the world, with the springy moorland turf underfoot, the sweeping views from the tees all around, the rock-faced mountains to the north, the green hills to the south, and the peaks of the Trossachs and Ben Vorlich on the western horizon.

All the holes have evocative and pithy Scots names. For example, the fifth, "Het Girdle" (Hot Pan), is a challenging par 3 with trouble every-where except on the green, while 17th's name, "Warslin' Lea" (Wrestling Ground), reflects the difficulty so many golfers have had with this long, sweeping par 4.

The eighteen holes of Gullane No.1 Course were established in 1884. The well maintained greens, links grasses, numerous bunkers and sea breezes make a unique challenge for the serious golfer.

The 3rd hole was recently voted one of the top 500 holes in the world by Golf Magazine (USA). The world famous view from the highest point of the Course on the 7th tee across the course and over to Edinburgh, Fife and way beyond is worth the green fee alone.

With every hole having its own distinct character, the course is both memorable and enjoyable.

Muirfield is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers whose records date back to 1744. Muirfield Golf Course is simply unique. Words usually fail to describe how it feels to play the couse. With many memories of Open Championships and possessing some of the most memorable holes in golf, Muirfield Golf Course will captivate any player.

The East Lothian course is regarded by many of the game's top players as being the "fairest" on the rota of courses used by the R&A for the Open Championship.  One of the unusual charms about the Scottish version is that it is laid out in two separate loops, the front nine running clockwise on the outer and the back nine going in the opposite direction on the inner.

Muirfield certainly has a history of producing 'great' champions, the latest being Ernie Els, who lifted the Claret Jug there last year. Jack Nicklaus was also an Open winner here and he was so impressed that he decided to name his own course in Ohio as 'Muirfield Village'.

North Berwick Golf Club provides a perfect blend of tradition, hospitality and a unique golfing challenge. The course is a true Links, starting in the town centre and stretching west along the shores of the Firth of Forth.

Guests will be as impressed with stunning views over sandy beaches, rocky islands and the hills of Fife to the north, as with a course which features the best of traditional links design.

North Berwick Golf Club, the 13th oldest in the world, has a long and proud history, from staging many of the legendary challenge matches of the 19th Century to hosting major events, including Final Qualifying for the Open Championship, in the 21st.

Machrihanish Golf Club is situated on the Kintyre Peninsula 140 miles by road from Glasgow. The superior natural 18 hole golf course is well known throughout the world, voted to have "the best opening hole in golf" by golf architects and players and listed in the top 100 golf courses outside the USA by the Golfer's Digest.

Little has been changed to disturb the natural scenic beauty and inspiring challenge of the delightful 18 hole links golf course. The outward nine follow the hills and hollows among the sand dunes, with the stunning clear waters lapping on the sandy beach by the opening hole.

The course, unlike mainland courses, plays differently every day with wind temperatures, strengths and directions changing quickly and regularly affected by the Atlantic currents and the coastal conditions.

The club here is very friendly and welcoming, with visitors returning from around the globe to play this unique course then finish the day watching the stunning sunsets over Islay.

Forever remembered as the birthplace of the Open Championship, Prestwick Golf Club has hosted 24 Opens in all, the last one being 1926, after which the crowds were deemed too large.

Prestwick Golf Club is situated just half an hour south west of Glasgow on the famous golfing Ayrshire coast. A stretch of land unequalled anywhere in the world for prime golfing terrain. Prestwick shares it boundaries with Royal Troon and is just 20 minutes from Turnberry, with Open final qualifying courses such as Kilmarnock Barassie, Glasgow Gailes, Western Gailes and Irvine Bogside all within just 5 minutes drive.

Prestwick Golf Club is a relaxed and friendly club that enjoys hosting golfers from all around the World. Visitors are encouraged to use their temporary membership to its full capacity, and enjoy the full lunch in the lavish Dining room or just a snack in the relaxed Cardinal room.

Founded in 1878 by a few enthusiasts Troon Golf Club soon outgrew its purely local reputation. The Old Course today presents a stern golfing examination and in particular the inward half of Royal Troon is widely accepted as the most demanding of any Course on the Championship rota.

One of the great links courses in Scotland, the Old Course is a challenging test of golfing ability. With the wind to contend with, and deep rough interspersed with gorse and broom, accurate shot making is essential. Players should make their scores on the outward nine, as the prevailing north-westerly wind can make the back nine extremely difficult.

The Portland Course at Royal Troon Golf Club came about in June of 1895, though it was called the Relief Course until 1924.

The Portland Course at Royal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course, and it is more sheltered and shorter than the Old Course, with holes that make their way over land covered by gorse and broom and has five par-3 holes.

Save some strength for the back nine on the Portland Course at Royal Troon Golf Club: It has the golf course's par-5 holes - all four of them.

The most junior of Open venues, the Ailsa course at Turnberry is nevertheless one of the best and toughest challenges in championship golf.

Sited between the magnificent Trump Turnberry Resort and the sea, this great course weaves in and out of spectacular dunes that, with Turnberry lighthouse and Ailsa Craig standing over 1200 foot high out at sea, form great backdrops to all of the holes.

The course has recently undergone an extensive renovation with the changing of a number of holes providing even more excitement along the cliffs. In fact the trio of holes 9, 10, 11 rival if not surpass those at Pebble Beach. The iconic Turnberry lighthouse has been transformed into arguably the world's best halfway house providing amazing views at the end of the 9th hole.

Although stretched to over 7,000 yards for Open Championships, the medal course is not one that demands great power for par but rather more care and attention to detail both off the tee and with the approach shots. This course has seen some of the best exhibitions ever in the game, particularly over its closing holes testing the world's greatest players to their limits.

Cruden Bay Golf Course creates unique challenges demanding the skills of power, placement and fine judgement upon the discerning golfer. Set against a backdrop of subtly contoured greens and magnificent panoramic views, a visit to Cruden Bay will be a most memorable one.

When you gaze out from Cruden Bay’s splendid clubhouse you are faced with a magnificent panorama of what is one of the finest examples of a traditional Scottish links course.

There before you lies a never-to-be-forgotten test of golf with a rich variety of demanding holes wending their way between towering dunes and knee-high rough. If that is not enough to give you a nightmare then the brooding presence of the ruins of Slains Castle might

The course runs essentially out and back along the North Sea shore. The outward nine (which is arguably acknowledged as one of the finest in links golf anywhere in the world) cuts its way through some wonderful dune formation and the inland nine on the plateau.

A traditional old Scottish links, it is well bunkered with undulating fairways. It is an excellent balance of holes, strong par 4's, tricky par 3's and two classic par 5's, with the 8th protected by 10 bunkers. The ever changing wind, tight greens and a magnificent finish makes Balgownie a test for the very best.

Given its quality, it is difficult to comprehend why the wonderful links at Carnoustie lay virtually undiscovered for so long and why it took until 1931 for it to host its first British Open. Since then, this great links has hosted the Open on six occasions.

Carnoustie Championship course is now in the finest condition it has ever been. Not only does it offer the ultimate challenge to every golfer but it provides a playing quality second to none.

It will provide you with one of the sternest tests of golf in the world - a relatively flat course, Carnoustie's main defences are from the wind and the two burns that run across the links through out, quietly awaiting the shot that is slightly less than perfect.

While its golf origins date back to 1793, the multi-award-winning Kingsbarns Golf Links only opened in the summer of 2000. It immediately established itself as one of the world’s must-play links courses – debuting at 46th on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 Worldwide list.

Since 2001, Kingsbarns has co-hosted the annual European Tour’s elite Dunhill Links Championship along with the Old Course and Carnoustie. Kingsbarns has become a favourite destination for first-time and returning international and UK golf visitors to St Andrews. This reputation is based on a combination of playability, dramatic seaside location, classic links turf and staff dedicated to personal service.

Designed by Kyle Phillips and Mark Parsinen, every hole on this championship standard course offers inspiring views of the North Sea.

Sir Michael Bonallack, Past Captain and Past Secretary of the R&A said of Kingbarns: "Mere words cannot convey just how extraordinary the place is. It must be seen to be believed. And once seen, it will never be forgotten".

The Old Course at St Andrews is a must for all avid golfers, who should make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. This is where it all started – the undoubted Home of Golf.

This traditional links course is the oldest in the world. Its layout is unique and challenging and the sense of history is overwhelming. To tread the turf of St Andrews, where in the 13th century shepherds played a form of golf, is a marvellous experience. The course is known for its 112 bunkers including one of the most famous in golf, the Road Hole bunker at the 17th hole.

A peculiar feature of the layout of the Old Course is the double greens where the outward and inward holes are cut on the same putting surface. These large greens can mean that golfers may be faced with putts of almost 100 yards.