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Ask any knowledgeable golfer to name his top 10 courses in the world and it`s almost certain that Royal Dornoch will feature high among them. This outstanding links, originally the work of Old Tom Morris, is a championship course of the highest order and encapsulates everything a golfer seeks in the most satisfying of rounds â€" a beautiful setting, a tough but fair test of skill and fast, tricky greens. Bordered by the Dornoch Firth with views of the mountains of Sutherland and the gorse ablaze with yellow in early summer, the purity of the air and the surroundings ensure you feel good, no matter your score. At 6,514 yards, it is not long by modern standards but you have to think your way around the bunkers, sandhills, hummocks, knolls and swales that can punish the unfortunate shot.Imagine a saucer and upend it and you have a typical Dornoch green. If you manage to keep your ball on the putting surface, then you are undoubtedly faced with a putt that will have to take account of a host of subtle contours. When we last played it on three successive days this summer, it was a completely different course each time. The first day was still and the course benign. The next day the wind blew from behind on the first eight holes and into our faces on the homeward 10 that skirt the sandy beaches of Dornoch Bay, making club selection difficult. And just in case we’d worked out how to play it, the wind turned around for the final day making many a shot guesswork.Much more recently five times Open champion Tom Watson said: ‘It was the most fun I`ve had playing golf in my whole life.’ Dornoch`s remoteness has prevented it from hosting its fair share of major championships but that remoteness adds to its charisma, and while golfers often kick themselves for sharing the secret of Dornoch with acquaintances, they can console themselves that its distance of 600 miles from London and 49 miles from Inverness, Britain`s most northerly city, prevents many from sharing its delights. Golf was first played here in 1616 and about that time Sir Robert Gordon wrote: ‘About this town along the sea coast are the fairest and largest links or green fields of any pairt of Scotland.’ Back in 1616, the subscription was two shillings and sixpence, it costs a bit more nowadays but it’s an experience worth every penny. Also the 18-hole Struie course.

Greg Norman, who knows a thing or two about golf courses, said of this magnificent links `There is nothing better in life than a dream come true â€" and this is definitely that dream.` Whatever the delights of this 7,500-acre estate on the banks of the Firth of Dornoch, it is the course that is Skibo`s brightest gem. Once owned by Andrew Carnegie the course fell into disrepair until Peter de Savary bought the Castle and its grounds for £5.6 million and  spent more than £10 million renovating it. He set about with Donald Steel`s help building a testing, but fair, championship course which is a delight in every sense. With such magnificent scenery of the estuarial waters of the Firth on three sides and the hills of Sutherland and Ross-shire all around, this could never be a good walk spoiled. Almost as welcoming as the firm and fast and gently rolling fairways, pockmarked with bunkers, is the friendly Golf House where you can sit and gaze out through huge picture windows at an amazing panorama. The last three holes loop around the Golf House and three eminent gentlemen of or acquaintance enjoyed them so much that after a drink they went out and played the final three again. They then retired for refreshment and repeated the exercise. This was done until they lost count of how many holes, drinks or shots had been taken. From the first â€" a 449-yard par four â€" you know that whatever success and disaster lie ahead, it will be an experience enjoyed. Usually playing downwind, you drive into the throat of a valley from which you will play your second to a green which, if you misjudge your approach, will sweep the ball away to the left and into one of those bunkers. And the wind can blow here. In 1996 when Norman played Freddie Couples in Shell's Wonderful World of Golf series the wind was the real winner with Couples shooting a 76 and beating the Australian by two shots. Naming a Signature Hole at Carnegie is like professing a preference for one of your offspring, but for me it would have to be the par-four 17th. It`s one of those intriguing holes which makes the golfer think. Make a mess of it then just enjoy being there and look all around you at the Struie Hill to the West, the Castle and the Estate to the North and the rest of the course to the South and the East. The course has a wide range of tees to suit all standards of play.

Overlooking the Moray Firth and well-known landmarks that are synonymous with Inverness and the Black Isle - Kessock Bridge and Chanonry Lighthouse - it offers a spectacular visual experience. Designed by Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse, there are wide fairways that afford multiple lines of play, large green complexes characterised by simple yet dominating shapes with run of the ball always a consideration and undulating terrain that makes it a thinking man`s course. Opened in July 2009.

An outstanding championship course with fast greens on the shores of the Moray Firth. After Great Britain & Ireland defeated the United States to win the 37th Walker Cup here in 1999, the vanquished`s captain Danny Yates paid tribute to this traditional Scottish links, saying: `The golf course was spectacular. The conditioning, the set-up couldn`t have been better. This has been a special place and the people have been so wonderful.` Founded in 1887 and extended by Old Tom Morris, James Braid and Archie Simpson, it has played host to many golfing greats.

The club was established in 1891 and this traditional links course was designed by James Braid in 1923. Australia`s Peter Thomson, five times Open Champion, says it is `the most natural links anywhere in the world.` And Today`s Golfer magagine voted it Best Value Course in Britain. Offers all the challenges of links with host of interesting and testing holes. Maintained in traditional fashion. Noted for fast, true greens.

The most north-westerly course on the British mainland. Varied links course with some inland holes, including the beautiful par-5 6th bordering on Loch Lanlish. Short but very testing with a variety of holes. Spectacular scenery and an abundance of flora and fauna in very peaceful surroundings. Nine holes but 18 tees.

Situated on the shores of Moray Firth, this championship links, founded in 1899, provides a formidable challenge with its tight gorse and whin-lined fairways. Unlike many courses of this type, there are no long carries from the tee. Accuracy is the key as there is no room for bailing out. The first three holes are comparatively open allowing you to ease into your round before a run of four very challenging par-4s. They are followed by the superb bowl green at the par-3 8th. The new par-5 9th, cut into a silver birch wood, is a good birdie opportunity. The 10th is a testing par-4 dogleg which takes you back in a westerly direction towards the clubhouse.There are three par-5s in the last eight holes and the final six are known as `the flats` because they are very close to sea level, have flat rippling links fairways and are easily viewed from the clubhouse. With silver birch, winding waterways, gorse and whin bushes, willows and sallows, ditches, the Ministers Loch and sand dunes, Nairn Dunbar provides all the hazards necessary for an enjoyable round.

Heathland course on the banks of the River Spey, designed by Dave Thomas, boasting breathtaking views of the Cairngorm mountains and a golfing challenge to match. Host to the 2009 Scottish PGA Northern Open and the European Challenge Tour.

A beautifully-situated parkland course, overlooking the Cromarty Firth and surrounding hills of Easter Ross and the Black Isle, celebrating its centenary having been established in 1904. The last five holes run alongside the River Averon, offering a contrast from the previous holes. The course was extended from 9 to 18 holes in 1997 and offers a challenge to all levels of golfer. Not a long course, 4886 yards, but tight and the small greens can test and promote skilful approach shots. The new clubhouse was officially opened in 2000 and offers all facilities. The comfortable lounge has views over the town of Alness, known for its floral displays which regularly win Britain in Bloom and Scotland in Bloom trophies.