Planning Your Golfing Trip

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your Hebridean golfing holiday!

Golfing Equipment - Hire and Sale

The following shops sell or hire golfing equipment:

Colin Campbell Sports LTD
Balivanich
Isle of Benbecula
HS7 5LA
Tel: 01870 602236

Sportsworld
1-3 Francis Street
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS2 2XD
Tel: 01851 705464

Stornoway Golf Club
The Castle Grounds
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
Tel: 01851 702240

For equipment hire at other courses, contact the club directly.

Transport

All our courses are accessible by car and public buses run nearby. It is advisable if you are wishing to play all the courses that you hire a car to make your journey more comfortable and to give you more freedom to explore and make those ferry connections. If you would like to know more about transport in the islands check out our Getting Here section.

Weather

It is advisable to take sun cream, a hat and waterproofs with you no matter what the weather forecast is. Some of the rural courses are on the coast and are exposed to the fresh Atlantic seabreezes so remember warm clothes too. The weather is very changeable in the islands so it is best to be prepared for all conditions.

Food and Drink

One of the nice things about playing golf in the islands is that after all that exercise and the freshest of air, there is always somewhere nice to go and refuel afterwards. There are some fantastic restaurants in some of the most remote areas of the islands, a perfect end to a great day out. If you are going to be playing all day, it would be wise to take a flask and sandwiches so you don't have to drive off and look for somewhere half way through your game. Most hotels and Bed and Breakfast's are happy to help you out with this. But if the light summer nights do tempt you to play late in the evening, remember that a lot of restaurants stop serving at 9pm unless they have bookings - it's advisable to book ahead.

Bird life

It is worth keeping an eye out for the wildlife while you are playing. The rural courses are situated on machair sands of the west coast, teeming with bird and plant life. There are all sorts of things to see from Golden Eagles soaring above you to seals playing on the rocks and the machair carpet flowers on the fairways. Keep an ear open for the elusive corncrake: the Hebrides is one of its last strongholds and its distinctive rasping call is a beautiful thing to hear.

Sunday Golfing

Golfing on Sundays is allowed in the Southern Isles but not in the Northern Isles (Lewis and Harris.) There are however plenty of other relaxing pursuits to take part in such as walking on the beaches and wildlife watching. If you are a mad keen golfer you could always go to a remote coastline and practice your swing as you hit your balls out to the Atlantic!

Keeping the Crofters Happy

When playing on the rural courses please remember to keep closed gates shut. This is to stop the sheep getting onto the courses and munching all the grass. They also leave little 'obstacles' which can make putting a challenge.