Highland Coast 3 Days 2026

Three days, three historic Scottish links courses, panoramic North Sea and Dornoch Firth views on every horizon, sheep and Highland cattle grazing the fairways, and a genuinely brilliant three-day competition decided by consistency across the whole trip — the 2026 Highland Coast 3 Days delivered an unforgettable stretch of golf.

The Tour

The Highland Coast is one of the truly special corners of world golf — a stretch of coastline dotted with historic links courses, dramatic scenery, and a proper sense of golfing pilgrimage on every fairway. This year's three-day trip brought together three genuinely outstanding venues, each with its own distinctive character.

A brilliant turnout too — 162 golfers in the field this week, with an age range from 16 all the way through to those in their 70s. And great to see so many mixed pairs — 23 of the 81 pairs — a proper reflection of what makes Golf Pairs events so enjoyable.

Day 1 — Brora

Course Highlights

Brora Golf Club — established in 1891 and redesigned by the legendary James Braid in 1923 — is a traditional out-and-back layout featuring stunning coastal views. The outward nine follows the curve of Kintradwell Bay along the North Sea, with the 9th green sitting at the furthest point from the clubhouse, right next to the beach.

Braid ingeniously routed each of the four par-3 holes (6th, 9th, 13th, and 18th) to play in completely different directions — a masterclass in course design that ensures the wind is always a factor no matter which way it blows.

The course also boasts one of the most memorable quirks in world golf — sheep and Highland cattle graze freely across the fairways and rough, serving as natural greenkeepers that help keep the grass and rough maintained. Unobtrusive single-strand electric wires encircle each of the 18 greens to protect them from the roaming livestock. And best of all — Brora features a unique local rule providing a free drop from sheep droppings. Only in Scotland.

Weather Conditions

Dry but windy all day — proper links weather, and the kind of day where Braid's clever routing paid off in full.

Day 1 Prize Winners

WHS Leaderboard

• 1st — George (10.3) & John McKinlay (13.1) — 44 points

Gross Leaderboard

• 1st Gross — Andrew Helm (4.2) & Justyn Comer (10.9) — 35 points

On the Course

• Men's Longest Drive — Ben Sisokin
• Ladies' Longest Drive — Michelle Wight
• Nearest the Pin (13th, 125 yards) — Mark Munro

Day 2 — Golspie

Course Highlights

Golspie Golf Club offers a rare and scenic 18-hole Scottish Highlands layout combining classic seaside links, purple heather heathland, and tree-lined parkland — genuinely three courses in one.

Holes 1 through 7 hug the North Sea in true links style. The middle stretch (8 through 12) winds through pine trees and purple heather. And the closing holes transition into a challenging parkland finish. A properly unique day of golf, and one that keeps everyone thinking on every hole.

Weather Conditions

Mostly sunny with a stiff breeze — pleasant conditions overall, but with enough wind to make club selection interesting throughout.

Memorable Moments

A really lovely story on Day 2 — Ian and Denise McIntosh celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary today by shooting a solid 30 points. A properly special way to mark a special occasion, and one of the standout stories of the trip.

Day 2 Prize Winners

WHS Leaderboard (tied on 45 points)

• 1st — Tony Speirs (17.8) & Richie Chang (14.0) — 45 points
• 2nd — Annika (25.5) & Stewart Roberts (8.6) — 45 points

Gross Leaderboard

• 1st Gross — John Griffiths (6.6) & Carl Bartle (1.8) — 35 points

On the Course

• Men's Longest Drive — Jason Stevenson
• Ladies' Longest Drive — Jennifer Glasgow
• Nearest the Pin (6th, 151 yards) — Oli Clarke

Day 3 — Tain

Course Highlights

Tain Golf Club is a historic 18-hole championship links course designed by the legendary Old Tom Morris in 1890, offering panoramic views of the Dornoch Firth and the Easter Ross mountains. Genuine golfing history in every yard, and a properly special place to finish a Highland Coast tour.

Weather Conditions

Very wet for the first half hour of the day, before the weather cleared up nicely and the sun made a brief appearance. Light rain returned later in the afternoon — but manageable conditions overall on a course of Tain's calibre.

Memorable Moments

The round of the day belonged to Colin Gibson (3.1) — a properly incredible back 9 that included 5 birdies and 3 pars from the 9 holes. Genuinely world-class scoring, and the kind of round that gets talked about long after the trip.

Day 3 Prize Winners

WHS Leaderboard

• 1st — Guy Fletcher (9.8) & Tony Moores (5.6) — 46 points
• 2nd — Mark Phillips (12.9) & John Walbaum (8.1) — 45 points

Gross Leaderboard

• 1st Gross — Duncan McLaren (4.4) & Graeme Johnstone (2.6) — 39 points

On the Course

• Men's Longest Drive — Jason Kittinger
• Ladies' Longest Drive — Lianne McLaughlin
• Nearest the Pin (16th, 139 yards) — Duncan McLaren

Overall Three-Day Winners

Three contrasting Scottish links courses over three days — and consistency was king by the end of the trip.

Huge congratulations to Richie Chang and Tony Speirs, who took the Overall WHS title with a superb 128 points — Day 2 winners and consistently strong across all three days to seal the top spot on the overall leaderboard.

A massive well played to Andrew Helm and Justyn Comer in the runners-up spot with 124 points — a brilliantly consistent trip, with a Day 1 Gross win in the mix too.

Best Overall Gross belonged to Graeme Johnstone and Duncan McLaren with 104 points — sealed by their Day 3 Gross win. A properly classy three days of low-handicap golf.

Overall WHS Leaderboard

• 1st Overall — Richie Chang & Tony Speirs — 128 points
• 2nd Overall — Andrew Helm & Justyn Comer — 124 points
• 3rd Overall — Mark Phillips & John Walbaum — 121 points

Overall Gross Leaderboard

• 1st Gross Overall — Graeme Johnstone & Duncan McLaren — 104 points
• 2nd Gross Overall — Paul Smith & Phil Bedford — 103 points
• 3rd Gross Overall — Colin Gibson & David Holt — 101 points

A truly memorable three days on one of the great stretches of coastline in world golf. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the trip, to Brora, Golspie, and Tain for hosting us so superbly, and huge congratulations to all our winners — from the individual day prizes through to the overall three-day titles. Special mention too to Ian and Denise on their 49th wedding anniversary — a lovely story and a properly special reason to be out on the course. Already looking forward to next year's Highland Coast 3 Days.