Edzell

Few Scottish golf clubs carry a sense of place quite as clearly as Edzell. Founded in 1895, the club sits at the foot of the Angus glens, where the North Esk river winds through a broad, fertile valley and the Cairngorm foothills begin to rise to the west. The village of Edzell itself — one of the most attractive planned estate villages in Scotland — gives the course a quiet, unhurried character that feels a long way from the crowded resort circuits of the coasts.

The layout occupies well-drained parkland ground, with mature trees framing many of the holes and the surrounding hills providing an ever-present backdrop. It plays to a par of 71, and while it won't overpower long hitters, it rewards precision and local knowledge, particularly when the wind funnels down from the glens.

Edzell is a genuine members' club with genuine warmth — the kind of place where visitors are welcomed rather than merely tolerated. For anyone touring Angus, it belongs on the itinerary alongside the more famous links of the nearby Angus coast.