Whisky Tours, Tastings and Dinners from Morton Golf in Scotland

Morton Golf Holidays can arrange a number of activities for golfing and even non golf clients based around the world of whisky arranged exclusively for your group by the business owner Peter Craigon.

Golf & Whisky Tours

Morton Golf have put together extra special Golf and Whisky packages for groups of 4 or more.

All Tours would include:

• Hotel accommodation close to Golf Courses and Distilleries with Full Scottish breakfast
• Transportation throughout, transfers to hotels, golf courses, to and from airport, transfers using qualified, experienced drivers/guides.
• Selected Tee Times at the finest Golf Courses, Green Fees included and caddies arranged if required.
• Entrance to Whisky Distilleries, Whisky Tours, Tastings, and Whisky Dinners.

Owner of Morton Golf Holidays, Peter Craigon worked for many years in the whisky industry, and being fortunate enough to have been made a “Keeper of the Quaich”, he is in a unique position to combine the finest golf courses across Scotland with the most prestigious and renowned whisky distilleries to create the perfect bespoke Golf and Whisky Tour for your group in 2017.

Whisky Dinners

Whisky Tours, Tastings and Dinners! Morton Golf can also arrange for a world renowned whisky expert to spend an evening with your group.

He will conduct a presentation to the group pre-dinner lasting about 45 minutes. He covers all aspects of whisky in an informative and entertaining way.

He will then join the group for a private dinner and provide a different malt whisky for each course. Each person will enjoy 3 malt whiskies included as part of your package. As you savour each malt our expert will tell you all about where the malt comes from and what makes it suitable for each course of dinner.

Whisky Tastings

We can arrange for a whisky expert to conduct a nosing and tasting session exclusively for your group. These sessions can be carried out either at or near one of your accommodations during your stay.

Tullibardine Distillery, Blackford – The Bonded Tour

You will enjoy a VP Tour conducted especially for your group. You will be personally show around the Tullibardine Distillery by a top guide. The distillery is only two miles from Gleneagles in the village of Blackford in Perthshire.

Glenmorangie Distillery VIP Tour

We will arrange for your group to have a special tour of the Glenmorangie Distillery when you are playing golf in the North of Scotland. The distillery is in Tain which is only 6 miles from Dornoch.

Glenfiddich Distillery VIP Tour

Peter used to work for Wm Grants who own the Glenfiddich Distillery and would be delighted to arrange a tour with some of the very best guides in the industry. Glenfiddich is the biggest selling malt whisky in the world and the distillery is one of the most interesting in Scotland set amongst the rolling hills in Dufftown.

Kingsbarns Distillery

After playing on one of the most beautiful links in the world Peter will arrange a VIP tour of the wonderful Kingsbarns Distillery which is only a half wedge from the 14th hole !

Famous Grouse Experience

Formerly the Glenturret Distillery we can arrange for your group to visit this excellent centre where you will learn all there is to know about making whisky.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Based in the centre of Edinburgh we can arrange for your group to either visit for a tasting or indeed to have dinner at this wonderful institution.

For further information on any of these great inclusions or if you are looking for a whisky tour on its own contact Peter at Morton Golf by email or visit the Morton Golf website

Dunvegan in St Andrews goes on the market.

One of Scotland's most famous 19th Holes is available to purchase if you have a spare £3 million or so to offload!

The Dunvegan Hotel which has offered St Andrews visitors the chance to rub shoulders with the great and the good as well as just relax in the company of caddies, an international clientele and absorb a long history. It is one of those pubs that you just have to tick off the list. For me Doheny and Nesbits in Dublin is my first port of call; Sloans in Glasgow when I get off the train and Cafe Royal on Rose Street in the capital plays a similar role.

For golfers to St Andrews the Dunvegan has similar cache and attraction.

The Dunvegan, has welcomed Hollywood superstars Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery not to mention former president George HW Bush and the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong is now on the market and current owners Jack Willoughby and his wife Sheena are moving on.

“We've had the time of our lives running the hotel and have loved meeting and hosting so many golfers, golfing celebrities and our true core customers, the not so famous golfing visitors, alike. You just can’t describe the atmosphere at the height of the season, but the place just seems to have a magnetic pull of people from all four corners of the world.”

A SIGTOA member confirmed the attraction, "There are very few of our clients that will not at least ask about The Dunvegan and many if not staying will pop in for a pint after their round or some food. It is an institution in the town and many a good night has been had in there by all of us!"

Dunvegan Hotel, St Andrews. from Square Foot Media on Vimeo.

Pretty certain however that whoever takes this historic venue over will not be turning it into a boutique cafe...

Why not join a group for your Scottish Golf Vacation

Since 1997 Scotland Golf Tours have been specialising in customised golf tours but an increasing number of our clients were asking for tours that they could join. Added to this the fact that many of Scotland's golfing visitors may prefer to avoid driving on the "wrong" side of the road then the idea of creating a series of Group Yours made sense.

So for 2016 Ronnie Pook and his team have pulled together a group tours service tour for up to 16 golfers. This number means the cost of the driver is spread between more people bringing the tour price down to a level that the golfer will find acceptable whilst still maintaining a quality Scottish golf experience.

The tours are designed to include some premier courses, a few high quality local courses, a visit to a distillery or castle to give the visitor a little taste of real Scotland, and of course the tour drivers are excellent at running these groups, ensuring everyone is looked after.

Guests will be travelling in the company of other like-minded golfers, and as always happens with golf, many new friendships are struck over three foot putts!

If interested in booking a trip for later this year there are still space available on a couple of options in September and October 2016 so why not click on the links to find out more about these great golf tours.

Jewels of the East - September 2016

Coast to Coast - September and October 2016

Book your place, play golf, sit back in the coach, relax and enjoy the experience.

Best of Scotland Holidays Mobile App Launched

Fife based SIGTOA member Best of Scotland Holidays now has an app to download for free from both the Apple Store and Google Play.

The brand new Mobile App is now live and full of features and functionalities such as

• Detailed information on each tour
• The very latest offers and deal
• An extensive photo gallery
•  Loyalty scheme
•  Contact and information

The application increases the digital presence of Best of Scotland Holidays complementing their already well stocked website! 

If you are short of ideas for your Scottish trip then have a wee look around the BoSH site and you will certainly find inspiration in the detailed itineraries showcasing various destinations and products across the country.

The app is online and available FREE now and it can be downloaded by going to the BoSH website at www.best-of-scotland.co.uk or visiting the Apple Store or Google Play.

Prestwick is the Home of The Open. Is it on your list?

According to Peter Craigon of Mortong Golf Holidays Prestwick Golf Club on the Ayrshire coast “Should be on everyone’s MUST play list” and he explains why below

On Monday this week we took part in the wonderful annual Prestwick Fun Day which has a unique six ball "foursome" format!

Our Morton Golf Holidays team consisted of Donald McLeod our Associate Director, Sam Craigon my son who is assistant pro at Balbirnie Park GC in Fife and myself and we were hosted on the day by our Team Captain Allan Cook a member of Prestwick for over 20 years. I have been lucky enough to play regularly at Prestwick since the late 70's and played in the Scottish Amateur there in 1979. I was delighted to see Keith McIntosh who was the champion from that year also taking part in the Fun Day on Monday as he is a long standing member of Prestwick.

Everything about the venerable old place just oozes “class“.

From the history of the golf course and the clubhouse to the wonderful welcome you will receive when you play there it really is one of the best places in the world to play golf. The golf course itself is a classic old style links course which has hosted 24 Open Championships and the variety of its wonderful holes means you will remember every one of them long after you have played there.

I should also mention the Dining Room. Lunch at Prestwick is one of the great experiences in golf anywhere and there is nothing better than a round on the great links followed by a proper lunch and a couple of kummels to really get you going for the day. I believe the members sometimes refer to kummel as “putting juice “ as once you have had a couple the hands seem so much steadier on the putter for your afternoon round.

I would love to arrange for your group to play at Prestwick the next time you come to Scotland and I’d be delighted to add it to your itinerary on your next trip.

The One Time Experience - Morton Golf Holidays at The Renaissance Club

Article by Peter Craigon, Morton Golf Holidays

8th April 2016

I was lucky enough yesterday to spend a day at the Renaissance Club which is a wonderful Tom Doak designed links course just over the fence from Muirfield. 

We were hosted by Stephen Walker who is the Director of Marketing & Hospitality and Russell Smith the Director of Golf. Everything about the place oozes class from the spectacular design by Doak to the sumptuous clubhouse and the 5 star accommodation. 

Our day started around 10am with a Big Renaissance Breakfast which rivals anything on offer at Scotland’s 5 star hotels and the Bloody Mary which accompanied breakfast certainly put a little zip in the step to say the least. After a warm up on their excellent range and putting green we played the course with the expert guidance of our forecaddie Gary who is a 3 handicap member of Duddingston in Edinburgh. 

This was a wee bonus for me as I used to be a member of that top quality parkland course is the 1980s and it was nice when Gary was able to tell me many of the guys I played in the team with all these year ago are still around today! 

Doak has done a splendid job in designing a top class links course which is fair and challenging with some wonderful views across the Firth of Forth towards Fife and beyond. After golf we relaxed over a few pre-dinner beers and for some reason my putt into a bunker on the 1st hole seemed to be a topic which caused my fellow golfers some glee! 

The course was recently selected to host Final Qulaifying for the Open Championship from 2018 and it will undoubtedly provide one of the finest challenges for those seeking the elusive spots.

We ended the day with a fabulous private dinner the quality of which would not have been out of place at some of Scotland’s top restaurants. All in all this was a wonderful day and even although the Renaissance Club is a private members club they are happy for golfers to play there as part of the One Time Experience. I will certainly be looking to add this amazing one off experience to their itineraries in the future!

The image top and right shows Peter Craigon on the left, Stephen Walker on the right and two golfing buddies, Ronnie and Brian  and a wonderful view from the 10th tee. The video below a bird's eye view of a couple of the holes.

Visit the Renaissance Club Website

The Nairn Experience with Bonnie Wee Golf

If you’re planning a golf trip to Scotland and need inspiration on course selection, allow Bonnie Wee Golf to point you in the direction of Nairn Golf Club in the Scottish highlands.

Located just a 20 minute drive to the east of Inverness International Airport, Nairn is very accessible from a number of European destinations.

Founded in 1887 this is a classic links track of true championship caliber that is quite simply a must-play course and two of Scotland’s most prolific golf course designers have had a hand in the design process at Nairn: Old Tom Morris and James Braid.

It comes as no surprise that Nairn has hosted a number of high profile golf tournaments including The Walker Cup in 1999 and The Curtis Cup in 2012. Nairn Golf Club also plays a central role in the Highland Golf Links Pro-Am each year along with Castle Stuart Golf Links and Royal Dornoch Golf Club.

The visitor experience at Nairn is exceptional. Visitors are welcomed warmly 7-days a week and are considered to be members for the day.

Golfers will enjoy a round of golf on high quality links land that is masterfully maintained with greens that roll as fine and true as any other putting surfaces in Scotland. In addition to the first class golf course, visitors will also be able to enjoy stunning vistas of the Moray Firth from every hole.

For golfers requiring lodgings in Nairn, Bonnie Wee Golf highly recommends Sandown House, an award winning luxury 5-star guesthouse located 5 minutes from the first tee.

You wont get a better breakfast anywhere in the highlands!

To book your Highland golf tour and experience the superb links at The Nairn Golf Club first hand please contact info@bonnieweegolf.co.uk