How to Plan a Golf Trip to Moray
Moray is one of the easiest places in Scotland to build a golf trip around if the aim is to play good courses, keep the travel simple and still come away feeling as though you have seen a proper range of golf.
That is a big part of the region’s appeal. You can build a trip around the strength of Moray Golf Club, add the individuality of Spey Bay, take in more of the coast at Hopeman and Covesea Links, then finish with the inland contrast of Elgin Golf Club. It is a part of Scotland where the golf feels varied, the distances are manageable and the overall value is very hard to ignore. Moray Golf Club was founded in 1889 and its Old Course was laid out by Old Tom Morris, while Spey Bay was opened in 1907 and designed by Ben Sayers.
For golfers looking for a trip that feels high in quality without becoming overcomplicated, Moray makes a very strong case. For a wider look at the region and more course coverage, explore Golf in Moray.
Why Moray works so well for a golf trip
What makes Moray such a good trip region is not only the quality of the courses, but the shape of the itinerary you can build there.
The Old and New Courses at Moray Golf Club give the trip a strong backbone from the outset. Spey Bay adds a more unusual links experience over the shingle banks beside the Moray Firth. Hopeman and Covesea bring more of the Moray coast into the week, while Elgin changes the rhythm with an inland round that stops the trip feeling too samey. Moray Golf Club’s club’s two-course structure, and Spey Bay’s unusual links routing over Moray’s undulating shingle banks are certainly highlights on any golf trip to scotland.
That is where the value of the region really shows. Moray gives golfers more than one standout round, but it does so in a compact area where the journey between courses never becomes the main story.
Moray and Spey Bay give the trip real quality
One of the strongest things about a Moray itinerary is that it combines recognised quality with rounds that feel a little more under the radar.
The Old Course at Moray Golf Club is the obvious anchor. It was laid out by Old Tom Morris, remains one of the region’s best-known tests, and the closing hole has been voted the second-best finishing hole in Scotland by the club’s own account. Top 100 Golf Courses also includes Moray Old in its Scottish Top 100 coverage and describes the closing hole as one of the finest in the British Isles.
Then there is Spey Bay, which adds something very different. Designed by Ben Sayers and opened in 1907, it has a more unusual links character and a setting that stays with people. It is exactly the sort of course that helps a trip feel more rounded because it does not simply repeat what you have already seen elsewhere in the week.
A suggested 5-day Moray golf itinerary
Moray is one of those regions where five days of golf can feel full without ever feeling rushed.
Day 1 – Moray Golf Club Old Course
Start with the Old Course at Moray Golf Club. It gives the trip immediate quality and a proper sense of occasion. As an Old Tom Morris design with one of the best-known finishing holes in the country, it feels like the right way to open the week.
Day 2 – Spey Bay Golf Club
Spey Bay is a very good second-day round because it changes the feel of the trip straight away. The Ben Sayers design and the links laid out over the shingle banks give it a character that is very much its own.
Day 3 – Moray Golf Club New Course
A second day at Moray Golf Club, this time on the New Course, works well because it adds another strong round without making the trip feel repetitive. If there is an interest in RAF activity, Tuesday or Thursday can be especially worthwhile days to play Moray, as those tend to be the days when activity is most noticeable through the week.
Day 4 – Hopeman or Covesea Links
This is a good point in the trip to choose the type of round that suits the group. Hopeman gives you another classic Moray coast experience, while Covesea Links offers something a little different and helps show another side of golf in the region. Covesea describes itself as a 9-hole course on the coast between Lossiemouth and Hopeman, which makes it a useful contrast in a wider Moray itinerary.
Day 5 – Elgin Golf Club
Finish with Elgin Golf Club. After several days of coastal golf, the inland feel gives the week a useful change of pace and helps the trip end with a different style of round.
A 4-day version of the trip
If you are planning a shorter visit, Moray still works very well over four days.
A strong version would be:
– Moray Golf Club Old Course
– Spey Bay Golf Club
– Hopeman or Covesea Links
– Elgin Golf Club
That still gives you the region’s strongest recognised course, one of its most distinctive links experiences, another taste of the coast and an inland finish that keeps the trip balanced.
Why the region feels so varied
The real strength of Moray is that the week never feels repetitive.
Moray Old gives you heritage and a classic links backbone. Spey Bay has a more unusual links feel and a setting all of its own. Hopeman and Covesea Links each show different sides of the coast, while Elgin changes the tone with an inland round. Golf in Moray’s own regional listings underline that range across the area, with courses including Moray, Spey Bay, Hopeman, Covesea and Elgin all part of the wider picture.
That variety is what turns Moray from a good stop on the way elsewhere into a region that is worth travelling for in its own right.
There is more golf in Moray than most visitors expect
One of the strengths of planning a trip to Moray is that the region gives you more options than the main itinerary alone might suggest.
Cullen Links is a very good example. It is another stop on the Old Tom Morris Trail and adds a course with a very different feel again, particularly if you want to include more of the Moray coast in the trip. The trail’s own Highland Loop places Cullen alongside other notable northern courses and highlights its setting above the Moray Firth.
Beyond that, clubs such as Buckpool, Strathlene and Maverston help show the wider depth of golf across the region. They may not always be the first names that visiting golfers build a trip around, but they do add flexibility for repeat visitors, mixed-ability groups or anyone wanting to see more of the area beyond the best-known courses.
Forres is another course worth mentioning, particularly for golfers who enjoy the design side of the game. The club describes the course as a parkland and woodland layout shaped by both James Braid and Willie Park, which adds another layer of interest and another different style of round within easy reach of the Moray coast.
Then there is the Speyside side of the region, where smaller clubs such as Rothes, Keith, Dufftown and Ballindalloch sit within whisky country and offer another very different kind of golf day. They may not always be the courses that define a first trip, but they do add to the sense that Moray is not simply one coastline with a few good links. It is a broader golf region with enough depth to reward golfers who want to stay longer or return.
Golf trip photography in Moray
Moray is particularly well suited to golf trip photography because the courses all have their own visual character while still feeling part of the same wider landscape.
The Old and New Courses at Moray Golf Club, the low-lying sea-level feel of Spey Bay, the coastal identity of Hopeman and Covesea, and the contrast of Elgin all help create a trip that looks as varied as it feels. That matters because photographs from a trip like this should do more than show a few swings and a few group shots. They should reflect the wider journey and the different feel of each day.
For golfers planning a visit, that is another part of Moray’s appeal. It is a region where the golf, the landscape and the pace of the trip all combine well. You can explore more golf trip photography in Scotland and wider regional content through Golf in Moray.
Why Moray offers such good value
Moray’s value is not only about what each round costs. It is about what the whole trip gives you.
Within a compact area, you can play an Old Tom Morris course with a famous finish, add a Ben Sayers links with a completely different feel, build in more coastal golf at Hopeman or Covesea, and round it off with an inland course at Elgin. Moray Golf Club’s history, Spey Bay’s design background and the wider Moray Speyside course mix all help show why the region punches above its weight as a golf destination.
For golfers who want quality, variety and a trip that feels good value from start to finish, Moray remains one of the strongest choices in Scotland.
A region worth building a trip around
Moray is not simply somewhere to squeeze in one round on the way elsewhere.
With the Old and New Courses at Moray Golf Club, the individuality of Spey Bay, the coastal appeal of Hopeman and Covesea Links, and the inland contrast of Elgin Golf Club, the region has more than enough to justify a dedicated trip of its own. It is easy to move around, strong enough to keep golfers interested over several days and varied enough to feel like a proper journey rather than a run of similar rounds.
For golfers planning a Scottish trip built around good golf and good value, Moray deserves to be much higher on the list.
Planning a golf trip to Moray?
If you are putting together a golf trip to Moray and would like the experience professionally documented, golf trip photography can help capture the rounds, the scenery and the moments that make the trip memorable.
From the classic links of Moray Golf Club and Spey Bay to the wider variety offered by Hopeman, Covesea Links and Elgin, Moray is a region that lends itself especially well to photography across the trip.
To find out more or discuss availability, get in touch about golf trip photography bookings in Moray.
Call +44(0)7485258720 Whatsapp: 447485258720 Email: contact@akhgolf.com
