The Secret
The non-golf component has to be capable of standing on its own merits as a Scottish or Irish vacation irrespective of whether there is any golf involved or not. It hasn’t got to feel like it’s trying to tack onto it the nearest visitor attraction we think we can get away with. The needs of the non-golfer have to be accorded equal status. If a non-golfer perceives they’re being treated as additionality, an itinerary is halfway towards failing. Both golfer and non-golfer needs to come back each day and say “wow!”
We’re lucky. Scotland and Ireland has a strong combination of golf and non-golf. It seems that wherever there is a golf course, there’s an apex non-golf attraction nearby . We rarely find we’re needing to ‘pad’. Instead the limiting factor tends to be transport
On balance, Dublin, Belfast and the north Antrim Coast probably have the greater non-golf interest than west Ireland as well. That’s not to say west Ireland is weak though, only that its more dispersed geographically and a little more ‘samey’. We’re probably talking about something which is a ‘good’ fit and something which is a ‘very good’ fit though
The Regions
In very broad terms, Scotland has five golf playing regions (arguably a sixth with western isles and highlands). Ireland has three, (arguably a fourth but the north west remains largely undiscovered).
Some regions support a better non-golf complement than others. In Scotland that means Edinburgh (Muirfield & North Berwick) the Highlands (Dornoch & Castle Stuart), and Fife (St Andrews & Carnoustie) are particularly good. Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire are strong for golf but weaker for non-golf.
In Ireland, the Antrim Coast (Giants Causeway) with Portrush is strong. Dublin can always be combined with Portmarnock and is often a cheaper trans-Atlantic flight so worth considering, if only for 48 hrs. West Ireland (Ballybunion and Lahinch) isn’t weak, but we do have to reach to find the interest
There are also opportunities in what we would describe as ‘line of travel’ driving where golfers can take the lead and the non-golf effectively comes to all of us
Golf Combinations
Golf Courses that have credible non-golf offers in very close proximity include
- St Andrews Town is a visitor destination regardless of its golf
- Edinburgh combines with both Muirfield and North Berwick, and usually only requires the golfers to commute
- Portmarnock is something of a Dublin suburb, 20 mins from the airport, 40 mins from the city centre
- The battlefield of Culloden is 10 mins from Castle Stuart
- The city of Stirling is 30 mins from Gleneagles and can involve a train if we prefer
- The Giants Causeway is 15 mins from Royal Portrush (Carrick a Rede is about 25 mins)
- Glamis Castle is about 25 mins from Carnoustie
- The East Neuk fishing villages are about 15-30 mins from Kingsbarns
- Lahinch is 15 mins from the Cliffs of Moher
Line of Travel
Although this is not an exclusive list, some of the more obvious ones include:
- Battle of the Boyne – travelling between Dublin & Belfast
- Dunnottar Castle – travelling between St Andrews & Aberdeen
- Queens View/ Killiecrankie/ Pitlochry – travelling between Edinburgh & the Highlands
- City of Stirling – travelling between Edinburgh & Gleneagles
- City of Cork – travelling to Old Head from east or west
- Waterville – sits on the ‘Ring of Kerry’ and requires we complete half of it to get there
Transport
Dublin and Belfast are better hubs to pivot off than Shannon and Cork. This means that itineraries which seek to combine Scotland with west Ireland can be a little bit more difficult to stitch together. The bigger question we probably need to answer though is what appetite exists amongst non-golfers for undertaking some independent self-driving? Some will, but most are reluctant to do so
Whereas the correlation between golf and non-golf is often quite strong, local mileage between a golf course and a visitor destination still needs plugging. We can often operate a drop-off, (golfers) drive-on (non-golfers) and return to pick up model. If the visitor attraction concerned is particularly time consuming, we can sometimes reverse this and ask the golfers to perform the task
Edinburgh and Dublin are two destinations where we can usually rely public transport instead. St Andrews and Stirling are small enough for a non-golfer to ‘get away with’ not driving too. Outside of this, the reluctant non-golfer will usually hire a driving guide to cover the gaps they don’t fancy doing. This can become expensive however if we come to rely on it. We need to use this approach discriminatorily
Group Size
This is largely about cost. Transport provided by hired drivers/ driver guides is a reasonably static cost divided by the number of people who are able to burden share it for a price per person. In very simple terms, the more non-golfers we have, the cheaper it becomes and the more hired drive solutions we can probably consider (assuming that there is a financial boundary somewhere).
Smaller parties can always consider hiring a supporting car to operate alongside a nine-seater MPV. Sometimes the objection can be about vehicle familiarity (although you might argue that the larger MPV also has an enforcing quality about it as other motorists tend to give way to it!). We’d normally need to use an MPV however as soon as we hit two golfers and two non-golfers (six luggage items) so its quite a low bar, although we could also operate two saloon cars on that manifest too if we preferred
We only really require there to be one reasonably confident non-golfer in a party however for a lot of these considerations be solved
Contexts'
Almost by necessity, any Scottish/ Irish combination has to route through one of Dublin or Edinburgh, and quite probably both, after all, both capitals are legitimate non-golf draws. This means we’ll be faced with at least one major retail city and quite probably more. We’ll also have the golf angle covered with the numerous trade shops of St Andrews, plus a host of craft shops which would be more prevalent around Scotland perhaps than they would be Ireland
Much of the rationale for retail applies to restaurants as well. Both Dublin and Edinburgh benefit for international influences and scale
St Andrews is strong due in no small part to the amount of money that a golf industry can attract
On balance, the Scottish offer is probably better than Ireland’s as it has a stronger base associated with game and salmon, whereas both destinations have a tradition for fish
Neither Scotland or Ireland could be described as tropical by even the most optimistic of travel agents, but they do offer a family looking for a beach holiday some comfort. Portmarnock is a beach resort just north of Dublin, and Newcastle (Royal County Down) is also beach destination. Much to many people’s surprise, St Andrews also has two sandy beaches. The most beachy holiday destination that supports golf would be Troon, and it would be worth noting that North Berwick also has a perfectly adequate beach as well. What all lack of course is a hot climate
If our interest lies more in outdoor activities then Scotland is better geared up than Ireland as its highlands, particularly the area around Aviemore, support a whole host of outdoor family activities. What we typically see families do in situations like this is establish a base there, and then make the golfer(s) do the mileage
Neither Ireland nor Scotland has a particularly good rail network but that’s not to say it can’t selectively be put to use
To make Scotland work though, we probably need to radiate out from Edinburgh. Both Stirling and Glasgow are relatively easy to add for a non-golfer
There are a couple of more ambitious options that are often overlooked because they involve crossing the border, but the northern English cities of Durham and York would fall within day-trip range of the Scottish capital
Testimonial
From BB Canada
“I told Alun the courses I was interested in playing and he prepared a stay and play package with 14 days of outstanding golf, but also tremendous site seeing opportunities for my wife.”
From JC Illinois
“His attention to detail is amazing--I think our travel plan booklet ran to forty-eight pages, with gorgeous descriptions of cities and sights, plus maps showing where to go to catch trains, or walk from trains to hotels, sights and golf courses, etc.”
From DF Alabama
“I will cherish the memories for a long time- especially the wonderful times spent on and off the golf course with two of my brothers and brother-in-law. None of the memories and golf would have been possible or enjoyed without your tremendous planning and logistical support.”
AS from Colorado
“Alun and Faraway Fairways created possibly the most memorable golf trip we have ever experienced. EPIC is the only word that comes to mind.”
AC, From Florida/ New York, 2025
“We were hopeful to secure a 4 ball at St. Andrews while avoiding the massive expense other operators had quoted. He was very clear about the plan for achieving a tee time at the Old Course through the ballot, including detailed instruction on how it could be done, and what our odds were. He suggested mid- to late April as the best chance of success and advised that this is also the least rainy part of the year. We took his advice and trusted the process. Well, he was right on all counts!”
From SB, Minnesota
“We wholeheartedly recommend Alun and Faraway Fairways if you’re looking for a golf trip that is effortless, enjoyable, and truly unforgettable—even for a non-golfer in the mix! My husband and I will be daydreaming about this trip for years to come. 5.5 stars!”
From JB, California
“The best part was that the service was surprisingly affordable. They were thousands of dollars below other quotes that I received, in fact the prices were very similar to what I would have paid if I would have booked everything on my own.”
From JCA, Maryland
“I would and will highly recommend your company to anyone looking to plan an unforgettable golf trip. Thank You for putting together a fantastic trip for J.C. and me”
From WF Connecticut
“I think all eight of us would agree that Alun at Faraway Fairways did an absolutely wonderful job of putting this “golf vacation of a lifetime” together for us. His focus on the details was extraordinary from the choice of courses and the timing of the tee times, the amazingly beautiful accommodations along with some excellent meal selections, and the transportation options he provided to get us from place to place.”
From DR South Carolina
“You are about to tee it up in your Major. Seek wisdom, integrity and professionalism. Alun Davies and Faraway Fairways will not disappoint you. They cannot assure a calm sunny day with temperatures in the 70’s on the Old Course.”
From MM, California
“One fantastic trip you organized, and more importantly took ownership of in terms of daily communication and stewardship during our 2+ weeks in Scotland and Ireland. The logistics were spotless…100% of the transports were on time and excellent, the lodging choices spectacular and the golf was off the charts in terms of quality and arrangements made”
DH from California
“You cannot go wrong with the support Faraway Fairways offered. I did this trip solo and all last minute but I have already begun to plan the next trip which will include my best golfing buddies.”
Enquiry
We don't need to make this an ordeal by 101 filtering questions! In reality there are probably little more than half a dozen things we need to know to build out a proposal. The guidance below might help you frame answers
Duration - usually best expressed as a range up to a maximum
Time of year - can be anything from a specific date range to a named season
Travel class - Faraway Fairways uses 'Luxury', 'Premier' or 'Affordable' for generic purposes. You might choose to reference the international 'star' rating system. We're only looking for something to help steer us into the right sector
Self drive or hired driver - In broad terms, self driving is normally less expensive, and much more flexible, but some folk just don't want to do it
Must play courses/ must do places - a few name checks is all that's needed