Hopeman Golf Club
Links golf on the Moray coast since 1909, par 68 over 5,624 yards.
There's something special about a seaside links lined with golden gorse, and Hopeman, on the Moray coast, is a lovely one.
The club began with nine holes in 1909 and grew to eighteen in 1985. Most of the fairways are guarded by gorse and broom, so straight hitting counts for more than length. The signature hole is the 12th, the Prieshach, where the green sits down in Clashach Cove, far below the tee. Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open champion, has described it as probably the best par three he has ever played. Afterwards, the clubhouse serves homemade food all year, from Cullen skink to Sunday roasts.
The course has been improved in stages since 2018, following a five-year programme recommended by Tom MacKenzie of the architects Mackenzie & Ebert.
18 holes. Par 68 and 5,624 yards from the white tees, down to 5,097 from the purple.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Warren | The Prieshach | |||||||||||||||||||
| White | 365 | 349 | 171 | 517 | 337 | 379 | 193 | 341 | 296 | 2,948 | 298 | 362 | 150 | 389 | 378 | 132 | 377 | 191 | 399 | 2,676 | 5,624 |
| Yellow | 349 | 296 | 161 | 506 | 315 | 361 | 187 | 339 | 284 | 2,798 | 296 | 347 | 137 | 383 | 372 | 125 | 374 | 193 | 389 | 2,616 | 5,414 |
| Red | 344 | 342 | 166 | 444 | 328 | 357 | 193 | 340 | 273 | 2,787 | 297 | 340 | 133 | 362 | 370 | 92 | 370 | 191 | 346 | 2,501 | 5,288 |
| Purple | 340 | 285 | 146 | 439 | 307 | 351 | 170 | 334 | 267 | 2,639 | 267 | 339 | 130 | 380 | 364 | 96 | 355 | 188 | 339 | 2,458 | 5,097 |
| Par · White, Yellow | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 35 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 68 |
| Par · Red | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 36 | 72 |
| Par · Purple | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 33 | 67 |
| Stroke index · White | 9 | 5 | 15 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 13 | 7 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 12 | 10 | |||
| Stroke index · Yellow, Purple | 5 | 3 | 13 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 17 | 16 | 8 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 10 | 6 | |||
| Stroke index · Red | 9 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 4 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 14 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 11 | |||
| Score |
The holes tinted yellow are the highlights below. Press one to read about it. From the club’s own card, which also lists a Blue set (2,747 yards, all par threes) and pars of 72 from a second White and a Green set; those are left off here.
The front nine stays inland among the gorse, and the Moray Firth comes into its own on the back nine.
4The 4th
The only par five on the card, a dog-leg to the left. It was lengthened into a three-shotter only in recent years.
- 6
The 6th
The hardest hole on the card, with out of bounds down the right of the fairway as far as the corner of the dog-leg. It plays to a double green shared with the 3rd.
- 7
The 7th
The longest of the par threes, playing to a green protected by a burn.
- 11
Warren
Top 100 Golf Courses calls this one of the most rumpled fairways in Scottish golf.
- 12
The Prieshach
Only 150 yards, but you play from a high tee with the Moray Firth spread out in front of you, down to a green more than 100 feet below. Two bunkers guard it, left and right, and depending on the wind almost any club in the bag could be the one. Prieshach is said to be a Gaelic word for a dip in the land full of shrub.
A gorse-lined links on the Moray coast at Hopeman, with a par three that drops into Clashach Cove.
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 68
- Yards
- 5,624
- Founded
- 1909
Green fees, 2026
- October£35
- November to February£30
- March£40
- Summer twilight, from 3pm£40
To hire
- Clubs£20
- Buggy, a round£30
- Electric trolley£15
- Push trolley£5
The clubhouse
Homemade food and a bar all year, with Sunday roasts.
Fish Fryday every Friday, last orders 7pm.
The club is on Lodge Road, Hopeman, IV30 5YA, in a fishing village on the southern shore of the Moray Firth.
Hopeman is about 6½ miles north-west of Elgin and the same distance west of Lossiemouth. A coastal path runs from the village to the beaches at Roseisle and Lossiemouth.
Scotland, in print.
We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.
More courses in the Highlands, and the collections this one is in.
For further reading, before you go.
- Book a tee timeThe club’s own booking page for visitors.hopemangolf.club↗
- Green feesThe 2026/27 fees, hire, twilight golf and cancellations.hopemangolf.club↗
- Outings and societiesPackages for groups of eight or more, with food.hopemangolf.club↗
- The clubhouseThe menu, the bar’s hours and the Mashie Niblick room.hopemangolf.club↗
- The courseThe club’s own description, the Prieshach, and the card for every tee.hopemangolf.club↗
- Visitor informationThe honorary presidents, from Ramsay MacDonald to Paul Lawrie.hopemangolf.club↗
- Course info and local rulesPace of play, the double green and the stone dykes.hopemangolf.club↗
- The best par 3 in Scotland?LINKS Magazine on a round at Hopeman and the Prieshach.linksmagazine.com↗
- Top 100 Golf Courses on HopemanA short history and the holes of note.top100golfcourses.com↗
- Moray Speyside GolfThe area’s golf guide, on Hopeman.morayspeysidegolf.com↗