A green set on a rocky outcrop beside the North Sea at Kingsbarns

Good

Golf in Scotland in April

Fresh, bright and uncrowded, with the gorse beginning to flower along the coast.

Rocky Ness, the 15th at Kingsbarns, Fife

April is when the Scottish golf season really begins. The links are firming up, days are long enough for a relaxed round with lunch, and the gorse starts to turn the coastal dunes yellow.

Temperatures are still cool, and showers come and go quickly, but there are often settled, sparkling days. Demand is lower than in summer, which helps with tee times and hotels.

Daylight in April

On 15 April, in UK local time. The latest start allows about four hours to finish 18 holes before sunset.

Sunrise, sunset and daylight on 15 April
Place	Sunrise	Sunset	Daylight	Latest 18-hole start
St Andrews	06:05	20:18	14 hr 13 min	16:18
Troon	06:15	20:23	14 hr 09 min	16:23
Dornoch	06:06	20:27	14 hr 21 min	16:27

How late can you tee off?

Choose a course and a date to see sunrise, sunset and the latest start that should let you finish 18 holes in daylight, allowing about 4 hours for a round on foot.

CourseDate

Sunrise: –
Sunset: –
Daylight: –
Latest 18-hole start: –

Typical weather

Long-term averages for April on Scotland’s three main golf coasts. Averages smooth out a great deal: expect the odd glorious day and the odd wild one, sometimes within the same round.

Average climate in April, 1991–2020
Coast	Average high	Average low	Rainfall	Sunshine
St Andrews, Fife and the east coastLeuchars weather station	11.8°C	3.8°C	43 mm	161 hrs
Glasgow and the Ayrshire coastPaisley weather station	12.9°C	5.1°C	72 mm	133 hrs
The Highlands and the Moray FirthNairn weather station	11.9°C	3.8°C	43 mm	138 hrs

Monthly averages for 1991–2020 from Met Office station records. The Paisley and Nairn stations closed during this period, so their averages cover roughly twenty years. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Average sunshine by month, east coast

Hours of bright sunshine per month at Leuchars, beside St Andrews (1991–2020)

100

150

200

Plan your routePick your courses and see the best order, drive times and where to stay.Playing the Old CourseHow the ballot, advance times and Sunday closures work.

Thinking of April?

Tell us your dates and the courses you have in mind. We will advise honestly on what is realistic and design the journey around it.

Begin Planning Your Journey