An old iron bridge over the River Dee among Scots pines on a Highland estate

Good

Golf in Scotland in August

Heather on the hills, festivals in Edinburgh, and long, warm-ish days.

Victoria Bridge on the Mar Lodge Estate, Deeside

August is still high summer. The heather flowers across the moors and inland courses, painting Perthshire and the Highlands purple, and the days remain long.

In Edinburgh, the festivals fill the city throughout the month, which makes hotels scarce and expensive. A trip based on the coast or in the Highlands, with a day in the city, often works better.

Daylight in August

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

Sunrise, sunset and daylight on 15 August
Place	Sunrise	Sunset	Daylight	Latest 18-hole start
St Andrews	05:40	20:49	15 hr 10 min	16:49
Troon	05:50	20:54	15 hr 04 min	16:54
Dornoch	05:39	21:00	15 hr 22 min	17:00

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 August 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 August, 1991–2020
Coast	Average high	Average low	Rainfall	Sunshine
St Andrews, Fife and the east coastLeuchars weather station	19.1°C	10.7°C	69 mm	161 hrs
Glasgow and the Ayrshire coastPaisley weather station	19.5°C	11.9°C	90 mm	151 hrs
The Highlands and the Moray FirthNairn weather station	18.6°C	10.6°C	65 mm	145 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 August?

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