Login / Register
Fair Isle Lighthouse Keeper's Golf Course is an informal six-hole course on croft land beside the South Lighthouse on Fair Isle in the Shetland Islands. Its origins lie with Scottish lighthouse keepers and their families, who brought golf to the remote island and created six holes on the Skaddan grounds. A full 18-hole outing was traditionally made by playing the six holes three times.
The original setup was deliberately simple: tin cans or pudding tins served as cups and broom handles as pins. After the old lighthouse-keeper course fell out of use, Fair Isle resident Tommy Hyndman reinstated it, replacing those improvised targets with conventional cups and flags while retaining the six-hole routing. The ground remains largely shaped and maintained by the weather and grazing sheep rather than conventional intensive course maintenance.
The course is a 6-hole golf course. It is open to the public. On-site facilities include Club Hire.
Golf reached Fair Isle through Scottish lighthouse keepers and their families. The keepers at the South Lighthouse established six holes on the Skaddan grounds, using the croft land around the lighthouse. With only six holes, players went around three times to complete the equivalent of an 18-hole round.
Early equipment was improvised: broom handles were used as pins and tins served as cups.
There is no identified professional golf architect. The course evolved as a practical recreational layout around the lighthouse and existing croft ground. Its character comes directly from the exposed coastal terrain rather than engineered shaping or formal hazard construction.
The lighthouse course eventually ceased regular use, but Fair Isle resident Tommy Hyndman later reinstated the six-hole layout. The restored version uses real cups and flag-pins while remaining deliberately basic. Hyndman has described the course as self-funded, with equipment periodically damaged by severe island weather and donations helping to replace flags, cups, pins and clubs.
The course has attracted attention primarily because of its isolation. Its own site describes it as the most remote golf course in Scotland and the UK, while Shetland's official visitor site specifically lists the Lighthouse Keeper's Golf Course among the islands' golf options.
The reinstated course remains six holes on the South Lighthouse's Skaddan grounds. Sheep and weather continue to influence the playing surface, and the operator makes clubs, balls and tees available. There is no green fee, although donations are welcomed.
No conditions reported yet
to report conditions
Help other golfers by uploading photos from your visit.
| Fee Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Golf | Contact course | Free; donations welcomed. |
Prices are indicative and subject to change. Contact the course to confirm current rates.
Help other golfers by sharing what the course was like when you played.
