2009 is Scotland's Year of celebration, so join the party!

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January 25, 2009, marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of one of Scotland's most famous native sons, Robert Burns, a name that sparks a national pride in Scots like no other. No matter how little nor how much Scottish blood runs through their veins, whether one of the 5 million or so who reside in the homeland, or another 300 million scattered around the globe with claims to some Scottish ancestry, Robert Burns is to the Scottish people, what William Shakespeare is to the English - only more so. For 250 years, Burns has been Scotland's and perhaps the world's, Poet Laureate.

2009 is the year to celebrate Scotland and all things Scottish.

St. Andrews Old Course - 600 years of golf history all started here.

Carnoustie is a course appearing on every visitor's must play list.

North Berwick's West Links- an historic layout and a treat, overlooked by too many visitors.

Scotland has more than 200 whisky distilleries and golf is always close by.

Islay's Machrie - a classic rough & tumble links with 8 distilleries at the door.

Daunting Old Moray sits on the doorstep of Speyside and 40 whisky distilleries.

Brora Links - an historic treasure sitting across the road from Clynelish distillery.

Nairn is in hot pursuit of Royal Dornoch as the Highland's best links.

2009 - Scotland's Homecoming Year.

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For those who do not know the name, it may come as a surprise to learn you are not only already familiar with some of Burns' writings, but you have personally recited them during the last month. Remember that New Year's party you attended on December 31st and every New Year's party before that? At the stroke of midnight, chances are you and your fellow revelers all joined in singing one of the world's most widely recognized songs, opening with the line, "Should auld acquaintance be forgot..." - The song, Auld Lang Sine, together with a few thousand other poems, songs and literary works, were the writings of Scotland's Robert Burns.

But this tiny country, located at Britain's northern tip, seldom receives the full credit it deserves for the wealth of treasures it has given the world. A few, led by golf and whisky, are immediately associated with Scotland, but many of the others are not.

Scotland has always been a country of innovators and many of the conveniences the modern day world takes for granted, were the result of imaginative Scottish minds. Did you know that Scotsmen were responsible for the invention of the telephone, television, anesthetic, penicillin, the fax machine, economics, the decimal point, adhesive postage stamps, even the US Navy? And that's still only the beginning of the very long list of Scotland's accomplishments.

The Scots may be good at playing the bagpipes, but blowing their own trumpet is another thing, so why not use the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns birth to celebrate all things Scottish? The decision to do just that was taken by the Scottish parliament a couple of years ago, when it was decided to make 2009 the year of a massive homecoming celebration and preparations for a year-long party began.

The entire country is taking part, with a never-ending succession of festivals, clan gatherings, and special events celebrating Scottish music, tradition, whisky, dance, food, innovation, history, culture, heritage and of course, golf will feature prominently. If ever there was a time to visit Scotland and the Scots, 2009 is it. So whether you're a Scot, of Scottish descent, or simply love Scotland, start planning to join the celebrations now, because you are invited and golfers are on the VIP list.

Scotland is the home of golf and the place where the game originated, more than 600 years ago. Nowhere else will you find a more impressive collection of centuries old, quality golf courses that have played such an important role in writing the history of the game. From fabled, St. Andrews Old Course, the place where it all started back in the 14th century, to revered Prestwick Golf Club, located not far from Robert Burns birthplace in the southwestern county of Ayrshire. It was the old links at Prestwick that in 1860, hosted the world's very first golf tournament that would become known as simply, The Open Championship, or on this side of The Atlantic, The British Open.

This historic event appropriately returns to Burns country in July 2009, when Ayrshire's Turnberry, Ailsa Course, Britain's top ranked links layout, hosts the 138th Open Championship. But Scotland boasts more top-ranked links courses than any other country on the planet - Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Muirfield, Royal Dornoch and Royal Aberdeen head the list of the most famous and this is still only the tip of the iceberg.

Scotland is blessed with more than 550 golf courses, many with names unfamiliar to most visitors, yet each has played a part in golf's history and offers the pure, Scottish golf, craved by aficionados from around the globe. They all have a story to tell and a special experience to share. If the lure of the links isn't enough to attract you just a little away from the beaten path, perhaps another of Scotland's icons will do the trick -- whisky.

It may have been Irish monks who introduced "the water of life" to the heathen Scots back in the 7th century when it was used to some advantage in saving their souls, but it was Scotland that made whisky famous. There's good reason why it's commonly referred to as Scotch and there are few golfers who don't have an appreciation for Scotland's national drink.

Wherever you find a whisky distillery in Scotland, golf will never be far away. Sometimes they will be the courses that have become household names, but often they are the real hidden jewels.

The links courses of southwest Scotland are not endowed with an abundance of distilleries, but there are a couple of side trips from Glasgow, any golfing, whisky connoisseur will find irresistible. It's only a 30-minute flight from Glasgow Airport to Campbeltown on the Mull of Kintyre and one of Scotland's most revered links courses, Machrihanish. The Springbank distillery, located here, produces one of the most sought after single malt whiskies.

Alternatively, the flight from Glasgow to the tiny island of Islay (pronounced Eye-lah) is just as close and within minutes of arrival, you can be on the magnificently rugged links of Machrie, ranked among Scotland's top 20 courses -- and then there is the whisky. A whisky region in its own right, Islay might just as well be called Whisky Island as it boasts a permanent population of barely 3,000 and 8 working distilleries.

Lagavulin, Bowmore, Laphroiag, Ardbeg, Bruichladdich, Bunnahabhain, Caol Ila and Kilchoman may be strange sounding names to the uninitiated, but to the whisky connoisseur, they are pure music and distillers of some of Scotland's finest.

If you are fortunate enough to be playing Muirfield, North Berwick, Gullane, Craigielaw or some of the other wonderful links challenges squeezed into golf-rich, East Lothian, then Glenkinchie Distillery is a must on your itinerary. One of the many attractions of this tiny county, located a brief half hour away from Edinburgh's city center is that everything is so close and no matter where you stay, Glenkinchie will never be more than a 15-minute drive from your hotel. Take the opportunity to pop into Edinburgh and visit the Scotch Whisky Heritage Center, located immediately next door to Edinburgh Castle.

There is an impressive selection of top ranked links courses surrounding the city of Aberdeen, with Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay and Murcar heading the list. From Aberdeen there are a number of notable distilleries, easily combined in a half-day excursion, Glen Garioch, Ardmore, Glen Dronach and Royal Lochnagar among them and for the serious whisky lover, the whisky Mecca of Speyside is only a little further.

Speyside, the region in the northeast, bordering the River Spey, is the heart and soul of Scotland's whisky industry and home to some of the most prestigious names in the business. Glenlivet, The Macallan, Glenfiddich, Knockando and Glen Moray, are just a small sampling of the more than 40 distilleries to be found in this small region. It's a whisky aficionado's paradise -- and golf is close by.

Moray Golf Club's Old Course is one of the best, a centenarian designed by Old Tom Morris, with a special appeal to the whisky crowd. Originally founded by distillers in 1889, the club regularly purchases a few hogsheads (54 Imperial Gallons) of a carefully selected whisky, to be laid down and offered as the club malt in future years. It's an excellent opportunity to play some wonderful links golf, savor a few very special whiskies, then play some more golf on Moray's New Course, another crackerjack layout designed by the great Henry Cotton. Sorry, but courtesy demands a little more whisky sampling when golf is done, so plan on spending a rather long day here.

Golfers making it this far up into the Highlands will be duty bound to play the two star attractions of this dramatically beautiful part of Scotland - Royal Dornoch and Nairn both have distilleries close by. Clynelish Distillery is in the small town of Brora, located just north of Dornoch, which also has a wonderful Old Tom Morris course that shouldn't be missed. Glenmorangie Distillery sits in the town of Tain, immediately next door to Tain Golf Club and another very worthwhile layout from the fabled, Old Tom Morris and not too far away, the well known, Dalmore Distillery.

Whisky and golf is a match made in heaven for many of us and for the rest, something they will inevitably learn about in the future. But for those who have already gained the knowledge, there is no better place to pair the two together than in Scotland and no better time than in 2009, Scotland's Homecoming Year. For more ideas on how to include a few whisky distilleries on your golf trip to Scotland, click here.

©2009 David Brice / Golf International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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