Six Questions For... Hamish Malcolm, the Golf and Whisky Sherpa of the Scottish Highlands
In the latest interview with leaders, entrepreneurs and influencers from across the golf industry, we talk to Hamish Malcolm, the man behind one of Scotland's most unique golf experiences.
About Hamish Malcolm
After 38 years in finance, Hamish Malcolm left the corporate world behind in early 2024 to pursue his twin passions of golf and whisky in the Scottish Highlands. Based in Inverness, the capital of the Highlands, Hamish has created The Dram Caddy, a unique business that combines his experience as a caddy at prestigious Highland courses with curated whisky experiences designed specifically for visiting golfers.
The Dram Caddy offers hour-long whisky tastings featuring five carefully selected drams, each with an authentic story linking it to a golfing principle or golf course. Starting with lighter, more accessible whiskies and progressing to more complex flavors, these sessions are designed to fit perfectly into a golfer's Highland itinerary.
Six Questions For... Hamish Malcolm
The Wedge: Which golf business (apart from your own!) do you think is under the radar and more people should know about?
Hamish Malcolm: I'm going to mention two businesses in Scotland that I've been engaging with recently, both centered around hickory golf – playing with the old hickory-shafted clubs.
First is Steve Stuart and the team at Grantown-on-Spey Golf Club, about 30 minutes south of Inverness in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park. They've developed a wonderful experience where you can rent sets of hickory golf clubs and play their original nine-hole course, now expanded to 18. What makes it special is their connection to Bobby Cruickshank, a son of Grantown who became an early pioneer of crossing to the US seeking fame and fortune over a hundred years ago. They've created a mini museum for him in the clubhouse, so you can embrace the whole experience of how Bobby used to play with the hickories, then go and try them yourself.
The second is Stu Francis at the Hickory Golf Workshop in St Andrews. They offer a totally unique experience where you can either build your own hickory golf club or have them build one for you to take away. They also refurbish hickory clubs. It's a huge throwback to how golf used to be.
I came across one hickory event last year in the Highlands – it was a car park and clubhouse full of wonderful eccentricity, with golfers from overseas arriving in plus fours to play hickory-style golf.
Playing with hickory clubs is like being in an old-style car where you feel every bump and nuance of the road, rather than a big SUV where you're sliding over the surface. The ball doesn't go as far, it's not forgiving — you have to hunt for the sweet spot! — but it's definitely worth seeking out as a one-off experience.
The Wedge: What did you think would be easy but has turned out hard?
HM: I'm saying this with a smile on my face, but it's much more difficult to give away free whisky in the Highlands than I thought it was going to be!
When I had my concept in mind around June 2024 – creating a lineup of whiskies with golfing connections – I needed an audience to test it out on. I thought, well, there's only one way to do this: get some people I know in golf clubs or hotels into a room, sacrifice some whiskies, and use them as test pilots.
But the challenge was timing. Once you're past April and into October, people running golf clubs, golf courses and hotels are simply too busy executing and keeping all the plates spinning. For some left-field finance guy coming in to talk about something they don't expect to be talking about — everybody was just too busy!
It probably took me two months of offering “Can I give you five whiskies and listen to my chat for an hour?” to actually get people sat down to test and refine the experience. I had to work out what worked, what didn't work, and how I could present things in a different order.
The Wedge: If you could go back and give advice to yourself when you were just starting in the golf industry, what would you say?
HM: What I eventually realized was that I needed to reach visitors before they even get to Scotland. Most of my customers are from North America, and they've got highly structured itineraries. They might be playing Castle Stuart in the morning and then heading straight to Royal Dornoch in the afternoon or down to the Old Course at St Andrews. For me to be part of their experience, I need to be on their itinerary before they've even left the States.
A lot of my visitors stay in Inverness as their hub because we're close to Castle Stuart and reasonably close to Dornoch, plus there's decent nightlife and things to do. But I needed to understand that getting on their itinerary had to happen months before they arrived, not when they were already here.
Looking back, I know now that those early conversations would have been a bit easier if I had my website up and running earlier. I didn't have the website behind me when I was trying to speak to tour operators or individuals who were booking their trips. Having that professional presence on show for my presentations would have made a significant difference in those early pitches.
The Wedge: What are you working on now that you're excited to see in 12 months' time?
HM: I'm incredibly excited about two projects with photographer John Baikie, who's based in the far north of Scotland in Thurso. We had a Zoom call right at the end of 2024, between Christmas and New Year, and John pitched the idea of starting a YouTube channel where we do different episodes in different locations, talking about whisky, golf, maybe innovation, the new and the old, all in different Highland locations.
The concept is to have me front and center in a kilt, presenting to camera – which isn't my natural habitat, but I’’ll be leaning into it and having fun! We'll showcase John's video skills while I get behind the scenes to meet some of the people behind the stories at golf clubs and distilleries.
I then flipped a second idea back to John. He did a brilliant coffee table book on the North Coast 500 route just before lockdown – amazing pictures with light text.
In my house, I have about 30 books on golf and 30 books on whisky — but not one that ties the two together.
So we decided to do a book together – a photography-driven coffee table book featuring distilleries and golf courses, with me supplying the text. We have a plan to get both the YouTube channel running this year and hopefully have the book available for the Christmas market, and I can’t wait to see what happens.
The Wedge: What do you think the golf experience will look like in 10 years?
HM: I think the membership issue in Scotland, and the UK more generally, is a challenge that's not going away anytime soon.
My reflection is that golf clubs need some sort of plan beyond just hoping for more of the same. Social media, for example. There is huge potential for a lot of clubs to go far beyond just a monthly newsletter or one-dimensional posts about upcoming events or last month’s medal winners. It needs to be engaging content, maybe led by the pro. I look at guys like Derek Ramsay at Moray Golf Course, who's engaging on Facebook and even TikTok. There's got to be some plan for retaining existing members, getting lapsed members back, attracting new people.
Clubs also need to consider sub-18-hole experiences. Different ways to get people into the clubhouse, even if they're not playing a full round. I did a tasting at Nairn Golf Club on the first night of the Masters, and I'm hoping to do one at Royal Dornoch tied to the Ryder Cup. These different experiences can engage people and show a bit of innovation rather than just more of the same.
The Wedge: This has been great, thanks Hamish. Final question — how has running a golf business changed your relationship with the game?
HM: Both through my caddying duties and talking to groups about golf, history and whisky, it's made me appreciate how excited visitors get to come to Scotland and the Highlands for golf and whisky.
Most of my caddying is done at Castle Stuart, where there's a new course opening in August. No matter how many times I've played there, I never want to get blasé about it. When you come off the third green and go to the fourth tee, you get a sight of Castle Stuart in the backdrop – I've seen it dozens of times, but for most visitors, it's their first time, and even well-experienced, hard-traveled golfers still have a wow moment.
It's been a real eye-opener seeing how excited experienced people get about things that are right on my doorstep. Over the last year, I've seen what's on my doorstep with fresh eyes, seeing it through the eyes of people experiencing it for the first time.
We sometimes might be guilty of taking for granted what's in front of us, but for many people, this is a pilgrimage. They've been talking about this golf and whisky trip for 15 years. They may have had the whisky through travel retail or in bars, but coming here, to the Highlands, to play golf and drink a few drams of whisky, is almost like coming to Mecca.
More About The Dram Caddy
Hamish's signature whisky experience starts at £50 per person for a 60-90-minute session featuring five carefully selected whiskies, each with authentic stories linking them to golf. He travels to licensed premises – whether that's where clients are playing, staying, or private accommodations – and can arrange complementary elements like charcuterie boards.
For those interested in whisky recommendations, Hamish suggests the Thompson Brothers' Dornoch Distillery 8-year blend as exceptional value under £40, while his premium pick is a distillery exclusive from Bunnahabhain Distillery on Islay – rare and likely to cost around £200, but if you can get your hands on it, he says it’s worth every penny!
Find out more about The Dram Caddy at www.dramcaddy.com