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Highland Links golf courses:
Brora
Golf Course | Cruden
Bay Golf Course |
Fraserburgh Golf Club | Moray
Golf Club |
| Royal
Aberdeen Golf Course | Royal
Dornoch Golf Club |
Brora
Golf Course
James Braid arrived at Brora
in 1924 and gave the existing course a makeover leaving
his indelible stamp of several testing par 4's, requiring
good medium-long irons into the greens, four tricky
par 3's and a solitary par 5. Being around the 6,000
yard mark it may not be of a torturous length but I
would warn against complacency, especially on a Braid
course.
This is a classic links layout
(nine out and nine in) set between a pristine beach,
running parallel to the course, and the great rolling
hills of Sutherland. It is quite easy to transport oneself
back to the early half of the 20th Century as the round
unfolds, surrounded by the Highland quiet, with only
the uninterested glances of the cows and sheep, who
have seen it all before, intruding on the serenity.
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Cruden
Bay Golf Course
Unique. Incomparable. Nothing
can quite prepare you for Cruden Bay, it is astonishing.
A 6,395 yard par 70 with blind drives and approaches
to hidden greens, gullies and dramatic dunes it is consistently
placed near the top of any list of links courses in
the World.
Laid out over an awkward piece
of links land during 1889 by Old Tom Morris, without
the aid of modern machinery, many of the hole's devilish
designs are down to his ingenuity in working with what
he had. Though redeveloped in 1926 by Tom Simpson much
of the original route remains and can still leave us,
115 years later, scratching our collective heads and
looking around for answers to the questions posed: "How?
Where? Why?". Laughter, fun and golf, Cruden Bay
will supply more than just a score on a card.
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Fraserburgh
Golf Club
An historic natural Scottish Links, located close to
Cruden Bay in the north east of Scotland, that originates
from 1777 and is officially recognised by the British
Golf Museum, in St. Andrews, as the 7th oldest golf
club in the World. The design of the course was reworked
in 1922 by the ubiquitos James Braid, x5 time Open Champion,
and that design remains to this day.
This is natural Scottish links golf at its best on
a golf course that is shamefully overlooked by Scottish
golfers and visitors to Scotland. A delightful respite
from the serious Championship links courses that are
close by it will test the best of players over it's
6,300 yards on a truly, lovely links setting.
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Moray
Golf Club
The 1st & 18th of the Old
at Moray start and finish within the town, which will
bring memories of the Old Course at St. Andrews. Not
surprising then to learn that the grandfather of golf,
Old Tom Morris, was the architect in 1889. Always very
proud of his 18th at St. Andrews it is felt that the
408 yard final hole here surpasses it as his best finish
in Scottish golf.
There is nothing hidden from
view on this honest open links measuring 6,617 yards
to a par of 71. Good fairways that have to be hit due
to bunkers, rough and dunes with approaches to lovely
greens that have gentle subtle breaks. A great location
for a round of links golf.
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Royal
Aberdeen Golf Course
Founded in 1780 by the Society
of Aberdeen Golfers giving it the accolade of being
the 6th oldest in the World, these are also the chaps
to harangue or perhaps applaud for introducing the '5
minute rule' when searching for your ball. The course
moved to the present location in 1887-8 when Robert
Simpson created this links beauty, alongside a stunning
beach, to the north of Aberdeen.
The first nine follow the beach
out to the furthest point of the course and they have
the reputation of being the stiffest test of any outward
nine in links golf. Some high tee positions, offering
drives to rolling fairways between sand dunes and tough
rough, it is demanding but also perversely rewarding.
The inward nine, shorter by some 372 yards, come running
back over a gentler terrain to the 18th green, in front
of the grand old clubhouse, via the landward side.
6,372 yards do not make Royal
Aberdeen a long course but you do feel that it plays
longer. There are many who advocate that it would be
an Open course if it were increased by 500-700 yards,
we shall wait and see if that ever comes to fruition.
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Royal
Dornoch Golf Club
This is rightly regarded as the
pinnacle of Old Tom Morris's golf course design. He
came to Dornoch in 1886 and along with John Sutherland
redeveloped the nine existing holes and planned nine
more. John Sutherland, the Club Secretary for 50 odd
years, worked on these designs and there then followed
the Morris devotees, Donald Ross (Pinehurst No2) and
George Duncan, to assist in the development of the course
to what we know now.
Remote, certainly, but for the
modern golfer with the comforts of 21st Century travel
at their disposal no great hardship in lieu of the delights
that await at Royal Dornoch. The classic out & in
layout contains the Morris hallmarks of wide fairways,
countless bunkers positioned just right, a few blind
shots and enormous plateau greens that are completely
in tune with the setting. A true test and a joy to be
able to play whether low or high handicapped, especially
when the gorse is in full golden bloom during the months
of April and May.
The quotes from Ben Crenshaw
and Tom Watson are well known but they withstand repeating
because of the genuine affection in their words:
On returning to Muirfield for
the 1980 Open Crenshaw was asked what he thought of
Dornoch, "Let me put it this way, I nearly didn't
come back"
Tom Watson, 5 times Open Champion,
described it thus, "The most fun I have ever had
playing golf".
see also:
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