Nairn Golf Club-Championship

Nairn Golf Club is situated on a high, undulating links on the coastline of the Firth of Mary, close to a historic fishing harbour. It is one of Scotland's lesser known gems. It is a course that has been designed by many great architects. The club was founded in 1887 and was originally designed by Andrew Simpson. The layout was extended a few years later by Old Tom Morris and further modifications were made by James Braid just before the First World War.

The championship course at Nairn Golf Club has a par of 71 and is 6,832 yards long and is one of the most beautiful seaside courses in Scotland with sea views from every hole. The fairways are fast, firm but narrow, many of which are surrounded by bramble bean bushes and heather, putting added pressure on tight shots. The greens are situated in the trickiest places - some are raised and others are in hollows. Most of the greens are well protected, either by bunkers or natural hazards, and all are fast and accurate, a hallmark of the course.

The course has many good holes with the 5th being the best. It is a great 390 yard par 4, known as the ‘net hole’, which requires the golfer to drive straight and avoid the beach on the right. This leaves the golfer with a short approach shot to a small, elevated green well protected by bunkers and a steep slope that slopes to the right.

The ninth hole, known as ‘The Ice House’, is a good par four and is the closing hole on the outward nine. From the tee it requires a difficult long drive avoiding the acacia bushes on the left and the bunkers on the right. The green is located to the right of the white lodge, which is actually a salmon hut. Keep an eye out for the igloo, which is covered in thick turf and the salmon are frozen for up to two years.