Nairn Golf Club

Situated on the magnificent Moray Firth, and only a twenty-five minute drive from the city of Inverness, the capital of The Highlands, Nairn Golf Club is home to an historic links course, which has been sympathetically re-modelled for the twenty-first century. Offering a typical Scottish links out and back layout, with the waters of the Moray firth visible on each hole, the undulating dunes on the Championship Course are framed with golden blooming gorse bushes. A cleverly bunkered course, with fast and true greens and dangerous run off areas ensures that it is both enjoyable and challenging for golfers of all levels. The venue has hosted a number of major amateur championships, including the Walker Cup, Curtis Cup, the Amateur Championship and the Women’s Amateur Championship. Nairn Golf Club further hosts a short nine hole track, named the Cameron Course. Offering visitors a warm and welcoming invite into their clubhouse and full access to their practice facilities, the team and members at Nairn Golf Club will ensure you enjoy full Highland Hospitality on your Scottish Golf Break.

 

History: Nairn Golf Club was founded in 1887. Robert B Finlay (Viscount Finlay of Nairn) was a benefactor and founder member of the Club. A prominent politician and a Judge at the Permanent Court of International Justice, Finlay, was the club president from 1911 to 1929. 

Andrew Simpson, Keeper of the Green at Aberdeen, laid out the original design for Nairn golf course in 1887. Old Tom Morris, the ‘Grand Old Man of Golf’, revised the course in 1890 and extended it westward over the Earl of Cawdor’s property. Twenty years on, and the most prominent layout enhancements on the Championship Course came from the five times Open Champion James Braid, who altered tees and bunkers before creating new greens of singular subtlety. Subsequently, in 1920, new holes at Delnies were designed by Ben Sayers of North Berwick before, once more, Braid returned to contribute his expertise. In 2018, the club undertook a large renovation project of the Championship Course from renowned architects, Mackenzie and Ebert.

Within the clubhouse, there is an impressive archive room which holds an extended library where books, reports, competition records, photographs, trophies, pictures, collections, clubs and artefacts have been ingathered, catalogued and are both referenced and displayed. While extensive collections have been assembled by prominent local members KM Cameron, RJR Gordon and RD Gordon linking the club to a wider history of the game. The Championship board, on the clubhouse stairwell, lists many of the prestigious amateur events held at Nairn. Notable individual winners include: John Panton, Jessie Valentine, Eric Brown, Ronnie Shade, Charlie Green, Maureen Madill and Colin Montgomerie. The Club has hosted the 1994 & 2021 Amateur Championship, the Walker Cup in 1999, the 1979 Women’s Amateur Championship and the Curtis Cup in 2021, with stars of the professional game, such as Luke Donald, Paul Casey, Matt Kuchar, Charley Hull and Bronte Law, having played at Nairn in these competitions, during their amateur careers.

Championship Course: Tight fairways lined with Gorse, fast running turf mined with pot bunkers, criss-crossed by burns and with the sea in play during several of the opening holes, the Championship Course at Nairn Golf Club will certainly test the mental capacity of a golfer. However, with the sea in sight from every hole, magnificent views to admire, and with fast and true greens to enjoy, it delivers a fantastic test of links golf, on a moonscape like environment. With its traditional out and back Scottish links layout shaped by the hands of Andrew Simpson, Old Tom Morris, James Braid, et-al. and its recent re-modelling under the watchful eye of Tom Mackenzie,  ensuring that the course has been future proofed to take on the technology employed by golfers in the twenty-first century, it is a must play venue during a Scottish Golf Break in The Highlands. The Championship Course at Nairn Golf Club is an eighteen hole, par 71 (men) and par 75 (women), course. It has tees ranging from 5,199 to 6,832 yards. Golf Scotland. Golf The Highlands.

SGB Signature Hole: Name: Long. Number: Hole 7. Measuring 476 yards (W) and 601 yards (M) from the tee this par 5 (M) & (W), is in our opinion the most magnificent hole, amongst many great holes, on the Championship Course at Nairn Golf Club. For the entire length of the hole, from tee-box to green, the beach and waters of the Moray Firth await any slightly wayward shots to the right. Cleverly placed fairway bunkers lie in wait for drives and second shots, in landing areas where the fairway is at its most pinched, while the green is closely guarded by a bunker to the front left and the sea to the right and rear. A visually stunning hole, where thought, planning and accuracy are required for every shot, if you aim to secure a par.

Cameron Course: The nine hole Cameron Course, though less challenging than the Championship Course, provides a fun round for the family or for those wishing for a quick nine holes. This practice area is ideal for warming up before a round or sharpening your short game. The course has a par of 29 (men) and (women), and measures 1,634 yards in length.

Practice facilities: Complimentary use of practice facilities are available to visitors, prior to their tee time. Facilities include, a driving range and a practice putting green. Golf lessons are available at Nairn Golf Club.

Clubhouse: The spacious clubhouse at Nairn Golf Club offers excellent bar and catering facilities to visiting golfers. (see food and dining section) While the lounge area has awe-inspiring views. The well appointed Ladies and Gents locker rooms provide changing and shower facilities for visitors, who are most welcome to enjoy a full members experience during their visit to the club. The professional shop stocks the finest apparel from Johnstons of Elgin, Peter Millar, Donald Ross, and a wide range of clubs and equipment. Caddie services, buggy, club and trolly hire options are all available at Nairn Golf Club too. 

Food & Dining: The restaurant at Nairn Golf Club serves excellent food and drinks, with wonderful service from the staff. For visiting golfers it provides an idyllic setting, before or after a round, to enjoy refreshments, snacks or a full meal, while enjoying panoramic views across the course and beyond. In addition, the club have a Bothy that has been converted into a halfway house where golfers can purchase snacks and refreshments, while taking a well-earned breather at the turn and enjoying the stunning scenery.

Accommodation: We partner with a number of hotels and letting agents across The Highlands. Whether you want to stay on a country estate, in a hotel, a luxury lodge, an apartment or a signature villa, Scottish Golf Breaks can arrange it for you.

 

Featured deal:

 

Typical packages include:

• Accommodation in a hotel, a cottage, an apartment or a signature villa
• A round on the Championship Course at Nairn Golf Club
• A round on Castle Stuart Golf Links at Cabot Highlands
• Dinner Reservation @ Nairn Golf Club, Clubhouse Restaurant 
• Full Scottish or Continental Breakfast
• Use of resort facilities: Access to locker-rooms, lockers, showers and changing facilities at Nairn Golf Club, and complimentary use of the driving range, and practice putting green

 

Packages can be designed to your specification and group size, and can include alternative accommodation, additional courses across The Highlands and or other regions within Scotland.

 

Additional services:

• Airport or train station transfers (all sizes of groups catered for)
• Executive travel
• Caddie service

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