Nairn Golf Club is a championship golfing venue has been established since 1887, claiming a place in the prestigious group of Scottish golfing institutions that are well over one hundred years old. This gem of Scottish golf might be lesser known, but that just works to the advantage of those who are in the know.
The course has been renovated at regular intervals down the years. Archie Simpson was the original architect, before the legendary Old Tom Morris made some alterations. It had work done again after the war, and the combined work of all the gentlemen who have had a hand in Nairn’s layout has done wonders for the course. With each adding their own inspired touches, this amalgamation has left Nairn with plenty of interesting holes and features.
The stunning natural settings are there to be appreciated, but they do bring their own challenges. Your first tee shot could land on the beach to the right, if you don’t catch it right. That would certainly make for an interesting start to your round. The thick gorse is plentiful around the course, but you certainly don’t need to get too close to its thistles.
Situated in one of the most northerly parts of Scotland, Nairn is actually very close to two other prominent Scottish courses. Castle Stuart is just twenty minutes away, while Royal Dornoch is just a short drive up the coast. With Nairn located so close to these illustrious neighbours, it makes for a fine start to a proper golfing tour of Scotland.
Like many of the great holes in golf, first impressions of “Redan” can be deceptive, and it is only by playing the hole a number of times that it reveals its hidden subtleties. The mounds, ridges and depressions left after the sea receded gives the course its natural contours, and the 15th hole was part of that evolution. For the player on the tee, the green is blind and the shaped shot, which must battle with the prevailing wind, can be struck with anything from a driver to a nine iron.
