Nairn Golf Club

Nairn Golf Club is in the town of Nairn, against the Moray Firth, in northern Scotland. Nairn is roughly 17 miles northeast of Inverness and 90 miles northwest of Aberdeen. The club has 27 holes of golf and 1,500 members.

The 18-hole Championship Course is considered among the top courses in Scotland. The Moray Firth is visible from every hole of the course, and its beach and waters are a significant hazard on the first seven holes. Wind and gorse provide plenty of challenge around the Nairn links. The course is on the site of "a Highland wilderness of gorse and heather," the club's website explains, and most holes on this links are completely open to the sea winds. But unlike most links courses, there are also some trees at certain areas of the course.

The club also has a 9-holer known as the Cameron Course.

• Address: The Nairn Golf Club, Seabank Road, Nairn, Scotland, IV12 4HB
• Phone: +44 (0)1667 453208
• Website: nairngolfclub.co.uk

Can I Play Nairn Golf Club?

Yes. Nairn is a private membership club, but, as the club's website states, visitors are welcome. Refer to this page for some of the club's rules for visitors. Use the club's enquiry form to request tee times or ask questions; or see the online booking page for info about online reservations.

Nairn Golf Club Course Origins and Architects

Nairn Golf Club was founded in 1887. The original course was laid out by Archie Simpson, who at the time was head pro and greenskeeper at Royal Aberdeen Golf Club. But that original track was soon competely re-done by the legendary Old Tom Morris.

Twenty years after Morris' renovation, James Braid - the Scotsman of Britain's "Great Triumvirate" - built new greens while also tweaking multiple teeing grounds and bunkers. Frequent Open Championship participant Ben Sayers plus architect C.K. Cotton also worked on Nairn over the years, but the club states that "Nairn nevertheless remains substantially the links course that James Braid knew and admired so well."

Nairn Golf Club Pars and Yardages

The longest tees at The Nairn Golf Club are referred to as the Championship Course. Here are the yardages for those holes:

No. 1 - Par 4 - 395 yards
No. 2 - Par 5 - 486 yards
No. 3 - Par 4 - 413 yards
No. 4 - Par 3 - 160 yards
No. 5 - Par 4 - 385 yards
No. 6 - Par 3 - 197 yards
No. 7 - Par 5 - 550 yards
No. 8 - Par 4 - 355 yards
No. 9 - Par 4 - 359 yards
Out - Par 36 - 3300 yards
No. 10 - Par 5 - 536 yards
No. 11 - Par 3 - 182 yards
No. 12 - Par 4 - 444 yards
No. 13 - Par 4 - 431 yards
No. 14 - Par 3 - 219 yards
No. 15 - Par 4 - 306 yards
No. 16 - Par 4 - 425 yards
No. 17 - Par 4 - 377 yards
No. 18 - Par 5 - 554 yards
In - Par 36 - 3474 yards
Total - Par 72 - 6774 yards

The holes at Nairn are named; see the Notes section below for a list of those hole names.

Three other sets of tees are in play at Nairn:

• Medal tees - 6,436 yards - par 71
• Men's tees - 6,140 yards - par 71
• Ladies tees - 5,735 yards - par 75

Cameron Course: In addition, the 9-hole Cameron Course plays 1,634 yards with a par of 29. There are two par-4 holes and seven par-3s. The longest hole is 326 yards and the shortest is 110 yards.

Significant Tournaments Hosted

Important events staged at Nairn Golf Club, along with their winners:

• 1979 British Ladies Amateur: Maureen Madill
• 1994 British Amateur: Lee James
• 1999 Walker Cup: Great Britain & Ireland
• 2012 Curtis Cup: Great Britain & Ireland

More About Nairn Golf Club

• Nairn has a traditional routing with two par-5s and two par-3s on both the front and back nines. The shortest hole is the 160-yard No. 4, and the longest is the 554-yard No. 18.

• The front-nine holes are named thusly: Sea (1), Achareidh (2), Nest (3), Bunker (4), Nets (5), Ben Wyvis (6), Long (7), Delnies (8) and Icehouse (9).

• The back-nine holes are named thusly: Cawdor (10), Gate (11), Table (12), Crown (13), Kopjes (14), Sutors (15), Road (16), Burn (17) and Home (18).

• Ben Wyvis, the name of Hole No. 6, is also the name of a mountain in the Scottish Highlands. In Gaelic, the name translates to "hill of terror."

• Great Britain & Ireland won the 1999 Walker Cup played at Nairn, the first of three straight wins by GB&I over the United States team. The 15-9 final score matches GB&I's largest margin of victory in the biennial tournament for amateur men.

• At that 1999 Walker Cup, the GB&I team was led by Luke Donald and Paul Casey who each sported 4-0 records. The two partnered twice, winning both matches, and each won two singles matches.

• Five-time British Open champion James Braid was the first golfer to break 70 at Nairn, recording a round of 69 in 1901. As noted above, Braid later went on to renovate the golf course.

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