Nairn
The town of Nairn enjoys a remarkably benign climate on the southern shores of the Moray Firth. The coming of the railway made it a fashionable watering hole and inevitably the subject of a golf course was raised. Nothing remains of Andrew Simpson's first layout of 1887 and the story of subsequent developments and acquisitions of different parcels of land is adequately told in the club's centenary book. Tom Morris (1890) and James Braid (1909, 1921 and 1926) made all the significant changes and since then there has been little more than the lenghtening of holes by the opening of new tees and the odd bunker addition or removal. The current medal card is 6705 yards with a par of 71. For the 1999 Walker Cup the 550-yard par-5 7th was reduced to a 487-yard par 4. Luke Donald and Paul Casey of recent Ryder Cup fame were in the GB and I team that year.
1st, 395 yards par 4. You can see (and so can everyone in the clubhouse) how easy it is to slice onto the beach or into the sea on this tee. In fact you can slice into the sea on six of the first seven holes. On the excepetion (the short 4th) you can pull the ball into the sea!
2nd, 486 yards par 5. The main problem here is on the drive with the fairway interrupted by a stream - at least it is to big hitters on a still day. I am much more concerned that my second shot will clear it into the prevailing wind.
3rd, 396 yards par 4. From this angle you cannot see how cunningly the green has been raised up and at average Nairn green speeds this is notably tricky to hold with the approach.
6th, 183 yards par 3. Perhaps the first couple of greens are straightforward, but from the 3rd until near the end they are all raised up. This hole plays longer than you think, almost inevitably into the wind.
6th. Much use is made of fall aways to the sides and rears of putting surfaces.
Having just lost my post without explanation, I'll split it into small chunks.