Dornoch advice

[jeffwarne]

I'm going to be in the Dornoch area for 2 1/2 -3 days next September.
Playing Royal Dornoch twice seems like a no brainer (although I don't usually do that opting to see more courses-but hey this is Royal Dornoch)

My question is "How would Moray,Boat of Garten ,Brora,Tain,and Nairn rank in relation to each other?"
(Difficulty and/or length ,great conditioning not required:a fun factor,quirk,scenery or unique feel are required.)
I've been to all the websites and they all look great to me.
I probably can play 2 or 3 in addition to Dornoch.
 
Or is there another course in this area I should see ahead of any of these?(9 holers are great too)
Normally I would take the time and play them all .(and a few others nearby)In this case I've got my boss along and we're kind've all over the place.
Thanks in advance

[jeffwarne]

Just read the review on the site about Brora-looks like it's in-
so that leaves 2 courses

[Michael Hayes]

Brora hands down, you can't go wrong there...nairn has some of the best putting surfaces I have ever been on & moray (old) is a very scenic links that is unforgettable with the jets buzzing you constantly.  I can honestly say that old moray was a more 'scottish experience' for me, there is a great pub about 150 yards short of the 18th green (up on the right hand cliff).  If you play Moray, there is a great parkland course 20 minutes away in Elgin, I just cannot remember the name of the place right now.

Have fun, you will love any track you choose.

Michael Hayes

[Ron Kern]

Delurking for a minute because I really like all three courses mentioned, Tain, Nairn and Moray Old, Lossiemouth.

I am quite partial to Tain.  To keep the sheep and cows off, when I was there, they had fences around some of the greens.  The entire experience at Tain is understated links golf designed by Old Tom Morris, I really loved it. The 11th green is pretty special:




Moray Old goes from outstanding to mundane.  Tom Morris was the original designer and I think Henry Cotton redesigned a portion of the course.  The RAF was quite active when I played there.  The 18th is just an exceptional golf hole.  (I hit the green and made 4 from the middle of the mound in the middle of the fairway - the little white dot in the photo is my ball - one of the best golf shots I've ever hit...)




I truly enjoyed Nairn - the day I played the wind was pretty wild on both the morning and afternoon rounds.  I liked the bunkering and there are many fine views.  The golf course provided a nice test.  I remember that the 16th hole quite well as it requires a deft touch to get the ball to stay on the green, espeically with a following wind.  I think Braid did quite a bit of work on the original design.

I don't see how you could go wrong with any of these three.  

[Doug Siebert]

Ron,

How did you get those photos looking the way they do?  The coloring is very interesting, that second photo almost looks like something taken in the 1890s with false color added.

[Philip Gawith]

That's the Scottish summer for you Ron, with no mitigating irrigation! Those links will sure be playing firm and fast.

Jeff - I go on an annual trip to Dornoch and we play 36 at Brora, followed by 36 at Dornoch and 18 at Dornoch. I have played the others, except for Moray and I have no inclination to change my routine. You should definitely stick to 36 at Dornoch (and don't forget to pick up a copy of Rich Goodale's book when you are there - even though you must look hard to find his name!)

Brora is a magnificent, wild and unspoiled links - 36 is never too many holes there, but I am biased. All comes down to how much you are prepared to travel vs whether you prefer to stay in one place. Boat of Garten, for example, is some distance from Dornoch.

There is a fun and unusually good restaurant in Brora called the Quiet Piggy as I recall which you should visit. Hopefully the fragrant Maltese waitress will still be in attendance.

[ForkaB]

Jeff

Listen to Philip.   Boat of Garten, Nairn and Lossiemouth (Old Moray) are all 1 1/2hrs+ drive from Dornoch, and while good are not vaut le detour, particularly on a 2-3 day trip.  If you want a little more variety, you could substitute Golspie (better than Tain, IMO) for one of the Brora rounds and/or play a late evening (or early morning) round on Dornoch's Struie course, which is a real architectural enigma, and probably harder to score on than the Championship course.

As for the Quiet Piggy, it is very good, but I've heard they have landlord problems (Ah, the perils of success....).  Luigi's Cafe in Dornoch is equally good (don't get put off by what it looks like during the day--at dinner time the fairy godmother waves her wand, and you could be in a wee Parisian bistro....).

Enjoy.

[David_Tepper]

Jeff -

When are you planning to be in Dornoch next September?

You should be aware that the Championship course at RDGC usually closes for 4 days of maintenance work on the Monday thru Thursday of the 3rd or 4th week of September.

If you are thinking of going there in the 2nd half of the month, you should check with RDGC to see if they have scheduled the dates for this work period.

I played the Championship course the first day it re-opened this past September and it was fine. They did not do the typical plugging and sanding of greens you find on courses in the U.S.

Trying to choose between Brora, Goslpie and Tain is like choosing favorite flavors of ice cream. You will get different answers from almost everyone. No doubt Brora is the purest links of the three. However, I enjoy Golspie quite a bit, as it has a nice mixture of seaside and inland holes.

DT    

[ChipRoyce]

Based on my limited Experience, of the various choices, I'd go play based on this order of preference:

1) Nairn; Not as interesting as others architecturally, really course, esp. in the wind.

2) Brora; Raw links - great par 3's (all play to different directions), visit the Clynellish distillery

3) Tain; Great value and many neat features

[jeffwarne]

Thanks for all the great input.
I had originally planned to do 5-7 days in the Dornoch area and play some of the more obscure places but with the company I'll be keeping I'll only get 3 days in Dornoch surrounds..All part of an 8 day trip .
Reason enough to go back to the Highlands.

Rich,
None of the courses would be that out of the way as I'll be coming from Aberdeen(I think Old Moray and Nairn are somewhat on the way?) and am flying out of and staying the last night in Inverness-(Boat of Garten somewhat near?)
Boat of Garten just looks so different than what I've seen and played in Scotland

Brora's definitely in-

David,
 we plan to arrive in Dornoch around Sept. 8 .

any more comments on Struie and Golspie?

[Michael Hayes]

If you are coming from Aberdeen and have not yet experienced Crudan Bay, it is a must...One of the most fun golf days you could have.
MH

[Doug Wright]

Jeff,

I made my maiden visit to Dornoch in October. In the area we played Boat of Garten, Golspie, Brora, Dornoch Struie and Royal Dornoch. Here are my thoughts:

Boat of Garten (James Braid) was a real treat. We played it just off the plane from Glasgow en route to Dornoch. A heathland course in rolling terrain, Boat isn't long but it is a very fun course with variety, some good greens and some quirk. It's probably 45-60 minutes south of Inverness and 1.5-2 hours from Dornoch; not worth a special trip from Dornoch but worth a visit if you are in the area.

Golspie I enjoyed very much. As has been said Golspie has a variety of links, heath and parkland going on but it works well aside from a couple of boring holes on the back nine. There are some excellent par 3s and 4s on the course. IMO the stretch from 4-9 is outstanding. We combined it with Brora and had a great day. I'd definitely return.

Brora has been commented on so not much more to say but watch out for the sheep, cows and electric fences!  

Royal Dornoch--no question 2 rounds at Royal Dornoch are a must (unfortunately we could only get one round there and the other at Struie on the day we scheduled). World class golf at its finest.

Dornoch Struie--skip it if you can and play any of the above (or Tain or F&R, which were on our list but we didn't play). I'd heard Struie was "improved" but we didn't find much to like about it except some nice views of the town and the water and "burning bunkers" on the par 3 18th--the grounds crew was using a flamethrower to burn grass out of the interstices between the revetted sections of the fronting bunkers.   Talk about a hazard! A hodgepodge of holes and not very interesting ones at that. Strictly a "reliever" course as far as I'm concerned.

I can't wait to get back there. The town is great too. Enjoy!

PS IM me if you want more detail re accommodations etc. and/or info re Aberdeen.

[Gary Daughters]

Jeff,

One course that hasn't gotten much mention is Tain.  I cannot recommend it highly enough.  Fun, fun, fun.

I second Luigi's in Dornoch.  The guy behind the counter is an expat, Chris Surmonte, who also caddies at RD.  Be sure to say hi to him.  And try the fresh greens for lunch.

Dinner at Sutherland House, also in Dornoch, is outstanding.

Boat of Garten is a good hour south of Inverness.  A little touristy for my taste and it felt kind of cramped after a steady diet of wide-open links.  Playing poorly didn't help the experience.  It's quite pretty.

Moray is an excellent call.. fine course and not nearly as costly as Nairn.  But unless you play on the weekend, which I was fortunate to do, the noise from the incoming fighter planes is said to be pretty astonishing.

Leave yourself a little time to relax if possible.  You'll enjoy your golf even more that way.

[Aidan Bradley]

Between Royal Aberdeen and Cruden Bay is "Murcar", an absolute delight. So many courses, so little time. Enjoy.

http://www.murcar.co.uk/

Aidan.

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