In times when Scotland's mainland is so well travelled by golfers that even places like Brora and certainly Dornoch are not really remote anymore, it seems impossible to find great links golf that is still undiscovered.
But what if some research lets you stumble across a golf course on the very north coast of Scotland that has seen almost no attention here on GCA. And then the website gives you some wonderful looking photos and tells you it's 25pounds for a day ticket - do you get excited? I did for sure.
Reay is the most northernly 18 hole links on the British mainland and the design is attributed to James Braid. It plays 5831 yds from the men's tees to a par of 69, so it's fairly short which is not unusual for an "old" Scottish links. It had rained through the night and the forecast predicted even more rain for our day at Reay, but out of nowhere it turned into a wonderful day and the course still played nicely firm. To give you an idea of how busy the course is - it was a sunny saturday and we counted six other golfers out there all day!
Now, with little idea what to expect but quite some expectations, it was a very fun day. Reay is not great and it is surely not the next Cruden Bay or Brora, but it is pretty good and a very enjoyable walk - and it has a lot of potential for improval.
Altogether the 3 links/seaside courses on the north coast, namely Wick, Reay and Durness, are too far apart from each other and certainly a step back in "quality" from the courses in the Dornoch Area to be a golfing destination of its own (although I thought that Durness was outstanding). But this is only good news for those who wish to keep these courses to themselves and want to escape the greenfee madness for another couple of years. Having said that, the north-/north-west coast of Scotland is extremely beautiful, very remote and worth a trip itself. The courses serve as an extra and their biggest strength might be how relaxing they are to play and look at.
There are very good holes at Reay aswell as uninteresting ones, so normally it would be the kind of course that you only feature a handful of best holes from. But to get a true feel for the course as such I think it's important to see every hole - so I will start with the front nine in this post and hope that you can find time to read through the descriptions aswell.
In fashion with all modest Scottish clubhouses, this must be their king – there is no pro shop or office, green fee can only be paid through the honesty box
The first hole is 235yard par 3. Not an easy par because of it's length, but otherwise a very forgiving opening hole. Very weird in the fact that you walk about a 150 yards back from the clubhouse to play to a green that sits right by it. Certainly the most interesting feauture of the hole, not it's best.
Tee shot:
The green slopes left to right, no danger around it thoguh. The Greenkeeping crew was kind enough to sand the green right in front of us.
Looking back
At 428 yards, the 2nd is a long par 4 which plays down into a valley and up to the green. Longer hitters will open their shoulders as there is loads of room, but the approach shot will be semi-blind and hides a bunker front right of the green fed by the slopes. Shorter hitters who play it as a 3-shot hole will have 3 completely visible shots.
Although OOB on the left might look a bit threatening, this is the first of many uninteresting tee shots on the course. Most of the holes that run parallel share their semi-roughs (2,3,4,6 and 8,11,12,13), which coupled with a complete lack of fairway bunkers makes for a) some very boring tee shots, b) gives you the feeling of playing over a meadow and not links land and c) takes definition away from the holes and the course.
This is IMO the course's biggest weakness and be erased by a just a few cleverly placed bunkers and a few strips of sparse, light, links rough.
Approach after a good drive, semi-blind up the hill
A look closer to the green
They are pretty serious about sanding, or bunkering their greens at Reay!
Hole 3 is a par 4 of 369 yards and plays back towards the clubhouse. My Bro' crackin it down the fairway, nothing to lose here.
The uphill approach shot, far left is danger, too shy right is where a bunker lurks.
Looking back down the 3rd
Nothing much has happened until now, but the 4th starts a series of very good holes. At 581 yards, it is of unexpected lentgh on such a course.
The tee shot plays towards a dune from where the second shot is completely blind:
Atop the hill, the green is still far away. The direct line towards the green flirts with the rough on the left side.
Looking down from the dune, there is lots of space here as the semi-rough is shared with the 5th hole. Too safe right though will leave a blind 3rd shot over a dune
Looking back over the interesting, front to back sloping green, the beach not far away
If you ever have to wait on the group in front of you, the 5th tee would be a good spot for it!
The 5th is a short par 3 of 144 yards. The green is bunkered in front on both sides and slopes left to right harder than it looks. Again, some definition to the rough that is not in play and some more clever bunkering could make this a great hole.
The sky looks unreal in this picture...
Looking back over the 5th
The 6th is probably the strongest hole on the course: a 477 yard par 5 that doglegs smoothly around the big seaside dunes.
On the tee:
A really fun drive: there is loads of space to the right, but if you think of reaching the green in 2, you better bite off as much as you can, but how much is that?
Midway to the hole on the rolling fairway
About 180 yards in after a good drive with the wind, the second shot is no less interesting. A burn comes into play about 50 yards short of the green and protects the left side. The bunker front right is well placed and the green has very nice contours to mess with those thinking that it's an easy birdy.
Over from the 7th tee across the 6th green. You get this view of 6 multiple times during the round. So while it is one of the strongest holes on the course it is the visual center of attention aswell
The 7th finishes a par 5-3-5-3 run and at 196 yards is the best par 3 on the course.
The tee shot must carry a deep valley to a green that sits on a diagonal dune. There is lots of bailout space left and short left, but if you go for it you better not miss it short or right!
From tee
Looking back
Hole 8 is a fairly ordinary par 4 that plays across some nicely ondulating terrain. The drive is semi blind but only gets tight for long hitters where a patch of rough comes into play from the right at 220yards.
From 200 yards in
Holing out at 8, looking back towards the tee. The green is nicely set into the hill.
Looking across nr. 8 from the right. Although this is a really mild example of Braid setting his greens into hillsides, it might actually be the most unnatural green on the course.
The 9th is another very scenic par three of 176 yards. It is bunkered in front on both sides aswell, but the green is much larger than at the 5th and the green slopes right to left quite hard.
A beauty...
I'm off to the Odenwald now
