[Niall C]

I was up touring about the far north of Scotland last week and came across a couple of surprisingly good links courses in the Reiss links course of Wick GC, and secondly, Reay GC, just to the west of Dounreay power station.

I say surprisingly good because I’ve never heard any chat about them before, either good or bad. I tried a search on here but couldn’t find anything (which is not to say there hasn’t been mention of them before).

Neither is particularly long but each has some really good golf. Wick has much less elevational change than Reay and generally is flat however it has some really nice green complexes, most of which are quite subtle at grade level with a couple of more dramatic raised ones thrown in. What was especially pleasing at Wick was the condition of the course.

Considering they only have one greenkeeper who is occasionally helped by his father and others in the senior section, the course is in excellent condition. Apparently the greenkeeper learned his trade at Castle Stuart and it shows. The fairways are cut quite wide, not stupidly wide but more than enough leeway that you shouldn’t ever be looking for balls. More importantly he has widened out the greens such that in some cases the edge of the green is now 2 to 3 feet beyond the sprinkler heads. The greens also rolled very well and at a good speed.

If I had one criticism of Wick it is that a lot of the par 4’s are of similar length but then there is more than enough room to move tees about to vary the length.

Reay (pronounced Ray) doesn’t have quite as interesting greens or at least they haven’t been highlighted in their conditioning the same way as at Wick. Where Reay maybe scores over Wick is that it has a more interesting topography than Wick which is a flattish out and back course. Reay in contrast has much more elevational change with some panoramic views.

All in all, both offer some great holiday golf. Has anyone else played these two courses?

Niall

[David_Tepper]

Niall -

Emil Weber and Mitch Hantman have posted threads here on Reay within the last 3-4 years. I have driven by both courses but have not played either one.

Emil's photo tour:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59531.0.html

Mitch's photo tour:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,49844.0.html

DT

[Jim Sherma]

One of my goals in life is to spend some time at Wick and Reay - seems like a good place to turn off the electronics and disappear for a few weeks.

[jeffwarne]

One of my goals in life is to spend some time at Wick and Reay - seems like a good place to turn off the electronics and disappear for a few weeks.

+1
I think Reay was/is for sale.

[David_Tepper]

"I think Reay was/is for sale."

Jeff W. -

Yes, the Dounreay estate on the north coast of Scotland that includes the golf course was listed for sale in 2013. At the time, it was taken off the market without being sold. I don't know what has happened since.

Here is a past thread with references to the property:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56268.0.html

DT

[Jon Wiggett]

Glad you enjoyed the trip Niall.

Sale was for the estate and would not effect the golf club at all.

Hate the new look of the site.

[Emil Weber]

Niall,

I sadly did not get to play Wick but I was also pleasantly surprised by Reay. Some nice views all along (except for those of  the power station  ) and some very good holes: I would name 4,6,7,9,14,16,17 off the top of my head. In my photo tour mentioned by David I pictured and described the course quite in detail, so perhaps that could open up some discussion, also as for the potential of the course.

Did you get as far north-west as Durness? I thought their 9 holer was the ideal holiday course: full of character, fun and amazing scenery. I could have spent weeks there!

Cheers

[Niall C]

Emil,

I read your thread and loved the photos. Reay is a really nice course, not dunesy exactly, but more sort of raised beach land with similar type elevational changes to somewhere like Gullane. Hard to say which were my favourite holes but 16 and 17 were definitely great use of the land.

The only hole I wasn't sure about was the par 5 you describe with the burn/ditch cutting into the fairway 50 to 100 yards short of the green. It was a great drive but not sure about the approach.

Durness - yes, stopped off and played there. Clearly with the restrictions placed upon them eg. budget, SSI constraints etc, they did minimal earth moving other than greens and tees. I just wish they had spent a bit more time on some of the greens as it could really have lifted the course. The restrictions on the routing obviously there was not much they could do about it but still some great golf. Holes 4 and 5 being the best I think. Unfortunately I didn't have enough time to go and explore the land across the bay.

Of the 3 courses though, Wick is probably the one I'd play first if given a choice.

Jim

As much as I enjoyed golf at Wick and Reay, and meeting the locals, it's not really a part of the country to spend a lot of time in. Once you go further west towards Durness and Cape Wrath and then further south it's a lot more interesting.

Niall

[Emil Weber]

Niall,


you are certainly right about the greens at Durness, although I suppose that's an issue with most courses built on a similar scale in terms of budget and "professional" insight. Apart from the greens & surrounds though I did manage to get quite a thrill from nearly every shot on the course - even if most of the holes aren't architecturally sound by most measures. I agree about 4 and 5, I think that 4 would feel very much at home on any links (turf aside). And one cannot ignore the spectacular beauty and thrill of the par 3 9th - again what a great hole it could be if a little more care had been given in building an interesting green. Still Durness has a very special place in my memory, I'd love to go back one day and just play there for a week (50pound for a whole week it was last year) and enjoy what feels like the end of the world (or the British mainland, at least).


Sounds like Wick is really worth seeing, one day then!


Cheers

[James Boon]

Niall,


Its not a bad part of the World for golf is it?! 


I've not played Reay or Wick, though Jon W keeps telling me to go to Wick! Maybe this year, though a member at my club is in Brora same time as me in September so I'm playing a round with him, plus Dornoch, so might be struggling this year...


A few pictures of the delightful Durness and a few others in the vicinity:
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,58483.msg1372394.html#msg1372394


Cheers,


James

[Andrew Simpson]

Nice to hear some positive feedback about the course and you seemed to enjoy it Niall, if you are ever passing again or anyone is I'll happily host. As a member I have a couple of small points to clarify. James the greenkeeper may have been the only one at the time of your visit as the second greenkeeper left in march/april and we have had 2 full time for many years with summer helpers too. We tried to recruit a replacement but ended up taking on a lad as an apprentice.
 Saying his father helps comes over as a bit quaint and sells Ron a little short. He has lived and breathed golf all of his life, been a regular greens convener at the club with many an hour working there before James was born never mind since he returned from Castle Stuart. His day job was as a college lecturer on agricultural studies and since his retirement was in demand for many lectures throughout the UK and Scandinavia. He is now been coaxed into lecturing on Greenkeeping and Golf Management at the Dornoch campus as part of the Highlands University.
 All that said there are issues with what is getting done or rather not and the greens have gone backwards the last 2 years.
 Someone also mentioned somewhere that they were disappointed the course was built on farmland not the links and I can understand why the would say that if they never played here more than 20 years ago. All of the scrub/bents areas where there was also bare sand has become totally overgrown and was completely different when the course was built looking at old B+W photos.
 Here are 2 examples of how it was in the early 19 hundreds and the same views today. It is possible to make out some the features quite easily today on the ground but I'm afraid photos don't pick out them the same.
 The first is looking from behind the 1^st green down the old second (the layout was changed in 2001)

Today, now totaly overgrown

The second is looking at the same area of ground but looking almost in the opposite direction.

again overgrown and fairway/practice ground

[Chris Haspell]

Andrew Any Chance you could post some pics of the shapes on 10/11/12/13/14 around the greens they are standout for me ,and some of the views,  there's room to go closer to the dunes and come a little away from the farm land and we did a layout some years ago for fun to maximize the dunes and the views, but all in all wick is very good , not had the pleasure of Reay yet but we will do before we are much older.


Ron and James are really good guys and good golfers Ron is still Scratch and very steady, James was with me for a few years as he served his time on the tools and has really improved the course the finer grasses are coming into the greens really well and on a very very small budget they do a very credible job.


well worth a trip and for those who know Askernish you will also like Wick . it would be nice to see some of the old blowouts opened up but i understand with the lack of staff why they don't do it. Good post Niall

[Niall C]

Andrew


I didn't realise you lived up in Wick, for some reason I thought you were based in Aberdeen.


Apologies if my remark about being a part of the country to pass through rather than hang about caused offence. What I meant was there wasn't much to keep the tourist hanging about but the golf course is certainly one reason. I think I met James the greenkeeper in passing as he pointed me in the direction of the honesty box as there was no one in the clubhouse when I first arrived. While in paying my green fee I met a member who asked if I wanted a game and it was from him that I got a bit of a chat on the course. That I think sums up the club. Informal and friendly, what more could you ask.


Thank you also for posting those old photos, absolutely fantastic. I'd assumed that those scrub areas were slightly marshy but I assume not from the photos. Have the levels been brought up or is it all just vegetation ?


Chris ( and Andrew)


On the blow outs, how much time effort and money would it cost to clear out those blow outs such that they looked like they do in the old photos, and how much to maintain them like that ?


Niall

[Andrew Simpson]

Hi Nial, absolutely no offence taken I just wanted to clarify the situation. The levels have been smoothed out by the wind no doubt over time but it is mainly overgrown though there are still good features there.
 The blowouts and the state of the overgrown areas are probably a result of us stopping sheep grazing on the course over the winter when we thought it was a good idea to buy the grazing rights in the late 80s. With hindsight we probably should have put electric fences up round the greens as in Brora but as one of the farmers who had the rights had been putting too many sheep on and was threatening to put more on in future years, so when we were asked by the estate if we were interested in the rights, it seemed like a no brainer.
 Many a time I've played with a visitor or 2, perhaps that's why they don't stay :-)Hi Chris, I have a few where you mention but will get a few more targeted at those areas. I've pictured a few holes by the dunes out by 10-12 too and I think as far back as 1970 it was mentioned to route the 13th left along the dunes rather than right of where it goes. As you were probably told by Ron the 16th fairway was completely overgrown rough in 2000 until the course was rerouted.
 For me the new routing on 15,16,17 are too much the same (as much as I like 15) where the old layout offered 3 totally individual holes. 15 was a short 300Y par 4 that ran right beside the dunes that resulted in many a lost ball when chasing a birdie. 16 was a 190+ par 3 played to the current 15th green. And 17 was a 550 Yarder that was 3 shots to get there every day. 

[Niall C]

Andrew


Re Old 16th to raised green, I think I played that hole. The old tee is still to the right of the now 15th fairway I think and I couldn't help tee up a ball and have a go. A fantastic golf hole. At the risk of over-hyping it, I imagine it must have been one of the best par 3's in the north of Scotland. A fantastic green complex which is still fantastic played from varying distances and at a slightly different angle but I can only imagine how good it must have been in the old days knowing this par 3 was coming up near the end of the round.


Niall

[Andrew Simpson]

Andrew


Re Old 16th to raised green, I think I played that hole. The old tee is still to the right of the now 15th fairway I think and I couldn't help tee up a ball and have a go. A fantastic golf hole. At the risk of over-hyping it, I imagine it must have been one of the best par 3's in the north of Scotland. A fantastic green complex which is still fantastic played from varying distances and at a slightly different angle but I can only imagine how good it must have been in the old days knowing this par 3 was coming up near the end of the round.


Niall

That's the very hole.
It was always a welcome 3 as even the front pin was on top of a narrow shelf on the left, which was never easy.
I always rated it a a good tough but fair hole that took something special to beat it. Though many a day into the wind when I realised the 1 iron or 3 wood wasn't enough club, I might not have been thinking that!

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