Nigg It Is!

[David_Tepper]

A new golf course development in the Scottish Highlands is being proposed by landowner Robert Mackenzie at Nigg, by the mouth of the Cromarty Firth. This is off the A9 highway, about 2/3's of the way from Inverness to Dornoch.

https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/new-links-course-planned-for-scottish-highlands


https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/world-class-golf-course-vision-revealed-for-easter-ross-233085/

The course will be built over the site of the old Castlecraig course:

https://www.forgottengreens.com/forgotten-greens/ross-cromarty-aultbea/castlecraig-nigg/

 

[Steve Wilson]

That is interesting news.  I have ran across reference to the course that was there prior to WWI.  My understanding is that after The Great War there were insufficient people in the locale either maintain the demand or for play or perhaps to even maintain the course.  Some of the land forms (I think) are still discernible there. 

[Thomas Dai]

The Nigg site has been mentioned a few times herein before including this thread from 2014 -https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59561.msg1403010.html#msg1403010
Interesting link within the thread including the photo below.
John W wrote about the site on a few other threads as well and last Jan there were comments from a poster herein following a site visit.
atb


Below - a 1930's aerial showing the location at top-left (per Britain from Above).


Below - over the past few decades a few other things have changed nearby.

[Adam Lawrence]

That is interesting news.  I have ran across reference to the course that was there prior to WWI.  My understanding is that after The Great War there were insufficient people in the locale either maintain the demand or for play or perhaps to even maintain the course.  Some of the land forms (I think) are still discernible there.

I understand that it was actually quite active until WW2, during which several holes were lost.

[Steve Wilson]

Adam,


Yes you are quite correct.


 I guess should have taken the time to read all of the articles David had linked to rather than rushing out of the house to get my
rehab this morning.  It's always fun to speculate in the absence of evidence especially as it rarely comes back to bite quite so quick. 


I will stand by assertion that I think some of the landforms are still discernible as you drive through there.  I've taken the ferry from Nigg to Cromarty and vice versa a few times during my rambles through the Highlands.

[Mark Mammel]

David-Very interesting! Do we know about Mr McHardy, mentioned as laying out the 18 at Nigg? And who is the architect for the new project?

[David_Tepper]

Mark M. -

This is a post from Steve Shaffer on page 43 of the now 45-page long-running thread on Coul Links:

Robert J Vasilak
@RJVasilakGolf

More from M-Keiser: He's all but given up on Coul Links, but he’s negotiating to build an 18-h, Coore & Crenshaw track, supported by a no-frills clubhouse, on property south of Dornoch. “I’m hopeful about it,” he said. “The landowner is eager to do a Bandon-type project.”                                                   
It certainly seems possible the Nigg property is the one Keiser and C&C are looking at.   DT

[Thomas Dai]

Do we know about Mr McHardy, mentioned as laying out the 18 at Nigg?

See here for details of Alexander McHardy - https://www.forgottengreens.com/alexander-mchardy-who/


Seems like there were two courses - 1 in the dunes by the beach and another 'small' course near the gun battery on the heights at the mouth of the Firth.


For further details of the gun battery(s) see - https://canmore.org.uk/site/75579/north-sutor-coast-battery

Given the various issues and opinions over Coul and Trump-Balmedie I wonder if there'll be an 'Invergordon mutiny' over any development at Nigg?


atb