To Durness and Back - An NC500 Road Trip - Brora is All That

[Thomas Dai]

After checking out of Churchend Cottage (recommended) we head east with a quick stop at Smoo Cave:


More beauty out the left window:


and the right:


Time doesn't permit a round at Reay Golf Club as profiled on the site by Emil Weber http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,59531.msg1405538.html#msg1405538  and we round off the northeast corner by taking the A9 south out of Thurso.  Regrets include Dunnet Bay Distillery (enjoying the gin this summer, however) and the Duncansby Head stacks and a round at Wick Golf Club, just to reference highly recommended stops.
On to Brora for a late evening round with the course to myself.  Up next.

Would the 2nd and 3rd photos be at Tongue? Drove up to there from Bonar Bridge once, the Lairg road. Pretty bleak and remote. Great in the sun. In the rain, just no visibility at all.


Nice theead. Looking forward to the remainder.


Great part of the world.


Atb

[Andrew Simpson]

Pardon me for jumping in, you are correct it's Tongue 2nd looking across to Melness and the 3rd is Castle Varrich.
2 Gratuitous photos of the Duncansby stacks as the Op missed them
Looking south to the main stacks at sunrise
Duncansby Stacks Sunrise by andrew simpson, on Flickr
Looking North from the same point
Sunrise 2 by andrew simpson, on Flickr

[Mike Hendren]

Thanks Andrew.  I encourage all to add photographs or stops to this thread.  My intent is to provide logistical encouragement and resources for anyone considering visiting The Highlands.  I have fallen madly in love with the region.

Mike

[Matt MacIver]

Thanks Mike - following with keen interest.


What are people's opinion of a Sept-Oct visit?  Could I reasonably expect weather good enough (Scottish weather) to play 18-36/day and see most of the GCA gem Highland courses over a ~week? 

[David_Tepper]

"What are people's opinion of a Sept-Oct visit?  Could I reasonably expect weather good enough (Scottish weather) to play 18-36/day and see most of the GCA gem Highland courses over a ~week?"

Matt McIver -

I have gotten very positive reports from people I know who have visited Dornoch & the Highlands from mid-September to mid-October. The weather can be more than decent and the high season crowds have gone away. So have the midges.

Be aware there are a couple of events/pro-ams that tie up some of the courses for a few days. This year the Highlands Golf Links Pro-Am is being played September 26-27-28 at Royal Dornoch, Nairn & Castle Stuart.

http://www.highlandgolflinks.com/highland-golf-links-pro-am/

Also be aware the day light hours start getting shorter. By mid-October it will be dark by 8:00pm.

DT

 

[Matt MacIver]

Thanks David, good advice and that's about when I might come. But I would need the best three players on the tour to give our foursome any chance of winning some dough.

[Andrew Simpson]

Thanks David, good advice and that's about when I might come. But I would need the best three players on the tour to give our foursome any chance of winning some dough.

I'll echo what DT said and as a local can say your chances with the weather at that time are as good as any summer we get. The courses should also be near their best as the growing season starts later than the south. depending on the courses you try to fit in there should be plenty of time with the only real trek being Durness but 27 in a day there with travel there and back to the east comfortable in a day.

[Jon Wiggett]

Thanks Mike - following with keen interest.


What are people's opinion of a Sept-Oct visit?  Could I reasonably expect weather good enough (Scottish weather) to play 18-36/day and see most of the GCA gem Highland courses over a ~week?

Matt,


the weather is usually relatively stable at that time though anything is possible. As to a week being enough time to see most of the GCA gems in the Highlands the answer is an emphatic no! You won't even scratch the surface. You can of course do the tour of big name courses taking 5 hours plus per round surrounded by american golfers on the tick off tour but this has very little to do with scottish golf. I have sent you a PM.


Jon

[Thomas Dai]

I agree that Oct time can still provide excellent conditions, particularly on free draining links courses, as indeed can the later months of the year and the early months of the next year.


The further you go timewise into the usual off-season though, the greater the chance of a morning frost and some courses won't open with frost on/in the ground. We had 9.30am booked one day in mid-Oct at Dornoch but they wouldn't let us off on the Championship course until the frost had gone, which turned out to be around 11.30am, when course conditions played great. They would let us play the Struie course earlier though.


If it's likely to be a frosty morning I recommend that you don't leave your clubs etc in a car overnight. Cold shafts and cold golf balls don't perform as you'd usually expect them to and wearing golf shoes or clothing that's been in a car overnight isn't the nicest experience.


Atb

[Mike Sweeney]

Fabulous effort, thanks for doing this.

[Niall C]

bump,


Michael


Just to say your thread has cheered up more than just me. More power to you.


All the best


Niall

[Mike Hendren]

Having discovered an open tee sheet on the club’s internet site, with nary a touring bus in site I dropped into the modest golf shop around 5 p.m. and requested to play as a single.  After forking over all of 30 quid I was on the tee in two minutes with an empty  golf course in front of me and the sun breaking through the clouds.  If Royal Dornoch is all that and a bag of chips, Brora is all that, period – it doesn’t need to be more.   What a treat to play this course on the club’s 125th anniversary.   I didn’t take a single photograph and don’t recall pulling out the complimentary yardage book – to borrow from Tom Doak, I just hit the ball and enjoyed the architecture and landscape down by the sea. 

I played the yellow markers, negotiating 5872 yards to a par of 69.  Having grown up on a 9 holer tipping out at 3,000 yards to this day I consider that yardage to be ideal – once again it doesn't need to be more.  Me and the old Moon Bag finished in 2:55 despite hitting a few extra pitches and putts.  Turf was ideal and invited the ground game and the greens rolled true.  The out and back routing is brilliantly interrupted by two short holes, the 6th turned away from the sea and the adjacent 13th turned to it.  The 15th through 17th effect slight triangulation with the out-going holes to change the impact of the wind, which was behind me going out and dead into me heading home. 

A wonderful tour from Philip Gawth:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,39865.0.html

Comments on individual holes to follow, as well as a photograph of my eagle at the 19th.  Brora makes my top ten favorite list.

[David_Tepper]

Mike -

Thanks for the link to Philip's excellent Brora photo tour. It is certainly worth seeing again.

DT

[Niall C]

Mike

Can't help feeling a bit like Oliver Twist asking for some more, but thinking back this was one of the best threads for a while and it would be a great lead in to the BUDA up in Brora/Golspie if you had any more to share on your travels.

Niall

[David_Tepper]

Non-golf ideas for visiting BUDA-ists:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,65828.0.html

[Mike Hendren]

Niall, I guess I'll need to download my pics on flikr and replace the photobucket ones above.  In the meantime, I'll try to pick up where I left off - here's a photo of the outstanding falconry demonstration at Dunrobin Castle.  A must-do experience in the Highlands.



Anybody know how to increase the size of the photo?  Larger size in flickr isn't jpg.


Bogey

[Mike Hendren]

After a late evening round at Brora, I eagle the 19th hole with a generous glass of port at Clynelish Farms B&B - highly recommended and run by a young Aussie couple who also raise sheep and cattle on the farm. Port and Clynelish Whiskey available in the study with an honesty cup for payment - my kind of place.  Victoria had just stepped in after assisting in the delivery of a calf and built the roaring fire you see here.  Mrs. and I witnessed one of the most amazing sights I've ever seen - two young lambs taking turns leaping straight up into the air.

[Bill Gayne]

After a late evening round at Brora, I eagle the 19th hole

That's the look of a scratch 19th hole golfer.

[Garland Bayley]

Niall, I guess I'll need to download my pics on flikr and replace the photobucket ones above.  In the meantime, I'll try to pick up where I left off - here's a photo of the outstanding falconry demonstration at Dunrobin Castle.  A must-do experience in the Highlands.



Anybody know how to increase the size of the photo?  Larger size in flickr isn't jpg.

Bogey

Jim Kennedy was kind enough to send me these instructions.

Click on the photo you want to post - In the lower right hand corner of the page there are 4 icons - Click on the curved arrow that is next to the star - that takes you the 'share photo ' page where you select BBCode - copy the code, paste it, then remove the portions inside the green boxes. Your photo will appear - just remember to use the size that's closest to the 800 wide format. Hope this helps

"Just remember to use the size that's closest to the 800 wide format."

flickr gives you options on the size you want. Go back and select a different size option to get the link to the picture of the proper size.

[Niall C]

Great stuff. I remember once experiencing a bird of prey show while on a trip up to Nairn. I recall I had to put on a sleeve of chain mail with a leather glove over to allow the eagle to perch on my hand. With the weight of the bird I couldn't keep my arm up to horizontal which meant it dropped down and consequently the eagles beak was level and a few inches away from my face. It was actually quite terrifying. Amazing but terrifying.

I think I might prefer to sit back in the 19th hole with a glass in hand. 

Niall

[jeffwarne]

I just hit the ball and enjoyed the architecture and landscape down by the sea. 

a photograph of my eagle at the 19th.


Brora makes my top ten favorite list.

Quoteable gems

[Mike Hendren]

Bumping this for Jim Sherma.  Will work on the pics if you folks want. If nothing else the hot cocoa at Cocoa Mountain in Durness and the birds of prey demonstration at Dunrobin Castle swing the vote.

I apologize for not finishing this thread with accounts of both Royal Dornoch and my excellent host as well as a morning solo at Castle Stuart - one of my absolute favorite moderns.

Bogey

[Mike Hendren]

Bumping this old thread to accompany David’s current thread on golf along the NC 500.  Sorry about the pics.