Course History

Brora Golf Club, a historic links course in the Scottish Highlands, offers stunning coastal views and a challenging but fun James Braid design. Established in 1891, the course features rolling fairways, undulating greens, and strategically placed bunkers. Highlights include: * Breathtaking scenery along the North Sea coastline. * Classic links terrain with gorse, juniper, and thyme. * Ranked among the top courses in Scotland. * Relaxed atmosphere and warm welcome. Brora is a true links gem, perfect for those seeking a traditional golfing experience in a beautiful setting."

On the 2nd, November 1891 Brora Golf Club was born.

a Public Meeting was held in the Upper Room of the Library Institute, for the formation of a golf club. After the chairman having stated the object of the meeting, and the matter having been fully discussed it was unanimously agreed to form the club known to all as Brora Golf Club. The membership fee was set at the modest amount of Two Shillings and Sixpence per annum. to this day. It remains a fair and challenging test of true links golf.

(Extract, GOLF AT THE BACK OF BEYOND by HUGH BAILLIE)

Brora was originally 9 holes until around 1900, when it was extended to 18 holes. In 1923 James Braid, five times Open Champion and a prolific designer of golf courses, was invited to visit by the club committee. This he did in 1924 and for the princely sum of £25 plus travelling expenses, submitted plans for a redesigned 18- hole layout. This was implemented as he suggested and remains mostly unchanged.

Given 194 acres of Scottish links land to work on what in 1923 was entitled “Braid’s Plan” is hardly altered since. Here the visitor will enjoy the mixture of bent grass and beach sand, burn water and gorse in glorious yellow May bloom. There is even a railway which comes into play from the tenth tee.. Many say that Brora is ‘where the mountains meet the sea.”

Except for the short sixth (Witch) the outward nine holes follow the contour of Kintradwell Bay in the foreground, with a backdrop of the Sutherland foothills from Ben Bhraggie to the west, away to the Ord of Caithness in the northeast

The inward nine holes follow the fence line of the bordering croft land, with out-of-bounds to concentrate the mind. Of the two short holes, the delightful 13th, Snake, winds back toward the Sea, whilst the 18 contains all the concerns of protecting a score against a bunkered green a 200-yard carry away, and under the scrutiny of the clubhouse windows.

James Braid (6 February 1870-27 November 1950) was a Scottish professional golfer, winner of 5 Opens and 4 Matchplay Championships, and a member of the Great Triumvirate with Harry Vardon and JH Taylor. He was also the first Chairman of the Professional Golfers’ Association. Even while he was winning golf tournaments, Braid turned his talents to golf course design. He originated classics such as Gleneagles and Royal Musselburgh, as well as scores of other gems such as Brora, Neath and North Hants. Others he extended or revised such as St. Enodoc, Fortrose & Rosemarkie and Carnoustie. Braid is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The Association of James Braid courses has over 300 member clubs, mostly in the British Isles. There is 101 James Braid designed courses in Scotland and 7 in the Highlands.

Course Review:

We arrived up North to the Highlands—as Chris McBride the famous Last Caddie calls it “where the polar bears gather firewood.” It was a late Tuesday afternoon, and we had trained from Ayr to Glasgow, to Tain where Scooter had reserved a ride our base camp, The Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch. A quick turnaround check-in and drop off bags and we were on our way to the 3:30pm tee time at Brora—all of 30-minutes farther North.

To say that we had a warm welcome at the wonderful pro shop at Brora Golf Club would be quite an understatement. Malcolm Murray, the Head Professional, welcomed us with open arms, and a lengthy conversation ensued.

“Welcome to our club, we have been waiting for you…tell me about your trip so far?” Malcom said with a beaming smile.

We proceeded to go over our three days in Kintyre/Machrihanish, and subsequent escapades in Ayrshire at Western, Prestwick, and Royal Troon.

“Wow, you guys are knocking it out the park so far! Well, now you are in the Highlands, and a special round of golf awaits you. How about we start you out with a dram of Whisky? He said, handing us a couple airline-sized bottles of private-labeled single malt from a distillery just down the road. To this day we are still trying to figure out the Whisky behind the private-label. Clynelish? Glenmorangie? Old Pulteney? I think a return trip might be in order to help our research.

We toasted, laughed, bought some gear and he sent us out with these words of wisdom.

“Do not mind the electric fences on the greens, they work well with the sheep and cattle. Last sighting of the sheep was on the back nine, say hello, but they are not that friendly.” And he continued, “It is a great walk, and beautiful views. Please enjoy. Off the 1st tee, the green is down to the right, not the one you see left in front of you—that is #17.”

Brora truly is “where the hill mountains the sea.” Such a different vibe than any of the courses we had played in our first two legs of the trip. A big part of that is the Highlands. The 360° views were impeccable from every single tee box. Brora resides on a special piece of land, and it routes along a beautiful wide beach—I wish we would have had time to walk it and run with the local dogs.

It is a classic out/in links course and is a par-70, with only two par fives. Two of the par-3’s, #6 Witch, and #13 Snake are the only holes that run perpendicular to the Sea, and interestingly they amongst my favorites on the course. The other, the par-5 11th Achrimsdale Burn, at 490 yards, with its namesake dissecting the fairway early on, and winding out to the North Sea.

We followed Malcom’s lead and found the 1st green, downhill right, tucked into a dune. It was a short 280-yards, and one of the most interesting green complexes on the front nine. I wound up in the hallow, short and left. You must tell yourself that you must hug the right side all the way down. The open fairway baits you into bailing left, thus making the hole longer and down in a hollow short of the green.

Numbers two through five finish off the opening stretch of par-4’s all varying lengths, with rumpled fairways, and not too many penal bunkers. The prevailing wind is against you the whole way out (from the North) and at your back when you make the turn inward on #10. One of the defenses of the course is the small greens, not always easy to hit on a typical windy day. Number 5, Burn, stuck out in my mind. A great test along the Sea, at 418 from the green (middle) tees. The burn comes into play 260 yards from the tee, thus giving you the decision. If you play short, which I did, you face a long approach into a tiny green, amazingly with no bunkers!

This would be where I saw my first ball retrievers flanking a burn in Scotland. Leave it to the Scots, why would anyone want to lose a golf ball in a four-foot-wide burn? Brilliant!

Number 6, Witch, that I mentioned earlier is a par-3 at 164 yards, running perpendicular to the Sea, inward. It is tricky in a cross-wind, with a mini-amphitheater green complex, fronted by the only three pot-bunkers, and grass swales surround the right, rear and left. Your best miss is long. Both Scooter and I managed pars, his an up and down.

The front nine finishes off with #8 the sole par-5, Long, at 501 yards, with a wonderful, rumpled fairway and ledge-like green that drops off to the left to the only pot bunker. Lastly, #9 Sea View, a par-4 aptly named with its green complex almost falling into the beach with a gorgeous view of the Mountains dropping into the Sea.

Following my tradition of picking my favorite stretch of holes on a links course, it must be these holes five through nine—I am a sucker for seaside holes. They play tough into the prevailing wind, include my favorite par-3, Witch, and finishes with a tough test into the wind and beach at the Sea Hole. If you can make it through this stretch with no doubles and a few pars, you have built some good momentum for the back nine.

Although my favorite stretch is the last five holes on the front, the back nine has some great, memorable holes. It is also the views that define the back. The North Sea on your left as you head in, it looks as though you are playing through a giant meadow, up and down, wind at your back.

I loved #11, the par-5 Achrimsdale Burn, at 491 yards, playing downhill to a very undulated green. Snake, the short, 108-yard par-3 13th, and Trap, the par-4 14that 305 yards is a lot of fun. Then you come to 15/16, Sahara and Plateau both along the inward edge of the course, and highest point. It was as if we were coming up on the 15th green and teeing off on Plateau that we came upon the sheep. One, a rather large, black-socked guy that stared us down as we approached out tee balls. Fun, unique and something you will only rarely experience on a golf course—only in Scotland!

You finish on a par-3, Home Hole (which is unique) at 190-201 yards, which plays uphill, and longer than the scorecard. The green is very undulating, and large —my favorite one on the course—with bunkers front and right, and side right. Oh, and you have an invisible gallery up behind the green in the clubhouse dining room/pub.

As we approached the 19th hole, Scooter and I talked about our first Highland golf experience. If we were no

t hungry and tired from the long day of travel, we could have headed back out for another eighteen holes. It was a fast round, right at a little shy of three hours, and a great walk. We hit the 19th hole upstairs and soaked in the beautiful view of numbers 18 and 1 and the North Sea beyond.

Fun to play is a term that might be overused, but not in Brora’s case. It is super-fun, like Machrihanish and Cruden Bay, you get the overwhelming joyous feel in your soul. It is a great walk, and one that I could do every day. A true, old-school experience.

Another intangible that adds to the experience is how welcoming the staff is. They genuinely enjoy having you there to experience their little corner of the World. Please do it at least once in your golfing life—you will not regret it. My only regret? I wish we would have played it a couple more times over two days. Certainly, next time!

Course Rating: A resounding EAGLE!