XXIII: Nairn
Although there is a time and place for the sheer beauty, world-beating layout and elements of luxury at Castle Stuart and I firmly believe it is a course which travellers should go out of their way to experience, it is by no means a reflection of Scotland’s rich scene of club golf – the pulse of the game. Straddling the Moray Firth’s Southern shores 15 minutes down the road, flooded with history and championship pedigree, there are few finer examples of a local club than Nairn.
Pulling into Nairn’s carpark brought with it a quintessentially Scottish welcome. Within arms reach of the Firth, the deafening crashing of waves and howling wind off the sea chaperoned us along one of the most spectacular strolls to a first tee I have ever encountered – a memorable welcome handshake and a moment so rich that I envy those who take it on a weekly basis.
The first tee brings players straight into the thick of it!
No nonsense, honest and pure links golf is pushed to the forefront at Nairn and they make that obvious straight off the bat. In many ways the opening pair of holes are akin to those of Royal Troon, straight away tests of execution and the art of wind management and bunker avoidance. The opening two tee balls have a 25-30 yard chute to thread pairs of fairway bunkers – a fairly early indication of the questions asked throughout the round and the spirit of Nairn Golf Club.
For seven straight holes out of the gate, the edges of the fairways collide with the rocks and the sea – raw, exposed and everything that makes links golf so alluring. During this gorgeous stretch of holes, the sea is seen, heard and felt as heavily as anywhere – the unadulterated joys and tribulations of links golf with nowhere to hide nor an easy way out.
The wonderful par three fourth
In the midst of Nairn’s staunch seaside tussle, there is a small corner of quirk in the routing at the third, fourth and fifth. Following a pair of flatter, straight holes, the third fairway rumbles and bumbles as it doglegs left with a ridge slicing through its heart, partially obscuring its tricky green. The shape of the third doglegging from the sea manufactures just enough room to squeeze in a thrilling ocean facing one-shotter – one of two holes on the front side which flips directions. The cheap and cheerful par three tips out at 160 yards, into a semi-blind 40 yard long boomerang shaped bowl of a green which is partially obscured by a large bunker at the front left. Truly a work of art and one of the more unique green complexes going around. A relic of the game gone by and a health and safety worker’s nightmare, the fifth tee shot plays straight over the heart of the fourth green along the coastline, spitting us out back into the bunker laden game of chess.
The 5th tee heading straight back over the 4th
Strategically and visually, Nairn’s bunkering deserves a special mention. Nairn employ a rarely seen delineation in bunker style between the fairways – larger rough edged and for the most part shallower, and greenside – traditional revetted pot bunkers. This variety of hazards allows a greater range of shots to be played from the fairway traps to promote recovery and playability, whilst still employing the penal test around the greens. Strategically the fairway bunkers pose plenty of questions off the tee and outside the first couple, avoid symmetry making for plenty of options and yardage book maths from the box.
A show of Nairn's bifurcation of bunker styles
I held a particular affinity for the two favourable half-par holes at the driveable 8th and 15th . Both holes offer opportunities to score, but their challenge is driven by their green complexes and surrounds. The 8th fairway is partially blind off the tee, kicking everything left – by the time you reach your ball left of the green it’s too late, a treacherous recovery shot to navigate the drop-off awaits.
The land short of the 15th green is as rumpled and random as any part of Nairn’s property, meaning any successful attempt at driving the green requires a good dose of luck, with the less fortunate left a fiddly flick through the ripples and false front. Two doses of excitement with a range of possibilities which are delivered at perfect points in the round following tough stretches.
The heavily guarded 16th green
For the most part of the round, Nairn traverses gentle rolling terrain and holes which are a fine test of links golf, however there is an inflection point halfway through the back side where the golf takes a detour. Diving away from the sea and through a section of woodlands the 13th and 14th navigate a large hill and make up the most formidable duo on the course – offsetting the eighth and sixteenth with two half-par holes which hurt. 13 scales up the hillside, its surface perched a good 20 feet above the fairway and rejecting anything short back to your feet.
The downhill 14th stretches over 200 yards and its shallow Biarritz style green likely sees more fives than threes, particularly with the pin on the back shelf. It could be said that these two holes are out of keeping with the rest of the layout, but I found them to be a decidedly interesting diversion.
Par threes don't get much tougher than the 14th
Nairn closes out in a similar fashion to its opening, a trio of precise execution tests in avoiding bunkers, gorse and heather to hold on to any semblance of a decent round. Nairn’s layout is a subtle and thorough examination of your game, particularly off the tee and around the greens. In a heaving crosswind its tight fairways play half their width and expose any shortcomings off the face. The club’s storied championship history is no mystery and much of the course aligns favourably with the ethos of those on the Open Championship Rota.
Nairn is a club that tugs on the heartstrings and I left with a distinctly favourable aftertaste and a feeling that it may well be the ideal members club. A compelling layout brimming with character, challenge, variety, a handful of top shelf holes amongst a gorgeous natural setting and a membership which made us feel at home from the get go. Nairn is a special place.
Places like Nairn just feel right