The Missing Links: 2013

Friday 31 May 2013

Nairn Championship Course, Scotland

http://www.nairngolfclub.co.uk/

White tees par 71, SSS73, 6441 yards
Red tees par 75, SSS 75, 5735 yards

Nairn opened in 1887 and since then has had input from four legends of golf design - Archie Simpson, old Tom Morris, James Braid and Ben Sayers. It remains essentially the same as then barring some lengthening for the Walker Cup matches in 1999 when the Great Britain and Ireland team including Luke Donald, Simon Dyson and Paul Casey prevailed by 15 points to 9. Nairn was also kind to the Great Britain and Ireland Curtis Cup team, including a 16 year old Charley Hull, in 2012 when they won 10.5 to 9.5. This win ensured that Great Britain and Ireland held the Walker, Curtis, Ryder and Solheim Cups simultaneously for the first time ever.

The 1st is a gentle opening hole

This is a classic links course running along the beautiful Moray Firth in the north-east of Scotland. The first seven holes run alongside the water with views across to the Black Isle. The first is a benign starting hole with a fairly wide fairway although usually played into the prevailing westerly wind as are six of the first seven holes. Clever bunker positioning enhances the 2nd, 3rd,5th and seventh holes and the par 3 4th and 6th holes test accurate club selection and shot execution. The 8th and 9th look deceptively simple par 4s but the upturned saucer of a green at the 8th and the left to right sloping green at the 9th guarded by bunkers and gorse will test the best approach shots and putts. An interesting feature of the course is the fisherman's bothy and ice house at the turn which was built in 1877 and housed around 5000 salmon per season. The bothy is now a halfway house where the golfer can catch breath before embarking on the second nine.

The seventh green

The theme continues with lovely links holes, cleverly placed bunkers and tricky but excellent greens in the second nine. The two par 3s, the 11th and 14th are particularly good. At the 11th an accurate shot is required to avoid the six bunkers guarding the front of the green which nestles in a slight hollow. The 14th is a long par 3 guarded by a bunkers front, right and left where keeping the ball below the pin is crucial. However a short shot will roll off the front of the green and make a par difficult. Do not be distracted by the magnificent views from the elevated tee! The 15th also plays towards the Moray Firth and is a short par 4 and birdie opportunity provided the swale at the front of the green can be successfully negotiated. The golfer then turns for home but there is little respite. The 16th and 17th greens are guarded by a ditch and burn respectively which will punish an indifferent approach shot. The 18th is lined by out of bounds, bunkers and gorse bushes but as with most of this course will reward straight hitting.

There are sea views at every hole.
From the 8th green the Black Isle is on the horizon

Worth a visit? Definitely - a lovely classic links course with views of the sea from all the holes. A great test of golf.

The old icehouse has an insulating turf roof

The Links Project

There are 246 true links golf courses in the world and this blog is a record of our attempt to play all of them. My husband Ron and I are keen golfers and I came up with the idea of this project after he gave me the book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell 'True Links' which lists them all.

The commonest question we are asked about our project is 'How do you define a true links course?' This will be debated by aficionados for long after we have (hopefully) completed our quest and there will never be a correct answer. The strict definition is from the British Golf Museum:

1. The course must be beside a river estuary

2. It must offer partial or occasional views of the sea

3. It must have few trees

4. It must have numerous bunkers

5. It must have nines that run out and back, the front heading to a far point and the back returning to the clubhouse

Peper and Campbell defined their list as follows:

Terrain - how close is the course to the sea? Do the fairways run fast and hard? Do the greens favour a run-on approach? How open is the site? How natural? Is there a freedom from trees? Is the invasion of gorse and brush controlled? How light is the environmental footprint on the land?

Turf - is there a sand base? What grasses are dominant on the fairways and greens? Is the rough managed ( creating biodiversity for flora and fauna)? How well does the course drain?

Weather - how exposed is the site to the elements? What are the typical wind conditions? Does the course play hard and fast all year round? Must temporary greens and tees be used in winter? Is the course susceptible to winter closure?

Peper and Campbell included courses which supplied the correct answers to most of these questions. But however defined, to me the poem by Sir John Betjeman encapsulates the feeling of links golf.