A Sunday drive up A9 took us around Inverness and up into the true Scottish Highlands to an obscure course called Brora (circa 1891) designed by the storied Scottish golfer James Braid.  This is a classic links stretching 9 holes out the strand and 9 holes back in.   The naked exposure to the coastline means you get maximum wind effect in nine hole increments.

Batten down the hatches-tattered flag tells you all you need to know about what is ahead

Set against the water and mountains brings back memories of County Sligo and Ben Bulben in Ireland

Headstones tell the story on every tee

Very unusual levered ball washer keeps the Titleist tidy white

Electric fences surround every green to ward off the wandering lawn mowers

This provides the juice…..hands off!

We are talking beef lawn mowers with serious appetites

They even have a cow short game area adjacent to the first tee

And then there are the bahhing sheeps-three bahs is a 3-flap wind

The holes are spendific stretching out on dunes terrain

Par 3 sixth looks like a Skee-Ball lane

The number 5 hole is a serious playing impediment

Plateau….the 16th…requires sherpa help to ascend to the putting surface

The 18th green complex can get you coming and going

Sipping a cold one in the bar with a perch view overlooking the march up the last.

(Click here to follow our trail to Day 3 at Royal Dornoch Golf Club)

For more detail click to see the Brora Golf Club Review

July, 2013