Nairn Dunbar Golf Club was founded in 1899, after Sir Alexander Dunbar of Boath donated 60 acres of land so that, in his words, «the working men and women of the town could enjoy the Royal and Ancient game». The first shot was struck on 24 May that year – Queen Victoria’s 80th birthday – by Dunbar himself, at his mother’s urging. What started as a 9-hole course was extended to 18 in the 1920s, and the stretch of holes around the turn, the 9th, 10th and 11th, only took their current shape in a 1994 overhaul that added them on newly acquired land at the eastern end of the course. Today the Championship Links plays to a par of 72 over 6,765 yards. The club counts European and PGA Tour winner Russell Knox, a former junior member, among its home-grown talents.
Compared to Nairn’s other course, Nairn Dunbar is the one of lesser fame but still well worth the visit. I especially liked the holes around the turn. 7,8,9,10 and 11 are all beautiful and worth the green fee alone. So if you plan to play Castle Stuart or the Nairn Golf Club, have a look at Nairn Dunbar as well. It is worth it.
