Golspie Golf Club was founded in 1889 as a nine-hole course; by 1905 it had been extended to a full 18, officially opened by the Duchess of Sutherland. James Braid was invited to submit a new masterplan in 1925, and his reshaping of the course – centred on holes 14, 15 and 16 – was completed in 1926, a milestone the club marked with a Centenary Festival of Golf in September 2026. The par-70 course, running to just over 6,000 yards, moves through four distinct types of terrain in one round: meadowland at the start, links along the Dornoch Firth, heathland around the turn at Ferry Wood, and parkland on the way home. One old-fashioned quirk survives from an earlier era of course design: holes 16 and 17, «Cairngorms» (175 yards) and «Sahara Back» (211 yards), are played back-to-back as par 3s, in opposite directions.
In addition to the unusual combination of fairways, I actually preferred the heathland holes — the ones that led away from the coast and into the countryside. I find heather to be visually appealing, if not more so, than gorse. Balls disappear quickly there, too, but at least it doesn’t hurt. Anyone visiting the region should definitely stop in Golspie.
