Nairn Dunbar

Nairn Dunbar is one of several glorious golf courses in the Scottish Highlands, but one of very few to have a variety of feels to it.

It begins as a woodland layout, before opening up to offer up a view of gorse and bracken. Then, later on, you find you are playing links golf.

It all started back in 1899, as a 9-hole course, before being extended into the 18 holes we see today in the mid-1920s. The course has played host to several national and regional amateur tournaments throughout its history, showing its class.

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Nairn Dunbar was one of the last golfing venues in the United Kingdom to be founded in the 19th Century. The course was officially opened on May 24, 1899, which just so happened to be the 80th birthday of Queen Victoria.

The name? Taken from Sir Alexander Dunbar of Boath, who gave both his name and 60 acres of land to build this course. He hit the first shot as Queen Victoria was busy celebrating her birthday.

The club has a long heritage of hosting National Championships including the Northern Open, the British Seniors, the Scottish Boys Strokeplay Championship and the Scottish Ladies Junior Open Strokeplay Championship.

Nairn Dunbar is difficult to define; at intervals a traditional Scottish links, but it also offers wonderful woodland holes. The charm of Nairn Dunbar is in its ability to offer classic seaside holes as well as those which play between birches and whins that could be in Perthshire. It is at its best when the gorse is in full bloom in the spring and at that point the bursts of yellow colour allied with the myriad other flora makes this a stunning experience. Nairn Dunbar is in general no pushover – 6,700 yards of honest toil must be covered to defeat this hidden gem of the Highlands.

Nairn Dunbar starts in inland fashion, with the opening holes close to each other. An accurate drive is required off the opening tee box, with fairway bunkers on either side of this 415-yard par 4. The 2nd is much shorter at just 335 yards, making it a good birdie chance early on. The first of the par 3s on the course comes at the 3rd. It is the longest of the quartet at 190 yards, and played to a green shaped like a bike saddle, with the narrow portion at the front before it widens out towards the back. Three bunkers guard the surface. 4 is the last of the holes in the trees before the course widens out, and it is a tricky par 4, one of 440 yards in length. Trees left, gorse and bracken right, an accurate tee shot is a must on this testing hole.

The 5th is six yards longer, and the Stroke Index 1 at Nairn Dunbar. Trees are not a factor, but that same run of gorse is down the right side, as the hole plays in the opposite direction to the 4th. The trickiest part on 5 is the green, which is long and incredibly narrow. The boundary of the property presents an OOB hazard down the right side on 6, another par 4 of more than 400 yards from the Whites. However, there is space to the left, even with the two fairway bunkers. 7 has a generous fairway to aim for, as trees come back into view down the left side, while the 8th is the shortest hole on the course at 164 yards. A long green, which sits on an angle from the tee, is guarded by four pot bunkers in front, and plenty of roughage behind.

You have to wait until the 9th for the opening par 5 on the layout. At 505 yards, it is reachable in two for the longer hitters, but only if the trees and OOB down the right side can be avoided off the tee. The green sits in the eastern corner of the property, with plenty of trouble around it. 10 is a great par 4. It is 425 yards but plays even longer than that due to the ditch that runs along the left side of the fairway. The tee shot is aimed over that hazard, meaning the safe play is out to the right, which makes the hole longer. The 11th, Bents, is a wonderful short hole in amongst the sandscapes of this section of the course and it is followed by the 12th, which features four small pot bunkers down the left side of the fairway.

13 is the longest hole on the course at 525 yards, and a burn running diagonally across the fairway (from short left to long right) will give you a decision to make for your tee shot. Lay up behind it and play the 13th as a three-shotter, or try and nail your tee shot past it and go for it in two? You tee off over the same burn on 14, but it is not a factor, Instead, the trees on the left are the danger, but at just 345 yards, driver might not be necessary on this medium-length par 4. The 15th is the last of the short holes at Nairn Dunbar, and played alongside the holiday homes on your right. The green is guarded by five pot bunkers, which form a horseshoe barrier around the front of the putting surface.

A Carnoustie-like burn which makes the shortish par 5 16th a serious test – cutting across the fairway in the landing zone of your tee shot, like on 13. The penultimate hole, albeit a par 4, also features the same problem, as this pesky burn continues to try to wreck any sort of good score you might have going up to this point. The 18th is no pushover either; at 499 yards off the back tees, it requires two big hits to reach the elevated green under the nose of the clubhouse.

Where is Nairn Dunbar located?

Nairn Dunbar Golf Club is situated in the Scottish Highlands, just to the east of the town of Nairn. The course runs along the coastline of Scotland, looking out over East Nairn Beach to the North Sea. The city of Inverness is 15 miles to the west of the golf club. The A96, which runs from Inverness in the west to Aberdeen in the southeast, also runs directly south of Nairn Dunbar Golf Club.

The town of Nairn has its own train station, with services running between Aberdeen and Inverness on a regular basis. The station is just a mile from the entrance to the golf club. Inverness Airport is only ten miles away from Nairn Dunbar, while Aberdeen Dyce Airport is 80 miles to the southeast, along the A96. Edinburgh and Glasgow Airports, the two busiest airports north of the border, are between 160 and 180 miles to the south of Nairn Dunbar.

Are there any other NCG Top 100s: Scotland venues nearby?

Thanks to being in the same town, Nairn Golf Club is less than a couple of miles from Nairn Dunbar. Cabot Highlands is within ten miles to the west, with Elgin and Moray (with its Old and New Courses) around 25 miles to the east. Grantown-on-Spey, Boat of Garten and Spey Valley are also within 30 miles to the south.

What golf facilities does Nairn Dunbar offer?

Along with the glorious coastline course Nairn Dunbar also has some great practice facilities to offer both its members and guests. There is a driving range which sits at the side of the 16th hole, to the north of the property. On the same piece of land, there is also a short game area with a green and three bunkers to practice from. A large putting green sits in front of the clubhouse, next to the 1st tee, along with two hitting nets as well.

What are the green fees at Nairn Dunbar?

The price of a green fee at Nairn Dunbar changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend.

For more information on current green fees at Nairn Dunbar, visit their website here.