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LINKS LITE...
Great links golf
for the
not-so-great golfer
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Brora Golf Club
© 2007, Richard & Mary-Alice Jafolla
For The Golfing Connoisseur
When you drive into the parking lot of Brora
Golf Club and see the simple clubhouse, you
may be tempted not to expect much. But just
get out of the car and give a good look at
the finishing hole, then walk over to the
first and take a gander at that beauty. If you don't feel your pulse rate
increase, better sell your golf clubs
and
take up tennis because it doesn't get
any
better than this.
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| Brora has one of the most enticing finishing
holes and one of the most challenging. A
201 yard par 3, you must make it to the green
or your ball will roll quite a distance down
the hill into a deep collection area. A tough
up-and-down from there. |
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| The fun starts with a shortish par 4 with
a gentle dogleg toward the sea. This veiw
from the first tee doesn't really reveal
the deceptive difficulty of this great golf
course. |
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| Looking back from the first tee. This kind
of scenery surrounds you throughout the round. |
For many years I have admired the writing
of Malcolm Campbell, the former editor of Golf Monthly and author of The Encyclopedia of Golf. He had served for many years on the Golf Magazine committee charged with making the annual
selection of the World's Top 100 Golf
Courses.
I asked Malcolm which of the thousands of
golf courses he has played was his favorite.
He didn't have to think long before saying
with a smile that Brora had a special place
in his heart. He thought it one of the finest
examples of links golf in the world.
James Braid, one of Scotland's (and
the world's)
finest golf architects, designed Brora.
Braid
also designed Carnoustie, the Gleneagles
King's and Queen's courses, and a host
of
other equally famous courses. Brora
is the
headquarters of The James Braid Golfing
Society.
Brora is one of those "sneaky
good"
golf courses. When you play Brora,
the excellence
of the golf course creeps up on you.
After
all, it's only 6,110 yards from the
back
tees. How hard could it be? Plenty,
that's
how hard it can be! Consider this:
There
is only one par 5, so long-hitters
have only
one legitimate opportunity for an eagle--they
can forget about having the usual four
par
5s per round to feast on. And at a
par of
69, the average fairway shot distance
(AFSD) is a respectable 185 yards. That's three
yards per fairway shot more than The
Old
Course at St. Andrews. Wait...there's
more.
Of the thirteen par fours, six of them
are
from 412 yards to 448 yards. Throw
in the
usual gusting winds off Kintradwell
Bay--a
small bay leading into the North Sea--and
you have a real challenge. You could be clubbing up or down
as much as 4 clubs. Lots of luck judging
distance!
Brora is a classic Scottish seaside
links
with an out-and-back layout beginning
with
a relatively easy opening hole--just
to warm
you up and welcome you. Almost every
hole
from 1 thru 9 goes out in a northeast
direction
with the sea constantly on your right.
(Slicers,
beware!) The back nine return in a
southwesterly
direction, finishing with a wonderful
201
yard par 3 that has a bunkered green
just
to keep you honest.
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| The view from the 6th tee affords the golfer
a splendid view.. |
Ronan Rafferty, a member of Brora and also
the James Braid Golfing Society summed
up
this golf course treasure as follows:
"James Braid had the vision to create
something of great beauty--a traditional
links course. That tradition is still alive and
well and growing in stature at Brora.
Here
is unveiled a links where little has changed
since his visit in 1923. The hummocks and
hollows are especially breathtaking as the
sun sets. For the connoisseur, Brora is well
worth the journey."
One bonus in playing Brora is a forgiving
rough. You can thank the cows and sheep
that
populate the links for that. They manage
to keep it under control and will continue
to do so because of ancient grazing
rights
that continue to this day. Because
they roam
freely, each green is wired to keep
them
off. It delivers a gentle jolt to the
touch
but it's easy to step over, however,
and
does not interfere with play. What
happens
if your ball rolls into one of the
"cow
patties?" It's considered "casual
water" and you get a free drop--after
cleaning it, of course. (Then again,
you
may want to leave your ball where it
is and
drop a new one!)
 |
|
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| Be thankful for the cows. They help to keep
the rough short. |
|
The electric wire around the green does not
interfere with play. |
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| A view backwards from the first green showing
the beauty of the surrounding area. |
Like Rodney Dangerfield, Brora Golf Club
"don't get no respect!" If
this
golf course were located in the United
States
there would be hoards of golfers crowding
it daily and the green fees would be
in the
several hundreds of dollars. However,
its
location in the Highlands assures a
more
intimate round of golf with aficionados
who
have made a pilgrimage to this isolated
area
to sample one of James Braid's great
masterpieces.
For challenge and just plain fun, Brora
is
the equal of any golf course I've played.
I urge you to make the trip to this
out-of-the-way
area of the Highlands and experience
it for
yourself.
Golf Nook Rating - an enthusiastic
EAGLE
Scorecard |
Green Fees
- Weekdays - 18 holes, £30 - Day ticket,
£35
- Weekend - 18 holes, £35 - Day ticket, £40
Trolley - £2
Golf buggie - £15
Club rental - £10
Brora Golf Club
Golf Road
Brora, Sutherland
KW9 6QS
e-mail: secretary@broragolf.co.uk
Website: www.broragolf.co.uk
Location -- Golf Road at the north end of
Brora. You'll be on the main street (the
A9 highway) and mmediately after seeing the
clock tower on your left, turn right onto
Golf Road. Follow Golf Road to the golf course
carpark at the seafront.
______________________________________________________________
What To Do All Day
Brora is a small town on the North
Sea, with
one main street that you can walk in
a few
minutes. But take your time, and also
meander
down the side streets--they almost
all lead
down to the sea. It will give you a
sense
of what life is like up here.
To begin your day in Brora, leave the
car
in the golf course carpark and walk
the few
blocks into town.
 |
The ornate clock tower--Brora's major landmark--is at the bend
in the road (the A9) north end of the town
centre, just before you turn for the golf
course. The tower is a war memorial for those
lost in all wars from World War I to the
present. The clock, a good site to fix your
bearings on, chimes every quarter hour.
You'll find a good Co-Op supermarket where you can pick up sandwiches
if you wish to eat lunch in a park, a few
eateries including a very upscale one (see
below), and oh, yes...public toilets are
here (as well as in Golspie and every other
town) and are clearly signposted.
Cunningham's - by the clock tower. Newsagent with alll
sorts of stuff, especially books & info
on the area. |
Some Brora scenes
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| A restaurant |
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The High (Main) Street- A9 |
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An old, picturesque church |
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| Pasture overlooking the sea |
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A coffee house |
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The old Temperance Hall |
"Timespan" -- 11 miles north of Brora in Helmsdale.
Check out their website to see if this interests
you. www.timespan.org.uk. If it does, in addition to the quite dramatic
attraction, you'll enjoy the garden by the
river, the excellent shop with original arts
and crafts and gifts, etc. and the riverside
cafe' with home-baked, fresh dishes made
from local ingredients. Just off the A9,
to the west.
Where To Eat
Capaldi's Ice Cream Shop - south end of town on the high street (A9).
Traditionally made, old-fashioned ice cream.
Bridge Restaurant - Directly across the street from the clock
tower.
The Quiet Piggy -
New menu every day, all food
prepared from
fresh produce. Very upscale eatery
with innovative
cuisine, which is reflected in
the prices.
Very popular so it's necessary
to book in
advance. Easy to find, the restaurant
is
on the A9 (isn't everything in these parts!). It's at the Brora railway
station square...the first driveway on the
right after Golf Road.
Tel/01408 622011
Bon appetit! |
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