Brora


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LINKS LITE...
Great links golf
for the
not-so-great golfer

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.

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.


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.


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.


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!)
Be thankful for the cows. They help to keep the rough short. The electric wire around the green does not interfere with play.


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.


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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

A restaurant The High (Main) Street- A9 An old, picturesque church
Pasture overlooking the sea A coffee house 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!