A Journal for the Thrifty Gowfer
Moray
Forres, Moray
Plate II — Parkland course — tree-lined fairways, year-round play
Tree-lined parkland west of Elgin. Good budget Moray town course.
Forres Golf Club is a tree-lined parkland course on the western edge of Forres, a market town 12 miles west of Elgin on the A96 Moray corridor. Founded 1889, the course occupies the natural woodland of the Forres policies — mature beech, oak and sycamore that give the layout a sheltered, intimate quality unusual for this otherwise open stretch of Moray.
Par 70, 6,233 yards. The terrain is more level than Elgin's Hardhillock but more interesting than the flat ground might suggest — the woodland creates natural doglegs and the greens are positioned to require accurate approaches from specific angles. The 7th and 16th are the holes that test handicap most directly; both require committed carries over rough ground.
Green fee is £35–50. Forres is a useful addition to a Moray golf trip that includes Lossiemouth and Nairn Dunbar on the coast — a day inland at Elgin or Forres provides a genuine parkland contrast and lets the legs recover from the exposure of the coastal links. The town has good hotels and the famous Sueno's Stone (a Pictish carved stone of exceptional quality) is worth visiting before or after the round.
The Full Scorecard
Fields marked “Contact club” aren’t public-facing in a way we’ve been able to verify. Call the club directly for these — we’ll update the entry when we have it from source.
Conditions This Week
Scored 0–10 for golf — wind, rain, conditions · Full 7-region forecast →
Location
Forres, Moray · IV36 2RDOpen in OpenStreetMap →
While They Golf
Moray isn't only for the golfers. Walks, drives, distilleries, castles, a long lunch — five picks within thirty minutes of the first tee.
The Moray companion guide →Plan This Round
Where to Stay
Hotels, lodges and self-catering near the first tee. Map-style search via Stay22 covering Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb and Vrbo.
How to Get There
Inverness (INV) is 60 minutes away by car. Train + onward taxi works for the carless visitor.
Insure Your Round
Most home contents policies don't cover golf clubs in transit. The picker matches you to the right kind of cover in two minutes.
Played here? Consider
Picked for parkland rounds in Scotland.
Outerwear
The mid-weight option for parkland — fully waterproof but lighter than the wind-spec links jackets. Packs into a back-pocket pouch when the sun comes out.
Layer
Scotland's premium sportswear name. Cut for a swing rather than a jog; the moisture-wicking suits warmer parkland rounds where the wind isn't doing the work.
Tech
Tree-lined parkland holes are exactly the situation where a rangefinder pays for itself. The V6's slope mode is allowed in any non-tournament round.
Stays Nearby
Hotels, B&Bs and self-catering within easy reach of Forres. Tap any property to check rates.
Rates and availability via Stay22. We may earn a small commission if you book — at no extra cost to you. How affiliate links work.
Frequently Asked
Nearby courses
Aberdeen & Moray golf hub
Browse all Aberdeen & Moray courses →
Royal Aberdeen, Cruden Bay, Trump International — the underrated east-coast links circuit. Plus the Moray clubs at Lossiemouth and Cullen that locals would rather you didn't write about.
While they golf — Cullen
For the non-golfer in Cullen →
Try Cullen Skink at the Three Kings pub, walk the Moray Coast Trail to the Bow Fiddle Rock sea stack at Portknockie, and head to Glenfiddich in Dufftown.
Getting there by train
On TripSCOTAbout 15 minutes by taxi from Forres. Inverness in 45 min; Aberdeen in 1hr 10 by ScotRail.
Read more about Moray
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