Golspie Golf Club

Golspie Golf Club is unusual — a James Braid course that genuinely contains three different golfing landscapes. The first three holes are heathland, the middle stretch turns parkland through pine and birch, and the closing five run on traditional links along the shore of the Dornoch Firth. Few courses in Britain change character so completely within an 18-hole loop.

The course was founded 1889 and revised by Braid in 1926. Par is 70 over 6,020 yards. The 6th, an uphill par 4 through the parkland section, is the photographed hole. The 17th and 18th run along the shore with Dunrobin Castle's spires visible in the distance — among the more atmospheric closes in Scottish golf.

Visitor green fees of £45–£55 are reasonable for a course of this character and condition. The clubhouse is friendly and welcoming, food served until 4 pm, beer until later. Pair Golspie with Brora (10 minutes north) and Royal Dornoch (15 minutes south) for a Sutherland weekend — three Braid-revised links within twenty miles, all worth playing.