Destination Golf - March 2016 Destination Golf - March 2016 | Page 45

This is the starting point for the region’s serious golf courses, stretching
60 miles north. Tain, Royal Dornoch, The Carnegie Club, Golspie and
Brora make up a menagerie of magical links. But there is a heathland
course nearby, which should not be ignored.
Fifteen miles west of Fortrose is the Muir of Ord Golf Club [www.
muirofordgolfclub.co.uk]. It was laid out by the great James Braid, in 1875.
I became a big fan of Braid’s work on this trip and he is responsible for
five of the courses on the NC500 route. Fortrose is one and Brora another.
He embraced the joys of deceiving golfers and making them think,
especially when approaching greens. Muir of Ord is but one example.
I would be lying if I said this was the only reason for my detour: this was
to be the first of my three whisky tours. The nearby Glen Ord Distillery
[www.discovering-distilleries.com/glenord/] produces the Singleton
Single Malt, but much of their whisky now ends up under the Johnny
Walker label, destined for Japan. There is no shortage of distilleries in
the Highlands, as almost every town has one. They’re as frequent as
the tourist ‘discovery’ centres that so successfully explain the area’s rich
history and culture.
Some towns, such as Tain, even boast two distilleries, but I wanted a
taste of Tain Golf Club [www.tain-golfclub.co.uk] first. 2015 was its 125th
anniversary and a wooden carving of its designer, Old Tom Morris, greets
you as you drive in. The links stretches over beautifully bumpy linksland,
with holes shepherded by broom and gorse. Several of these enjoy a
surprisingly tranquil isolation and Old Tom’s ‘Northern Jewel’ remains an
enigmatic addition to any golfing itinerary.
Tain is renowned for its Glenmorangie Distillery, but it was the nearby
Balblair Distillery [www.balblair.com] that drew my attention. It is a
smaller, more personal affair and Gabrielle, our guide, gave us a tour of
the oldest distillery in Scotland. It dates back to 1715. We finished up in
one of the dark, low warehouses where the whisky is stored. It was in this
same warehouse where Ken Loach filmed scenes for The Angels’ Share,
in 2012.
I was out early at Royal Dornoch [www.royaldornoch.com] the following
day. There was no one behind me so I was able to lap up every inch
of a course dating back 400 years. It is widely regarded as one of the
greatest courses in the world, often described by golfers as ‘magical’.
I was certainly cast under its spell from the moment I arrived. Royal
Royal Dornoch GC

Volume 3 • Issue 32

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