Nairn Dunbar Golf Course played 3 & 8 September 2020

Below you see a picture of the clubhouse of Nairn Dunbar golf club. And of course taken for the purpose of presenting the club in the best way, it looks like a great place to be. And we can tell you folks: it is a great place. Club house, restaurant, bar, pro-shop, reception worked just fine even in spite of the Corona restrictions

For the first round we got a very late tee time (16.50) and was a little in doubt if we could finish before sunset. But no reason to worry, we finished the round just before 20.00. And interestingly enough; we have until now only had one round taking more than 4 hours (the one at Muirfield) all other rounds have been concluded in less than 3½ hours.

Is this really a links course?

It is a beautiful course and even if they on their web site call it Nairn Dunbar Links, I must admit that, to my knowledge and understanding of the term Links, this is not a links course. To me it is closer to a heath land course.

Real links courses are fashioned out of the sandy, windswept terrain in between the sea and the part of the land where the soil can be used for farming. Further, the links are designed by the nature with few man-made additions.

A heathland course is characteristically an inland dry course usually sandy and undulating with pine trees, gorse and heather.

From the picture you can see that the Dunbar course is more in accordance with the heath land characteristics than with the links.

Nairn Dunbar is a dry course based on sandy soil, though a stream is running through the course. I like the landscape with pine and other kinds of trees, the heather and gorse. It gives variations in the fairway layout and the architect more opportunities for creating a beautiful and exciting golf course.

On the web site “golf-information.info” you can read:

“Heath is defined as ‘a large open area, usually with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation, esp. heather.’ A Heathland course, thus, is a more open, less manicured inland course often featuring gorse and heather and typically less wooded than “parkland” courses.

However, many courses in Britain, for example Sunningdale and Liphook, are referenced to as heathland courses although they have an abundance of trees. The explanation is that neither of those courses had many trees when they were first laid out, but trees have been added later on as part of the strategy of the course or to provide shelter from the wind or the sun.”

I have been so lucky to have played Sunningdale. A fantastic place to play golf and by most “so called” experts regarded as an heath land course and one of the best courses in the world – in my opinion – this Dunbar course is not far behind.

If you like a golf course with more options from the tee and many risk-reward opportunities then this is a course for you.

Hole 18 is a good example.

Here it is not just about course management, but maybe even more about managing yourself. The players you see on the fairway are on their way towards the green. It is a very, very big elevated green, split into two levels and with a sharp slope in the front down towards the fairway. So don’t be short and if you are far from the hole, don’t put too much speed on your putter.

In this case the distance in not the challenge. Whether you chose to go for the green in 2 or 3, you are not having your birdie or par before the putt is in the hole.

The first 2 or 3 hole are a bit – let me say – boring. Open landscape, not any really surprises.

But then it starts.

Hole 5 is a 445y par 4 and when you finally reach the green, don’t think you are safe. This is the longest and narrowest green I have played, and if you go for the middle of the green in your approach don’t be too long (and too long is only 5 meter) to the right. There – wisely enough – the architect have placed a bunker.

The green on hole 6, also a par 4, 389 y, is elevated and sits on a kind of a 3 meter steep wall. Very difficult do get a ball on the green in 2.

Then you get to hole 7, par 4, 384 y, that – contrary to the previous hole – have a green tugged  into the ground like a soup plate. And so I could go on.

After the first round at Nairn Dunbar, we went further up the east of the coast and played (among other Strathlene), which I already have reported on.

But when I started writing about this course, I sorrily regretted that we didn’t play the course twice. And made the decision to go back and do it. And here we are. We finished our second round Tuesday the 8^th.

Coming back, I got the chance to talk to the Pro and asked him about my confusion with the club name: Nairn Dunbar Links.

And, not to my big surprise, he told me that the term links was first added 5-6 years ago. Reason, he suspected: then the course would attract more green fee players, especially Americans.

Things that we have heard before. To attract American players it must be a links course and it must be expensive.

Facts about the course

Because we played the course that late the first time we didn’t get the change explore more about the history of the club. I can tell that it was opened for the public in 1899.

As a point of interest, this was the place where Russell Knox grew up and played his first golf. He is now a honorary member of the club. On their web site you can read:

“Russell has been a massive part of Nairn Dunbar, where he was not only Junior Captain but Junior Club Champion, he then also moved on to be the Club Champion 3 years running.” That I got a picture of.

Course record

Men: Gordon Munroe, November 2013, 63 strokes.

Females: Kelsey MacDonald, May 2016, 67 strokes.

My game

Now I can tell you that if you are a bit confused reading this report from our play at  Nairn Dunbar, then here is this reason.

As said, while writing about the this golf course I got more and more excited about the course and sorry that we didn’t play it twice. That is; Eza didn’t play it the first time she walked and caddied for me.

But some days later we decided to go back to Nairn. So now here is the report from my 2 rounds at Nairn Dunbar Golf Course. Forget the Links . . . .

First round I made an triple and a double on the back nine. Which goes to proof that stableford points can a be misleading figure of the quality of your round.

Did I forget to notice: Course architect James Braid.

Evaluation Nairn Dunbar Golf Course

Your comments, questions and suggestions are welcome