Brora is a traditional seaside links in the Scottish Highlands, established in 1891 and shaped into its current form by five-time Open Champion James Braid during his 1923 redesign. Braid's fingerprints are all over the Highlands and the East Coast, and Brora is one of those courses that still feels proudly old-school in the best possible way.
It's also got some huge names amongst its fans. Tom Watson called it "a wonderful links course...I'd like to challenge it again", while five-time Open Champion Peter Thomson said "one of my favourite links is Brora on the Mory Firth...I pray it will continue and last as long as the world."
Out on the coast, you'll find firm fairways, deep pot bunkers and rough that's more than happy to grab a slightly lazy tee shot. The wind is a constant companion, the ground game is your friend and the greens reward a precise approach rather than brute force. If you like thinking your way round a links, you'll be in your element here.
The layout runs along the Moray Firth coastline, exposed to the elements and built on classic linksland that rolls, rumples and shifts underfoot. Expect gorse-lined rough and greens that demand precision with your approach play. This is proper links golf, the kind where you shape shots, use the ground and work your way around rather than simply overpowering the course.
If you're putting together a Highland itinerary, Brora is an easy inclusion alongside other classics in the north. Right, let's talk about who this suits.
Who is this for? Golfers who want a proper, traditional Highland links with real history, coastal scenery and a layout that rewards imagination in the wind.
Who is it best for? Links lovers building a north Highlands golf tour, confident ball-strikers who enjoy the ground game and groups who'd rather play a characterful classic than a polished resort round. It's also a shout for anyone chasing one of the finest links courses in the Scottish Highlands, far from the crowds.
