Founded in 1887, Nairn Golf Club is now one of Scotland's most respected links courses. It's a proper Highland test on the southern shore of the Moray Firth, just outside Inverness, and the kind of place that reminds you what links golf is supposed to feel like. The Moray Firth sits tight to the opening stretch, water edging the first seven holes, and when the wind picks up off the water you'll feel it. This is links golf in its purest sense, undulating, pitted with bunkers and fast-running across firm turf that rewards the ground game and punishes the wayward.
Often rated among Scotland's leading links and frequently highlighted in UK and Ireland Top 100 rankings, Nairn has welcomed golfers for over a century, offering stunning views across the Moray Firth on each and every hole that make a round here as much a visual experience as a golfing one. The course itself is a true test, and not just because of length. You'll feel the coastal wind here, so club selection is half the battle, and the firm fairways can kick a decent shot into trouble if you're lazy with your line. It's not just brute length either, the bunkering and green sites ask you to think your way round.
The opening stretch plays directly along the shoreline, where the proximity of the Moray Firth adds both beauty and bite, particularly when the breeze is up. From there, the routing moves inland through classic linksland terrain, with elevation changes, strategic bunkering and firm, fast greens that demand precision with approach play and a deft touch around the putting surfaces. If you're mapping out a Highland itinerary, it's a great addition to any golf tour in the Scottish Highlands, offering the kind of authentic links challenge that sits comfortably alongside the region's other celebrated layouts.
Who is this for?
Golfers planning a Highland trip who want a classic links day out near Inverness, with sea views on every hole and a course that feels unapologetically Scottish.
Who is it best for?
Confident ball-strikers and mid to low handicappers who enjoy using the ground, flighting shots in the wind and taking on well-placed bunkers and fast greens.
