Located forty-three miles or 1-hour west of Inverness on the outskirts of the town of Lossiemouth, Moray Golf Club was founded in 1889 with the Old Course laid out by Old Tom Morris after that. The early membership at the club was influenced by the local distilleries, notably ‘Glen Grant,’ whose product became the club malt right up to 1992 at which time it switched to ‘Macallan,’ where the current membership enjoys the fruits of some stock laid down at the turn of the millennium.
The Old Course is recognized as one of the most exceptional links golf courses in the whole of Scotland. It’s rolling fairways, deep revetted bunkers and gorse making Moray Golf Club an authentic experience in every sense of the word. There are not many clubs in the world that openly publish the average score per hole for their golf course for fear of making visiting golfers turn on their heels, but Moray does it with pride. The standard scratch of 73, with seven par four holes measuring over 400yards in length, tells a lot. Practically every hole has some boundary of gorse (or whins as the Scots like to call it), to swallow up errant shots, and trust us, you won’t be fighting with it to recover your prized Titleist! The wind is a constant factor coming in off the Moray Firth and is a primary reason for that standard scratch. The putting surfaces at Moray are always pristine and overall maintenance at such a high level that were it not for some necessary logistics, it would have hosted many more ‘senior’ tournaments than it has been given. One of the slight downsides, if you want to call it that, is the presence of the RAF’s (Royal Air Force) busiest fast-jet staging post, literally right next door! The roar of the Tornado is both deafening and exhilarating but hopefully won’t distract you from what is otherwise a stunning track.
Often it is difficult for the Pro to choose a favorite hole, but in the case of Moray, it was one of the easiest decisions to make. The par four 18th at Moray is simply a fabulous finishing hole; in fact, it is our opinion that you will not find many better. The hole sits inside a wall of out of bounds both left and right which in turn is protected by deep rough and imposing reverted fairway bunkers. It’s best to hit it straight off the tee! The approach shot is played slightly uphill with a long to mid-iron to a green settled on a plateau with steep banks surrounding it and the clubhouse, complete with inquisitive eyes, directly behind. The back-left corner of the green is a favored pin position of the head greenkeeper at Moray, as it puts you directly in line with ‘Hell’s Bunker,’ one that should be avoided!
No trip to Moray is complete without some time spent in the clubhouse, which is an absolute treasure trove of history and memorabilia. Moray Golf Club is a fabulous addition to any Highlands itinerary, so why not let The Consummate Pro take you there on your Scottish golf vacation.
