Scenic Tain Golf Course

Tain Golf Club in Ross-shire is one of the most scenic golf courses in Scotland. This traditional Scottish Highland course is situated 9 miles south of Dornoch and 31 miles north of Inverness, overlooking the Dornoch Firth. Imagine playing a vigorous game of golf with the sea on one side and the mountains on the other! It also has the advantage of good weather through the year, thanks to the sheltered location. Golf is played almost year round here and winter greens are rarely used at Tain.

This 6400 yard long Championship course was designed by the golfing legend of yore, Old Tom Morris in 1890. He found only fifteen suitable sites and hence created a fifteen-hole golf course here, which was later revised by John Sutherland. Eleven of the original holes are still in played and the 17th hole, a long par 3 which takes you twice over the same burn, is widely considered to be one of the top 18 holes designed by Old Tom Morris. The 3rd hole too, a par 4 with a dog leg to the left, is considered to be one of the finest in Great Britain. Tain perhaps does not get its due recognition as it lies across the Dornoch Firth from the world famous Royal Dornoch.

A mix of links and heathland, Tain has a thick growth of gorse edging the fairways which look brilliant in full bloom. The tangles of heather, gorse and broom in the rough, and the scenic natural layout make Tain one of the finest settings and challenges for a round of golf. Tain is renowned for the top quality of its greens, clever bunkering and natural water hazards and of course the ubiquitous whin and gorse.

Accuracy is of prime importance here and each hole is quite unique with its own particular character. The par 4 eleventh hole called Alps requires blind shot over two dunes to reach the hidden greens. The par 4 second, known as River, has the Aldie burn waiting below a ridge to swallow the under hit ball. In 1998 a new clubhouse was built at Tain. Anyone making a trip north to play at Dornoch should certainly play a round here too.

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