The Highland Tour

Day 1 – 23 June at Golspie GC, Ferry Road, Golspie, KW10 6ST

Day 2 – 24 June at Fortrose and Rosemarkie GC, Ness Road, Fortrose, IV10 8SE

Day 3 – 25 June at Royal Dornoch GC, Golf Road, Dornoch, IV25 3LW

Day 4 – 26 June at Brora GC, Golf Road, Brora , Sutherland, KW9 6QS

Please click on each GC for the link to the club website.

The original golf club at Golspie was founded in 1889 – although golf had been played on the links for at least 10 years before then. In 1925 James Braid was invited to survey the course and his report contained detailed suggestions for every hole!  His improvements were completed by 1926 establishing the design for the course’s enduring layout. It is a mix of classic links, heath and parkland holes with stunning views from all holes of the Dornoch Firth on one side and the backdrop of Ben Bhraggie on the other. It’s a course where links holes lead to heathland with unforgettable pin placements and bunkering throughout. It is a delight to play for all abilities and is the ideal venue for JBGS members to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Society with Golspie members on the 100^th Centenary of Braid’s visit to Golspie GC. By lengthening the Backies and Fields to Par 5s the course from the white tees is now 6021 yds and from the reds it is 5343 yds.
This is a celebratory match against the club members. Meet at 9.00am for tee times from 10.00am. Match fee £75 (£50 for Golspie GC members), to include golf, after golf drinks and a two-course meal. The match is limited to 16 golfers a-side.

Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Links is now known to be the 15th Oldest Recorded Club in the World with golf being played along the current 6th, 7th and 8th holes in 1793. The first evidence of golf being played over Chanonry (now Fortrose) was in 1702. The AGM in July 1793 was arranged in Williamson’s Tavern! In 1932, James Braid was invited to advise on a new, extended course layout. In June 1935 a newspaper report noted that ‘The new 18 hole golf course, laid out by James Braid, is of great variety and necessitates much skill. It’s sporting character attracts many visitors to the district’. Braid was invited back over the next 2 years to make a fresh survey. His fee was £12.10/-. Under his recommendations, the course was re-designed and laid out forming the basis of the one in use today. The course is a Scottish Championship venue.
This is a match against the club members. Meet at 11.30am for tee times from 1.00pm. The format of the match will be a Fourball Better Ball. Match fee £75 to include golf, after golf drinks and a two-course meal (jacket and tie). The match is limited to 24 golfers a-side.

Although Dornoch Golf Club was formed in 1877, golf in Dornoch can be traced back to 1616, and everyone who came to play marvelled at the wonderful links land and the challenge it presented. The course was then only 9 holes. In 1883 the annual subscription to the club was Two Shillings and Sixpence per annum – the annual income was £9.00. In 1886, the Club invited the veteran champion golfer, Old Tom Morris, to visit and lay out a more fully planned golf course. In 1906, through the influence of Her Grace the Duchess of Sutherland, Dornoch Golf Club secured the title and dignity of ‘Royal’ from King Edward VII. The Second World War saw an aerodrome on the Ladies 18 hole course and 4 holes of the Championship Course were lost. Royal Dornoch was the home of the course architect Donald Ross who was also the first golf Professional at the club. Tom Watson is an honorary member of Royal Dornoch and is quoted as saying “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course”. December 2025 saw the opening of the magnificent new clubhouse – how exciting it will be for JBGS members to see it in 2026.
This is a match against the club members. Meet at 11.00am for tee times from 12.30pm. The format of the match will be a Fourball Better Ball. Match fee £80 to include golf, after golf drinks and a two-course meal (jacket and tie). The match is limited to 24 golfers a-side.

Brora is recognised as being one of James Braid’s finest pieces of work – the stunning links course offers a perfect balance between challenge and fun – a great test for golfers of all levels. In November 1891 a Public Meeting was held and Brora Golf Club was formed. The membership fee was set at the modest amount of Two Shillings and Sixpence per annum. The golf course was originally 9 holes until around 1900, when it was extended to 18 holes. In 1923 James Braid was invited to visit in 1924 and for the princely sum of £25 plus travelling expenses, submitted plans for a redesigned 18 hole layout. This was largely implemented as he suggested, including a sloping 1^st green where it has been said ‘Pin placement can be arranged to ensure 3 putts’. He also made exemplary use of the burns which cross the course and arranged the course so that the 4 Par 3s run N, S, E and W. As the course is grazed by sheep and cattle all the greens are protected by electrified wire fences. The course remains mostly unchanged to this day and is a fair and challenging test of true links golf. It is 6211 yds off the white tees and 5273 yds off the reds.
This is the James Braid Golfing Society’s main Stableford competition. Tee times from 11.00am. The prizes to be played for include the Peter Thomson Memorial Trophy, the Curate’s Egg and the Captain’s Pink Balls. The entry fee is £95 (£70.00 for members of Brora GC) which includes golf followed by the Society’s dinner at Brora GC.