Buckpool

In the early 1930s, during a period of high unemployment in the herring fishing industry, the local council at Buckpool decided to address this problem by constructing a golf course on farmland close to the town centre.

One of the Great Triumvirate, five-time Open champion J.H. Taylor, was tasked with laying out the new 18-hole course and although a few minor modifications have been made down the years, it’s his design that’s still in operation today.

Although the course occupies a coastal setting on a raised marine platform, with splendid views along the Moray Firth, it’s not a true links as such. Nevertheless, the normally firm and fast conditions of Buckpool’s greens and fairways are an absolute delight.

There are only a couple of par fives on the scorecard, with par for the course set at 70 and a standard scratch mark of 69. Feature holes include short par fours on the back nine at the 11th, 12th and 17th, whilst the 400-yard 18th is a demanding home hole, playing to a treacherous, two-tiered green.