Reay

Reay Village Golf Club was founded in 1893, with twelve holes laid out for golf between Sandside Bay and the main road to Thurso. According to a Course & Club History booklet produced by the club in 1993, “during that first year, membership rose to approximately thirty, and was limited to persons living or working on the Pilkington estates. Visitors, or strangers as they were more often termed, could play the course albeit on a limited basis.”

In the book James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses authors John F. Moreton and Iain Cumming make reference to a visit made by James Braid on 10th January 1933: “The estate changed hands in 1931, and the maintenance of the course devolved to the club. Hence Braid’s arrival and the possibility of an eighteen hole course. However, financial implications weighed heavily and the new six holes were never built. As for Braid’s suggestions for the original twelve, they were all implemented.”

Alex Manson held the position of club secretary from 1893 to 1938 but within two years of his resignation (and the start of World War II) the club entered into something of a hibernation period. This lasted for around fifteen years, until the nuclear establishment at Dounreay was commissioned right next to the course, bringing an influx of workers into the area. John F. Moreton and Iain Cumming pick up the story:

“In the late 1950s nine holes were constructed or reconstructed and by 1965 eighteen holes were in place. The present course uses some of the elements of the original, with five holes having a strong relationship with the pre-World War II course.” In more recent times, a new chapter began during the club's 125th anniversary year in 2018 as the land on which the course is laid out had been purchased the previous year, allowing it to be retained as a community asset for many years to come.