Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club

Fortrose & Rosemarkie is a historic peninsula links, par 71 and 6,085 yards from the black markers, about 5,564 metres. It wraps around Chanonry Point between the Moray Firth and inner waters through tight fairways, precise bunkering, deceptive greens and a coastline famous for dolphin sightings.

Documents record golf at Chanonry from 1702, and the club formed in 1793 is among the world’s oldest recorded. The course evolved as land became available on the point. James Braid was invited in 1932 to advise on a new layout. Additional ground enabled extension and improvement; the new eighteen was reported open in 1935, and Braid returned when further land was secured. His work remains the basis of the present routing. Chanonry Point is a narrow finger reaching into the Moray Firth. Water lies on different sides of several sequences, with lighthouse, Sutherland mountains and the Black Isle as landmarks. The site is known for its dolphin colony, often visible from shore. Wind changes quickly according to the side of the peninsula, and low elevation exposes every weather shift.

Braid turned a narrow property into variety. Holes change direction frequently, bunkers occupy landing zones and greens contain slopes gentler in appearance than in play. The signature fourth toward lighthouse and water demands an exact line. Moderate yardage is protected by angles and surface speed. The modern scorecard offers four tee sets, with black markers at 6,085 yards and par 71. Fairways are tight, turf firm and greens quick. The peninsula lacks Dornoch’s giant dunes but replaces them with boundaries, bunkers and water. Side slopes and sea wind easily move a ball toward rough or an angleless position.

The club welcomes visitors throughout the year with online booking, professional shop, hire equipment, caddies by request, dining and exceptional clubhouse views. A long members’ tradition sits beside a strong visitor culture. Hickory events and national championships deepen the heritage without freezing the club in the past.

Play it for the meeting of golf history, marine landscape and wildlife on a compact peninsula. Fortrose & Rosemarkie provides a Braid design accessible in length yet extremely exacting. Dolphins, lighthouse and wind turning around the point create a Highland experience found nowhere else. 18 holes; par 71; 6,085 yards or about 5,564 metres from black tees; golf documented from 1702; club founded 1793; present basis by James Braid opened 1935; Chanonry Point dolphin colony; World Hickory Open 2022 and 2024.

World Hickory Open, national championships, Scottish senior and junior events — World Hickory Open 2022 and 2024; numerous national championships since 2010 Documentary evidence of golf at Chanonry from 1702; club dates to 1793; James Braid redesign opened in 1935