Since 1893 the thwack of club against ball has echoed across the Highland landscape on the flood plain beside the River Spey in the village of Newtonmore, within the Cairngorms National Park.
With the magnificent 360-degree panoramic backdrop of the Grampian and Monadliadh Mountains this spectacular 18-hole golf course is a “must play” for anyone exploring the famed Highland golf courses, and those on the trail of the legendary course designer James Braid.
This gem of a course is not hidden away – in fact it is easily reached off the major A9 road that cuts through the Highlands of Scotland, situated just a few miles south of Aviemore and an hour’s drive from Inverness.
Beloved and cherished by its local members, and regularly extending a warm welcome to visitors from around the world, this inspirational course is playable with comfort and pleasure by golfers of all abilities at all levels of the game.
This perfectly manicured and well-kept Newtonmore parkland golf course, measuring 6031 yards, is a par 70 with challenging tee options. It started out with nine holes in 1893, but was extended to 18 in 1906.
Tee off at Newtonmore in the invigorating Highland air to encounter frequent changes in the direction of play, with the wind shifting from all directions as you play your round. As a recent independent assessment by Golf Insights stated: “There isn’t a hole that stands out, because they all stand out”.
Play the course and you’re bound to agree the layout is superb, making clever use of the landscape, with subtle greens and easy-walking fairways.
The course so impressed famous golf course architect James Braid and golf pro Sandy Herd when they played a match at Newtonmore that Braid described it as “excellent”, though he did come back to make some improvements to the course after World War I.
Today’s golfers particularly delight in the fact that the course is home to a rich variety of wild flowers, birds and wildlife – and you may even come across some placidly grazing local sheep in the cooler months.
The Newtonmore Golf Club has a full calendar of open competitions through the year, and a popular Golf Week in the first week of August, all enthusiastically celebrated at the hospitable Club House bar and restaurant by locals and visitors alike.
If you’re coming to play as a guest at Newtonmore rest assured there is plenty of comfortable accommodation in the village – ask about the available overnight stay packages and meal deals the Club has arranged with local hotels, bars and cafés.
There are also reciprocal deals to be had with other local courses – most notably nearby Kingussie Golf Club.
Membership fees and greens fees for Newtonmore Golf Club are extremely affordable, and you can book and pay for a tee time online without incurring a booking fee.
