Wick Golf Club

I have wanted to play this course for some time now having heard rumours about it and also having a quick look across it a few years ago while on holiday (Mrs. wouldn’t let me play that time). So this time on a holiday I made sure I played. The course is all of what I expected you stand on the first short par 4 thinking this looks easy looking out over what seems to be a reasonably flat links course, a sensible controlled drive up towards the green leaves you a nice little flick in, if you keep it straight on walking this hole you get the feeling this course may be as easy as you first think. You notice as you get away from the clubhouse that the course wasn’t so much built but just cut out of the existing links land as all traditional links courses used to be done, not many left now. As you move on getting a feel for the wind which on my day was in the back of my head the land starts to reveal itself with swales, hollows, pot bunkers and rough that just wants to keep your ball even though you can find it quite easily. Out ward 8 very pleasant helping wind making me feel like im striking the ball better than ever all is good, then in great tradition the 9th turns straight towards the north sea and a great looking par 3 with spectacle bunkers guarding the front and dunes all around suddenly bites back. Now your heading home having to carefully ease your ball through the now aggressive wind with some but not much protection from the high sea dune running along the beach, a sliced ball here can end up a long way off the fairway. Some of the best holes are on the back with great views over Sinclair bay and Ackergill tower with raised tees cut into the side of the dunes. All in all this course is a hole bunch of fun and should be on everyone’s list of courses to play as a true representation of a traditional links, but do remember this is a small members club with little money but a lot of passion it is not like the trump course with starters and caddies and cocktails, the clubhouse may not even be open but just sign the book and leave your green fee in the honesty box and have a great day as we did

Played Wick at the end of May 2010. Green Fee £25 in the honesty box. First impression is that the course looks a little desolate without much definition to the holes. Traditional links course - 9 holes out and 9 holes in and, as you get into the round, there are some excellent holes particularly in the strong wind which was around when I played. Some good par 3's and generally the greens were in very good condition. Don't go looking for a spot of lunch before your round or a nice meal afterwards as facilities in the clubhouse were limited to a bar and pre-packed sandwiches (to be fair I don't know if this is the norm or just the case on the day I visited). Overall, if you've travelled that far north, for whaterever reason, it's well worth a visit.

Wonderful links course bordering Sinclair Bay. Having played a number of links courses in England, I'd be hard pressed to choose anything above Wick. For this time of year (the middle of winter), the course and the green were in fantastic condition – just a little standing water on edge of the course after the previous night’s rain. In fact, the course was in better condition than some parkland courses I’ve played in the middle of summer – seriously! The course layout has the first nine straight-out going West away from the clubhouse, and back-nine coming East. A wall of high dunes protects the course from the North Sea, so there is some shelter from the sea-wind. If you can hit straight and it's not too windy, then you might think this course is a doddle, but I hit a couple of stray balls in to the rough and never saw them again – the rough is thick! Be warned, Caithness can be a very windy county – I think I was lucky with only a light breeze. Fantastic vale for £12 (winter green fees)