The Old Course at Moray Golf Club was originally opened and laid out by Old Tom Morris in 1889. Opened as a 16 hole course, there was quickly extra land that became available and the course became the standard 18 holes in 1890. Interestingly, there was a significant number of lady members at Moray Golf Club in the late 19^th century. This lead to the ladies being built their own 9-hole course, which opened in 1905.

To this day, there remains a very active lady membership at Moray Golf Club. So much so, that they hosted a mixed greensomes open which G and I were set to play in. For anyone needing a refresher on the greensomes format, it is where both players hit the tee shot, then you select the best of the two and play alternate shot until in the hole. We have both played The Old Course a lot in the past as it was always a willing host for junior events when I was younger and it was always the host of The Scottish Universities Championship during our student years at St Andrews. I had always, in the past, struggled on this course since I don’t think I had ever played it on a nice day of weather. I thought that streak was about to end after we teed off with some beautiful sun. However, by the 10^th, normal service was resumed, and I spent the remainder of the round hiding under the umbrella. Our Score also did not fare well as the conditions worsened. Despite being level par through 11 holes, we bogeyed 5 of our least 7 holes to finish on 76.

My favourite hole on The Old Course is the 4^th. A long par 3 flanked closely by the road behind the green. If you are able to walk off with a par here, it is a sweet feeling. The green is a large bowl and is very accepting of the low, running shot into the green. Bunkers on each side are ready to grab any ball coming up short and slightly off line, while the road at the back quickly comes into play if you receive an unlucky bounce.

The final hole on The Old Course is a fantastic way to close out the round and is iconic as one of the finest finishing holes in the North of Scotland. The 406 yard uphill par 4 is the kind of testing last hole that provides the final hurdle for players looking to score well. The hole is generally open on the left, with the exception of a couple of fairway bunkers, as this is where the 1^st hole plays. The right side is guarded by a wall and a plethora of hotels, apartments and houses, all anticipating the sliced ball. A good drive down the left half of the fairway leaves a difficult second shot, with a long iron, into a raised green. You can’t see the bottom of the flag and it is incredibly difficult to judge the distance. A miss left is certain to head out of bounds or towards the huge bunker guarding the front of the green. A miss to the right leaves an awkward shot played off a severe downslope of rough. Even when on the green, a par is not guaranteed as there is a large hogs back making putting very difficult if you aren’t on the correct side. A 3-putt bogey and we were finally out of the rain and back to the warm clubhouse. Unfortunately, we were not in the prizes on this occasion but there will be plenty more competitions for us to play in this year.