Brora GC win Highland Club of the Year Award

By ROBIN WILSON
Brora Golf Club, situated on Sutherland's East Coast, have been announced as the 2008 winners of the Highland Sports Development Association Club of the Year and become only the second golf club in the area to be awarded the trophy. Reay Golf Club (Caithness) won it in 2006.
Brora Golf Club is primarily a local village club who put a big effort into attracting many visitors to it through its fine example of a traditional James Braid links course. The five time Open champion redesigned the course in 1923 and it has changed very little ever since.
The quality of its many testing holes, greens and fairways have in recent years ranked it in the Top 100 courses in the UK, and described by more recent five time Open champion, Peter Thomson, “as the most natural links course in the world”.
But it is not only the course that won Brora the award. The judges were particularly interested in the excellent work that is being carried out with the Junior Section.
An increase in its membership, coaching in the local primary school, free lessons for under-12 year-old all summer and indoor during winter and an introduction to the club fixture list of Generation Foursomes for adult/junior teams with the support of Clubgolf Scotland.
The junior section currently boasts the present Scottish Under-16 team captain.
Other key areas to impress the judges was the club's website to attract visitors to the village's prime tourist attraction. Live scoring information on clubhouse web screens including photography and graphics to promote the course.
The presentation of the trophy and prize to this years wining club, a module/unit/IT or sport related short course, donated by Inverness College, was made at a ceremony outside the Golf Clubhouse by HSDA Chairperson, Highland Councillor Margaret Patterson (Dingwall) in the presence of Joan Maxwell (Fortrose), Secretary of the Association,and Campbell Port (Chairman of Sutherland Sports Council) to Golf Club President Robert Powell.
Runners up to Brora Golf Club were: Caithness Rugby Football Club, followed by Wolfpax Rider, Mountain Bike Club, Badenoch.

Picture line- up: left to right – Fiona Risk (Brora), Joan Maxwell (Secretary), Campbell Port, Alistair Risk ( Club Vice President), Chairperson Margaret Patterson, Club President Robert Powell, and Mrs Dawn Powell. Image by courtesy of Robin Wilson. Click on it to enlarge.