Wick Golf Club
Links golf at Reiss since 1873, par 69 over 6,039 yards. The closing holes run through the dunes above Sinclair Bay.
Golf beside a long sweep of sand is hard to beat, and Wick has a lovely stretch of it at the top of Scotland.
The links lies at Reiss, about three miles north of Wick, along the shore of Sinclair Bay. It’s laid out the old way, nine holes out and nine back, and the homeward holes run beside the dunes and the beach. The club was founded in 1870 and has played here since 1873, and John Sutherland of Royal Dornoch made it eighteen holes in 1907. From the 18th tee you can look along the bay towards John o’ Groats. Visitors are welcome, and a round is £60.
In 2002 the club changed several holes on the advice of the professional Ronan Rafferty, to make them safer and to set tees up in the dunes.
18 holes. Par 69 and 6,039 yards from the white tees, down to 5,329 from the red.
| Hole | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Out | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | In | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name | First | Hunter’s Joy | Quoys | Knowe | Sleepers | Warren | Wester | River | Tern | Bay View | Shochad | March | Cup | Plateau | Desert | Cable House | Sinclair Bay | Home | |||
| White | 286 | 169 | 559 | 200 | 418 | 407 | 384 | 507 | 141 | 3,071 | 381 | 172 | 374 | 375 | 151 | 384 | 394 | 376 | 361 | 2,968 | 6,039 |
| Yellow | 277 | 148 | 501 | 193 | 414 | 377 | 376 | 500 | 134 | 2,920 | 380 | 166 | 374 | 375 | 148 | 379 | 338 | 343 | 354 | 2,857 | 5,777 |
| Red | 269 | 136 | 428 | 188 | 399 | 339 | 366 | 444 | 129 | 2,698 | 360 | 163 | 353 | 354 | 147 | 295 | 337 | 317 | 305 | 2,631 | 5,329 |
| Par · White, Yellow | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 35 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 69 |
| Par · Red | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 36 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 34 | 70 |
| Stroke index · White | 18 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 16 | 3 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 15 | |||
| Stroke index · Yellow | 18 | 14 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 3 | 17 | 7 | 5 | 15 | 1 | 11 | 13 | 9 | |||
| Stroke index · Red | 17 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 13 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 10 | 12 | |||
| Score |
The holes tinted yellow are the highlights below. Press one to read about it.
Wick is laid out the traditional way, nine holes out from the clubhouse and nine back, and the homeward nine brings you back beside the dunes and the beach.
3Quoys
The longest hole on the course. With the breeze behind, a big drive up the left can make the green tempting in two, but two bunkers guard the right of the fairway and there’s a little hollow short of the green.
- 9
Tern
The shortest hole, and the turn for home. The green has three tiers, so finding the right level matters, and the club says a three here is a good score to end the front nine.
- 13
Cup
The club calls this a brilliant par four. A straight drive up the valley leaves a straight approach to a two-tier green, with a four-foot change in level between the halves.
- 16
Cable House
The fairway winds through the dunes towards the old cable house, which stands to the left of the green. It looks an intimidating drive, but the fairway is wider than it seems, and the club’s advice is to aim at the cable house.
- 17
Sinclair Bay
The tees sit above the beach, and the drive goes across the dunes. A dune pushes most tee shots to the right, so a drive left of the fairway bunker gives the better line into the green.
A links of nine holes out and nine back at Reiss, three miles north of Wick, where the dunes run beside the beach of Sinclair Bay.
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 69
- Yards
- 6,039
- Founded
- 1870
- At Reiss since
- 1873
Green fees, 2026
- Adult£60
- Junior£10
- Adult with a member£30
- Visitor with a member£25
To hire
- Trolley£2
- Clubs£5
The clubhouse
The clubhouse opens on Sundays from 10am to 2.30pm, and from 7.30am on open competition days.
There’s a practice area of about 200 yards, a short game area and a putting green.
The club is at Reiss, about three miles north of Wick, KW1 4RW.
John o’ Groats is about 13 miles further north, and Thurso about 20 miles to the west. Wick has a railway station and a small airport, and the airport is only a couple of miles from the course.
Scotland, in print.
We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.
More courses in the Highlands, and the collections this one is in.
For further reading, before you go.
- Book a tee timeThe club’s booking page on Masterscoreboard.masterscoreboard.co.uk↗
- Green fees and the clubhouseThe fees, hire, the members’ competition times and the clubhouse’s hours.wickgolfclub.org.uk↗
- The scorecardThe card for every tee, with the local rules.wickgolfclub.org.ukPDF↗
- Events and competitionsThe open competitions through the summer.wickgolfclub.org.uk↗
- Hole by holeEvery hole in the club’s own words, with films of the course.wickgolfclub.org.uk↗
- Course historyFrom six holes in Wick in 1870 to the links at Reiss, the mines of the war and the changes of 2002.wickgolfclub.org.uk↗
- The areaPlaces to eat, drink and stay that the club suggests, in Wick and at John o’ Groats.wickgolfclub.org.uk↗
- NCG on WickA review of the course, hole by hole.top100.nationalclubgolfer.com↗
- Top 100 Golf Courses on WickThe course, its changes, and golfers’ reviews.top100golfcourses.com↗
- Golf’s Missing Links on WickThe club’s first courses in Wick, with newspaper reports from the 1870s.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk↗