Scotland’s Real Links Welcome

moray GOlf club History

Established 1889

Savour the spirit of links golf on the Moray coast

On the coast of Lossiemouth, where the Moray Firth rolls into gorse-covered dunes and whisky scents the breeze, sits a golf club that has never chased fashion - because it’s always known who it is.

This is not modern golf manufactured for show.

This is Links Golf, Distilled.

HISTORY & ORIGINS

In 1889, Old Tom Morris laid out the Moray Old Course - a classic out-and-back links of natural challenge, true bounce and subtle cunning. Over 130 years later, his routing remains largely untouched, a rare time capsule of original links design.

 Such was the growing demand for golf at Moray that in 1905, a relief/ladies 9-hole course was created within the Old. Later, in 1979, after a visit from Sir Henry Cotton, that course was extended to a full 18 - forming what is now known as the New Course.

The Old and New together form a rare dual offering: one a historic masterwork, the other a modern evolution grounded in the same soil and spirit.

And at the finish? One of the most stunning finales in Scottish golf. The 18th green of the Old nestled in a natural amphitheatre, overlooked by the proud hilltop clubhouse.

A warm welcome awaits at Moray, the original golfing amphitheatre.

Six framed black-and-white historical photographs displayed in the Moray Golf Club clubhouse
Painint of Old TOm MOrris, proudly handing in the Moray Golf Club clubhouse
Linksland-MorayGCWebsiteFilm_00-00_to_00-15_fallback.jpg
A black and white graphic of a ribbon banner with the words 'Far and Sure' written on it.

our club timeline

  • 1889 – Moray Golf Club founded 30th of March

    1889 – Moray Golf Club founded 30th of March

    Moray Golf Club in Lossiemouth is officially founded and opened on 30 March 1889, with an initial 16-hole layout on land leased from Captain James Brander of Pitgaveny. 

  • 1889–1890 – Old Course by Old Tom Morris

    1889–1890 – Old Course by Old Tom Morris

    The original course was laid out by Old Tom Morris, who became a regular visitor and played exhibition matches. Within 18 months, the layout is extended to a full 18-hole Old Course by leasing additional land from Sir William Gordon Cumming.

  • 1894 – The Northern Amateur Championship

    1894 – The Northern Amateur Championship

    Still running to this day, our famous 5 day open which hosts 326 golfers from all around the UK and worldwide.

  • 1905 – Ladies’ 9-hole course

    1905 – Ladies’ 9-hole course

    A separate 9-hole Ladies Relief Course is created, taking the total to 27 holes at Moray and further cementing the club’s reputation as a leading links venue in the north of Scotland. 

  • 1913 – Moray Golf Club and Prime Ministers

    1913 – Moray Golf Club & Prime Ministers

    Three prime ministers played holiday golf at Lossiemouth in the years leading up to World War; on at least one occasion, in August 1913, played together.

  • Meg Farquhar becomes the first female UK professional and starts her training at Moray Golf Club.

    1929 – Meg Farquhar

    Meg Farquhar becomes the first female UK professional and starts her training at Moray Golf Club.

  • Construction of the airfield at Lossiemouth began in summer of 1938. An to this day with their Eurofighter Typhoon and Poseidon P-8A are still protecting our skies.

    1938 - RAF Move in

    Construction of the airfield at Lossiemouth began in the summer of 1938, and to this day, with their Eurofighter Typhoon and Poseidon P-8A are still protecting our skies.

  • 1979 – New Course by Henry Cotton

    1979 – New Course by Henry Cotton

    The 9-hole ladies’ course is incorporated into a new 18-hole New Course, designed by Henry Cotton. Opened in 1979, it creates the modern 36-hole layout (Old and New) that defines the club today.

  • 1989 - Celebrating our centenary

    1989 - Celebrating our centenary

    Moray Golf Club celebrated 100 years with their Centenary 1889-1989 Whisky bottled and labelled by the club.

  • 1996 - Moray New Course Record

    1996 - Moray New Course Record

    Kevin Thomson, our Course Manager, cards a 62 in the Tantalus to set a course record on the New Course. This was matched by Mark Halliday in 2005 in the Boyd Anderson.

  • 2006 Boys Home Internationals at Moray Golf Club

    2006 - Boys Home Internationals

    2006 Boys Home Internationals at Moray Golf Club – Won by England with a squad including DP World Tour player, and 2 time winner, Eddie Pepperell

  • 2014 - Toasting our 125th Anniversary

    2014 - Toasting our 125th Anniversary

    Moray Golf Club toasts 125 years with a commemorative 15 year Old which was laid down by the club at Glen Moray.

  • 2015 - Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Champion, Marco Penge

    2015 - Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championship

    England’s Marco Penge, now a 3 time DP World Tour winner, shot rounds of 69-69-67-73 as a 17-year-old to claim his maiden national title, with fellow DP World Tour player Lucas Herbert coming in 3rd.

  • 2016 - MORAY OLD COURSE RECORD

    2016 - MORAY OLD COURSE RECORD

    Craig Howie shoots 62 in the Scottish University Championship to set a course record on the Old Course.

  • 2020 - investments in our course

    2020 - investments in our course

    Moray Golf Club invests in a fully automated irrigation system.

  • 2025 - Scottish Golf Tourism Award

    2025 - Scottish Golf Tourism Award

    Moray Professional Shop win Best Pro Shop at the SGTW.

  • Haydyn McCullen 59, Moray Old Course Record

    2026 - Moray old course record 59

    Haydn McCullen smashes the Moray Old Course record with an astonishing 59 in the first round of the Northern Open in the PGA Open Series.

we weren’t just built near whisky, we were built by it.

whisky in our dna

Unlike any other golf club in Scotland, Moray’s foundations were laid not just in turf, but in whisky.

The town of Lossiemouth and its surrounding region are steeped in Speyside’s distilling tradition - and the club itself was founded and fuelled by the great distillers of its time.

As early as 1894, members were laying down casks of Glen Grant for future celebrations. Over the decades, Glen Moray, Benromach, Macallan and others have supported the club - sponsoring holes, filling the shelves, and raising glasses after every round. The “club malt” is not a gimmick - it’s a legacy. A dram at Moray isn’t a ritual. It’s a rightful toast.

Today, that legacy continues. Local distilleries still support the club, sponsor holes, and line the bar shelves. Our club malt is Glen Moray - poured with pride and savoured with stories.

So when we say “Links Golf, Distilled”, we mean it - both in heritage and in spirit.

A wooden memorial plaque dedicated to members of a golf club who served in World War I, with a decorative frame and engraved names.

Famous visitors to our storied club

  • "This is how golf began, on courses like moray"

    Old Tom Morris

  • "Few Courses Offer the raw test and natural finish of Moray Old. It's proper golf"

    Sir Henry Cotton

  • "A Classic. Challenging, but fair. The welcome was even better than the golf"

    Catriona Matthew

  • "I actually feel I like those conditions, as it makes you battle and keep your head mentally."

    Marco Penge

  • “I remember Moray as a course where the wind tests your head as much as your hands”

    Sergio Garcia

Savour the spirit of golf on the Moray coast

The Moray Coast is calling you to the links

  • Four men sitting at a wooden picnic table outdoors, overlooking a golf course with hills and a coastline in the distance. They are talking and have glasses of beer on the table.

    Visitors

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  • Moray 5 day open winner Ryan Bain

    opens 2026

    Moray is home to the prestigious 5-day Moray Open, celebrating its 120th anniversary in 2026

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  • Man in blue shirt and shorts playing golf on a course, preparing to hit the ball, with a stone wall, green grass, and trees in the background.

    MEMBERSHIP

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