A place for a quick pit-stop or a way of bringing in cash? At Nairn, the Bothy means so much more
For some golf clubs, a halfway house is almost an afterthought. At others, it’s a vital part of the experience – a chance to pause and soak in the atmosphere of the course.
At Nairn, on the Moray Firth in Scotland, the Bothy isn’t simply a stop between nines. It is part of the club’s fabric, a place steeped in history and which has been renovated to serve members and visitors.
It’s also a perfect example of why a halfway house matters and what clubs should consider if they are looking to make theirs a genuine asset.
“A halfway house can simply be a stop off point between the two nines where you rehydrate. That’s probably the bare minimum it should be,” said Nairn’s PGA Retail Professional Michael McAllan.
“But you should get a feel for the place you’re in, so it should be in keeping with the club or course you are playing.
“We have a rich fishing history. We’re right by the sea. Our halfway house is a fisherman’s Bothy with an adjacent ice house. Our 5th hole is called Nets, because you could see them drying on the shore [while] the fisherman were sheltering in the Bothy.
“It’s just part of our history.”
That sense of identity is not simply sentimental. A wooden floor suffering from wet and dry rot was recently replaced with flagstone. The original woodwork and stonework interior was also restored and, this winter, more than £50,000 is being invested on the exterior to ensure the iconic white house - built in 1904 - can be used for generations to come.
But can a rewarding halfway house experience be about more? Can it also bring in revenue?
That hasn't been the driving force at Nairn – for years the Bothy was volunteer-run – but the club has seen an unlikely byproduct from its redevelopment.
“I suppose the club didn’t realise what the demand would be,” explained Nairn General Manager Paul Mills. “It’s grown and grown into a situation where it’s almost a must-see for visitors.
“We’ve now got it professionally run and our focus, initially, has been on food and beverage. We’re not stocking anything down there from a retail perspective but that’s not to say that couldn’t develop in the future.
“However, there is a feeling that we wanted to maintain its authenticity. I think the reason people think it’s charming is because it’s very basic and we don’t necessarily want a retail offering down there.”
But in the club’s exclusive members’ clothing and accessories range, with its logo a representation of the Bothy designed by McAllan, pictured below, Nairn is gaining turnover from its mid-round stop.
“I was tasked with creating a new members’ range,” he said. “We had lost our members’ only logo down the line and there was a desire to get that range back. It should always be something iconic to the course, or very much a part of the course or club.”
He added: “I found a slightly out of focus image of the Bothy, but the angle was great. I sketched it out very roughly in pencil. I played about with it and added some of our existing imagery and logos.
“I removed it and then started screenshotting it with my phone, bleaching it out and doing a few other things, and within a day I had the logo.
“I’m really proud of it. I’m proud we managed to reinstate our members’ collection. They deserve it and they love being members of this golf club. Why not have something that’s essentially very Nairn?”
"You should get a feel for the place you’re in, so a halfway house should be in keeping with the club or course you are playing"
- Michael McAllan, Nairn PGA Retail Professional
Design and heritage are two reasons why the Bothy is so successful. But it also needs to meet golfers’ expectations. That’s about being in the right place and giving golfers an opportunity to enjoy the surroundings, while also not impacting pace of play.
“It doesn’t always need to really be at the 9th but it needs to be near the halfway point,” McAllan said.
“I remember The Belfry well. It’s definitely at halfway and there is the build-up in the preparation for playing the iconic 10th hole.”
As for etiquette, Nairn like a light touch. “There is no hard and fast rule at Nairn that you need to stop. If it’s open, please go in. If you want to have a beer, have a beer," McAllan added.
“That’s part of the joy of our halfway house, But I do understand pace of play is an important thing in modern golfing life so you do need to set up rules according to how your course and club runs.
“It’s very important, as there is nothing worse than being unexpectedly held up. It’s not much fun. But if you know it’s out there, then you can’t be surprised by it.
“Our starters do an excellent job in making sure they advise golfers before they tee off that it may be the case.”
So Nairn’s successful halfway house is ultimately about balance – between history and hospitality alongside identity and income.
“It’s incredibly important,” said Mills. “We are great believers of this – when you come to Nairn Golf Club it’s not always about the championship golf course.
“We’re very proud of it but it’s about the whole experience and we put a lot of effort into those added extras and get a lot of good feedback. That adds to the general feeling of welcome and hospitality at the club.
“So we’ve got the Bothy and members enjoy that with their guests and visitors look forward to getting out there as well.”
