At Nairn, tradition and character can be found in every corner of the famous club in the Scottish Highlands, from the championship links to the storied clubhouse.
But just as memorable as the golf itself are the small, human touches that bring warmth to the experience. Felicity Cruickshank, the Assistant Food and Beverage Manager, embodies this feeling, and her homemade baking has quickly become a much-loved part of the club, and in the iconic Bothy.
Perched between the 9th green and 10th tee, the Bothy is certainly no ordinary halfway house. Founded in 1877 and steeped in history, the whitewashed building offers a rustic sanctuary with a roaring fire, flagstone floors, and walls lined with golfing memorabilia. Once used to store salmon, it now provides the irresistible draw of homemade treats.
Those treats come courtesy of Felicity, whose journey with the club is as heartwarming as her baking.
“I’ve been working at the club for coming up to six years,” Felicity said. “I started at 16, straight from school, and then worked my way up to Assistant F&B Manager. I’ve been here quite a while!
“It’s really amazing, it’s really close to my heart. I’m not a golfer myself, but my dad and my grandparents were both golfers, and my dad has always played at Nairn, and I remember on the occasion where we’d come for Sunday lunch, I remember always thinking, I want to work there when I’m older.
“I have always quite liked it (baking). I would say it’s only in the last couple of years that I’ve done it more often. My granny, she was a home economics teacher, and I did quite a lot of baking with her. She passed away about two years ago, and I just wanted to try some of her recipes and then I got really into it.
“I thought there might be a gap in the market, so I set up an honesty box bakery,” she continued. “I’ve got one of those at my house, and I’m only open on a Saturday, but I’m always working on a Saturday, so I’m usually up really early, and then I put it all out to the shed, and then I rush to work, and come home and see if there’s anything left.”
Nairn has hosted the 1994 and 2021 Amateur Championships, the 1999 Walker Cup, the 1979 Women’s Amateur Championship and the Curtis Cup in 2012. Paula Martin Sampedro of Spain also won the Women’s Amateur Championship at Nairn in 2025.
Figures such as John Panton, Jessie Valentine, Eric Brown, Ronnie Shade, Charlie Green, Maureen Madill and Colin Montgomerie can boast engravings on the Championship board in the clubhouse stairwell.
Now, Felicity is providing her own touch and contribution to the club’s heritage. While she bakes mostly scones for her honesty box shed at home, her carrot cake has become popular at the club, among other things.
“It started with doing cakes for the clubhouse. People can come in and have coffee and a cake, and with the Bothy now that it’s reopened, I’m doing stuff for the Bothy,” she added.
Today, visitors making the turn are greeted not only by the Bothy’s charm but by a selection of Felicity’s creations: flapjacks, tablet, and her distinctive dark chocolate, ginger, pistachio and cranberry traybake. Her baking has quickly become part of the Bothy’s appeal, adding a personal, homemade touch that resonates with members and guests alike.
“They do seem to like it. I’m actually the longest standing member of staff in F&B, and it’s a running joke that I know everyone, and they all know me. They quite like the fact that it’s Felicity’s baking, I guess, which is really nice.
“Quite a lot of the recipes that I use are my granny’s original ones, and they’re handwritten. It’s crazy to think that this is a recipe that’s 70 years old, that’s fantastic, but still people like it, and it tastes the same. I always come back to it, even if I buy a new one, I always come back to the original.”
Given Nairn’s rich heritage and the immense links experience, busy periods are somewhat the order of the day. Balancing a busy role at the club with her baking is no small feat, but it’s a labour of love.
“It is really busy. But it’s good. I’m terrible at saying no to people, I just can’t! Of course, I’ll do that!”