Change of scenery on and off the course gave Nairn Golf Club member and Muir of Ord native Jamie Whittet extra boost to win North District Championship
A change of scenery, both on and off the golf course, has reinvigorated Muir of Ord native Jamie Whittet.
Having recently started a new job with Diageo in Elgin, he is enjoying the freedom that more regular work hours is giving him – and in turn making the most of more windows to play golf.
There has been a change on that front too though. Having been a life-long member of his local Muir of Ord course, this year Whittet decided to switch things up by becoming a member at Nairn Golf Club.
All of that has only helped to build on the work he has done alongside coach Dave Torrance, and culminated in a victory at the North District Championships at Elgin Golf Course last weekend.
“Dave has really transformed my game over the last couple of years, which has made this win possible,” Whittet said.
“He has changed everything technically for the better, changing me from being a player who wanted to hit it as far as I could to actually being in control.
“I also used to have a shift pattern, because I was an operator in the distillery, so I missed out on quite a lot of tournaments because of that, but now I have the freedom to play whenever I want to prepare for a competition at the weekend which is great.
“I had always been out at Muir of Ord, but I fancied a change and joined Nairn this year, and I think that has got me enjoying my golf a bit more again.
“Being able to play whenever I want definitely helps, but just enjoying it more again has probably been the biggest factor.
“I’m still a member at Muir of Ord, I’ve been there my whole life, but when you’ve played the same course for so long it’s quite nice to mix it up. It felt like a bit of a fresh start for me.”
It has been a strong start to life in his new club, as earlier this year Whitter was part of a Nairn team that won the Moray and Nairn League.
With the reintroduction of the North of Scotland Order of Merit this year, his victory at the Districts - which he calls the biggest individual victory of his career - he could well be on course for even more success later in 2025 too.
That is not to say his victory in Elgin was straightforward. A double bogey on the final hole made it a nervous wait to see if he would hold on to top spot, but by a single shot he was eventually awarded the trophy alongside fellow Muir golfer Scott Mackenzie, who won the youth title.
“You always fancy yourself to have a chance if you play well, but I wouldn’t have said I was thinking about winning at the start – it probably wasn’t until after I had a good first round that I was in contention,” Whittet reasoned.
“I almost threw it away with a double bogey at the last hole, but I still managed to win by a couple of shots.
“I hit a really good drive down that last hole, and I maybe thought that was it, but then I hit a really bad second shot, followed by a bad third and fourth shot.
“I made a six in the end, but I didn’t know anyone else’s scores, so it’s not like I knew I needed to make a six to win. I was just trying to make the best score I possibly could, so when I walked off the green I was very unhappy – and that probably lasted for the next hour until it started to look like I would win, and then I started to cheer up a bit.
“It was a nice feeling, because it’s definitely the biggest competition that I’ve won individually.
“They have just reintroduced the North District Order of Merit for the first time in quite a few years, and this was the first event, so I couldn’t really have asked for a better start.
“I haven’t set myself any goals for this year. I’ve always been quite hard on myself, which has probably been my biggest downfall. I’m trying my hardest to just enjoy it, and hopefully the results will just come with it.”
As well as continuing to play in order of merit and club events, Whittet is also targeting the Scottish Amateur Championships in July.
