Captain James Brander of Pitgaveny, also a founding member, leased the land to the club and Old Tom Morris the St Andrews professional designed the layout.

Initially, there were only 16 holes but within a year the course was extended to 18 by leasing land from Sir William Gordon Cumming.

The club found itself in a political dispute during the First World War over the membership of Ramsay MacDonald, who was from Lossiemouth and then an outspoken anti-war Labour MP.

A special meeting was held in the Burgh court house in Elgin on 1 September 1916 at which a London barrister moved that MacDonald had forfeited his right to membership; the motion was carried by 73 to 24.

[1] An attempt to rescind the motion in July 1924 (when MacDonald was Prime Minister) failed to secure the necessary two-thirds majority.