Royal Dornoch (Championship)

In the late spring, when Dornoch’s omnivorous gorse is in full bloom and the evenings seem to last forever, there can be few finer spots on earth for the true golfer. Yet despite its entirely justified reputation for peace and glorious isolation, reaching the region of Sutherland, in Scotland’s extreme north east, is now relatively straightforward. 

Protected on at least two sides by the hills of Sutherland, Dornoch, much like St Andrews, enjoys a micro-climate of surprisingly dry and mild weather. That’s not to say it can’t get wild up here, just that it happens less frequently than you might reasonably expect from a course so far north of the equator. 

This is a land of brooding mountains and wild scenery; of simple, generous hospitality and self-reliant people still living largely off the land. On a calm day, an almost eerie calm falls on the links, punctuated only by the roar of an occasional jet on an RAF training mission. Otherwise it’s a simple contest – just you and your ball against a course of rare cunning.

 

The much-improved A9 puts Dornoch within a comfortable hour’s drive from Inverness, with the capital of the Highlands now boasting an airport that connects with most major UK cities.

2024 notes: Golf had been played here for the best part of 300 years even before Old Tom Morris arrived in 1886. Most recently, MacKenzie has made dramatic changes to the 7th and 8th, opening up sea views.

 
Visit Royal Dornoch's website here.
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Royal Dornoch is the United Kingdom’s third oldest club. It is believed the game was first played here in 1616, meaning only St Andrews and Leith can definitively pre-date it. Surprisingly, it was not until 1877 that a club was formed, and that is why the club’s crest bears two dates.

The current layout is based on the original work of five-time Open Championship winner Old Tom Morris, under whose tutelage Donald Ross served an apprenticeship, although there have been significant amendments since. 

Ross would later return to change the course in the late 1920s, making significant changes to the opening two holes. 1920 Open Champion George Duncan and the former half of MacKenzie and Ebert have also made changes to the Championship layout.

Royal Dornoch has played host to the Amateur Championship, Scottish Ladies Championship, the R&A Home Internationals, 
 

Dornoch’s defences are largely based around the greens. There are no pot bunkers, few blind shots and relatively generous landing area from the tee. The difficulties are much more subtle than that.
 
Raised greens reject average shots while chipping is at best awkward and at worst  – try recovering from missing the short 6th to the right – close to impossible. Putting, meanwhile, can require the deftest of touches. Being on the wrong side of the hole on several greens is a three-putt waiting to happen.
 
It would be misleading to suggest the chip-and-run is redundant here, but it is certainly less of a prerequisite than at other links. Because of the plateaux greens, bumping chips into banks – that most subtle of short-game skills – is sometimes the only way of getting the ball close to the hole.
 
Dornoch’s location has long precluded it from hosting any international championships, although that may change with the new and improved access. One consequence is that it has not been repeatedly lengthened over the years and so even for the average player it is not impossibly long. So although scoring well is exceptionally difficult, Dornoch tends to bleed the bogeys and doubles from you in a gentle fashion. Like being the victim of a pickpocket, you don’t see it coming until it’s too late.
 
That feature is encapsulated by the gentle start: a drive-and-a-pitch par four followed by a short hole and then a downhill tee shot at the 3rd. It can’t and doesn’t continue. The 4th is the first of Dornoch’s more famous holes, where a hog’s back fairway must be found from which to attack the devilishly contoured green.
 
Another elevated tee at the 5th gives a prime view of the 10 bunkers that decorate this hole, and the raised green is set at an awkward angle to the approach. Missing the green at Whinny Brae, the short 6th, hardly bears thinking about, due to three pernicious bunkers left of the green and a steep slope to the right. Negotiate that, and a walk through the gorse up to the next tee takes you to the 7th, played on a ledge a level above the rest of the course. It’s by no means the most seductive hole on the course, simply 463 yards of unrelenting par four, and arriving at the 8th is a relief in more ways than one.
 
From an unremarkable beginning, the fairway crumbles away then sweeps gloriously down towards Embo point and the Dornoch Firth. At this furthest point of the course begins a stretch of eight consecutive holes played parallel to the ocean. The 10th is another short hole where the putting surface simply must be located while the 11th, a long par four, features a huge green protected by a nasty bunker.
 
Dornoch’s best-known hole is the 14th, or Foxy. This S-shaped double-dogleg par four is an anomaly, since it does not feature a single bunker. The best line for the drive is dependent on the distance, and from the right side of the fairway, the pin can appear to be cut in the middle of the rough, because the green extends so far to the right. Trying to establish a safe way of carrying the ball onto the raised putting surface without simply running off the other side is a real conundrum. The 16th, High Hole, is the only one to travel significantly uphill but it’s worth it for the views. The 17th is another with a split fairway, and from the lower level a view of the green is denied. Instead, the approach must be flown blind over a dune with a large bunker cut out of it.
 
The last is long, straight and demanding with a patch of rough in front of the green making a running approach impossible. It is a worthy if unspectacular closing hole. Yet somehow it encapsulates both the course and the region. Just as Madonna seems to have concluded, life in the Highlands owes much more to substance than style.

Where is Royal Dornoch located?
Royal Dornoch is situated in the Scottish Highlands. It is also on the coastline of Scotland, with players on the Championship Course enjoying views of the North Sea. The A9, which runs from Falkirk to Thurso, is just a couple of miles from the entrance to the golf club. The likes of Brora, Golspie and Tain are all in close order to Royal Dornoch, in a wonderful part of the world for golf.

Both Golspie and Tain Stations are around 10 miles from Royal Dornoch, sitting in opposite directions. Trains on the Inverness-Wick line run through both stations, but on an irregular basis. For international travellers, Inverness Airport is around an hour from Royal Dornoch, while those coming from further afield may have to fly into Edinburgh, which is around four hours to the south.

Is there a second golf course at Royal Dornoch?
The Championship Course is one of two 18-hole layouts at Royal Dornoch. The venue is also home to the Struie Course, which also holds a place on the NCG Top 100s: Scotland list. 

What golf facilities does Royal Dornoch offer?
As well as having two 18-hole golf courses, Royal Dornoch has a covered driving range, along with practice nets, a short game area and putting green.
 

What are the green fees at Royal Dornoch?
The price of a green fee at Royal Dornoch changes throughout the year, depending on the season. It is also different depending on whether it is a weekday or weekend. 

 

For more information on current green fees at Royal Dornoch, visit their website here. 

 
Visit Royal Dornoch's website here.
Go back to the NCG Top 100s Homepage.