Royal Dornoch Golf Club

Golf has been played at Royal Dornoch since 1616. It has been said that the lay of the land here surpass the fields of St. Andrews, with 360 degree views, turf with a smooth and velvety feel, and a layout which features mostly straightforward holes with raised greens. Originally, a 9 hole course, Tom Morris was selected in 1886 to update the original 9 & in 89, to lay out the other 9. The natural features of the land provided the plateaus and outcroppings for the greens and the natural contouring and undulation of the fairways. The view from the course is to the Ord of Caithness on the Northeast to the hills of Aberdeenshire in the south, is the Scotland Highlands before you. In the early 1900’s, Sandy Herd first played with the new rubber-cored ball which immediately replaced the gutty. John Sutherland, the Club’s Secretary and his committee, had to remodel the course as a result of the faster ball and Dornoch became the 5th longest course in Britain. In 1906 the club was granted the Royal Charter by King Edward the Seventh and Royal Dornoch Golf Club was born. The birthplace of Dornoch’s most famous former resident, Donald Ross - a green keeper who emigrated to the United States and laid out hundreds of golf courses – is located not far from the club on St Gilbert Street. Dornoch is located four degrees below the Arctic Circle-the same latitude as Juneau, Alaska, and is about 5 hours from Glasgow. The area benefits from a micro climate that avoids the extremes of winter, and is more warm and dry than the rest of Scotland in the summer. It's always rated as one of the top courses in the world. The layout is very challenging, and the views very engaging, you must play it at least twice to really appreciate it.