Golf has been played on the links at Dornoch in the county of Sutherland for more than 400 years, with the earliest written references dating to 1616.
The site is currently a bustle of activity with a new clubhouse under construction and other major expansion plans. At the same time, members and guests come for around the globe to play the Championship and Struie courses.
Founded in 1877, with the Royal title bestowed in 1906, the club will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2027 and will host the Curtis Cup the following year. Here, general manager Neil Hampton shares all about the considerable developments at Royal Dornoch.
Tell us about your links with North America.
We enjoy close ties with Pinehurst in North Carolina, which is regarded as “The St Andrews of America" through the legacy of legendary golf course architect Donald Ross who was the “Keeper of the Green” and the first professional at his hometown club in the Highlands before emigrating to the US.
Many of our American visitors seek out the Ross family home near the ancient cathedral when they come to play the Championship Course, which has been rated number two in the Golf Digest rankings of the world’s finest courses outwith the USA.
Our Honorary members include Tom Watson and Ben Crenshaw, whose visits in the 1980s helped revive the fortunes of the club.
What does the Championship Course offer?
A classic, natural links created over two tiers framed by the Dornoch Firth, with banks of gorse and distant mountains, the Par 70 Championship Course has five tee options, with a yardage of 6,754 off the blue tees. The slope rating from here is 136.
Old Tom Morris expanded the original 9-hole layout with Open winner George Duncan and greenkeeper George Grant laying out a post-war extension. Mackenzie and Ebert have handled more recent changes.
The four Par 3 holes, with their distinctive plateau greens, are regarded among the finest grouping in world golf. The 14th, the Par 4 “Foxy", is our signature hole and famed for having no bunkers to contend with. Nonetheless, a bogey on the card there is no disgrace.
How many members do you have, and how many visitors do you host each year?
The unprecedented demand for membership has forced us to close the lengthy waiting list, but given our deep roots as a community club, locals continue to enjoy access provided they live in the area for more than 10 months of the year.
We have more than 2,300 members of the Championship Course and the Struie, with around 700 based outside the UK, ranging from Argentina to Australia. At the last count we had members in 24 different countries.
Our commitment to introducing golf to local schoolchildren was recognised in the accolade as the Golf Foundation’s “UK Junior Club of the Year” for 2024. More than half the local primary students – boys and girls – are participating in our junior section coaching sessions.
We attract visiting golfers from around the world – many of them American – and more than 40,000 rounds are played on our two courses annually.
What’s new this year at Royal Dornoch?
A £13.9 million, environmentally-friendly clubhouse is under construction and on target for a soft opening in 2025. We are all looking forward to providing five-star facilities to match the world-class reputation of our golf courses.
The club is also investing heavily in the increasingly popular Struie Course. A new Par 3 hole with an infinity green will be in play in the spring and a high-tech irrigation system is being installed over the winter months.
We have been recognised for our commitment to sustainability and this will allow our greenkeepers to direct water to greens, tees and fairways at the touch of a button on their phones or laptops.
Looking further ahead, the recent acquisition of an adjacent 50-acre parcel of land will allow us to re-shape the Struie Course in years to come and enhance our practice facilities and academy holes.
What upcoming events at Royal Dornoch are you most looking forward to?
In recent years the club has welcomed events like the Scottish Amateur, The R&A Women’s and Men’s Senior Amateur Championships, the Vagliano and Junior Vagliano Trophies, the World Hickory Open, and the Varsity March between Oxford and Cambridge.
We are looking forward to the Curtis Cup being played at Royal Dornoch in 2028. Next season we will welcome the Northern Open and, of course, our historic Carnegie Shield is one of the most famous trophies in club golf.
What makes Royal Dornoch truly special?
Serial Major winner Tom Watson declared after a visit to Royal Dornoch that it was “the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course". That is quite an accolade.
There is a timeless element to the photogenic Championship Course and its global reputation has encouraged visits by everyone from Jack Nicklaus to President Bill Clinton, Michael Jordan and Gareth Bale.
We want visitors at Royal Dornoch to leave knowing they have experienced a warm Highland welcome and one of finest links courses to be found anywhere on the planet.
Access the entire series of Around the Greens here.
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