Royal Dornoch Golf Club, in Sutherland, Scotland, has a history that goes back to 1616 and the young Earl of Sutherland. Little about the area has changed since the Earl dabbled at what was to become his nation’s favorite pastime. According to the ancient records, the area surrounding what was then known as the Dornoch Links is described as follows: “About this town along the sea coast are the fairest and largest links or green fields in any part of Scotland. Fitt for archery, golfing, ryding and all other sorts of exercises they doe surpass the fields of Monroe or St. Andrews.” Okay, so the language has changed, and so has the way the grand old game is played, but I’m sure you get the idea. And, even today, Royal Dornoch Golf Club places consistently among the top 100 of the world’s greatest golf courses.
Returning to the old records, little is known about the old course, such as it was, or the young Earl of Sutherland’s golf equipment. One has to think that a bent stick and a round stone must have been the equipment of choice back in 1616, but who knows? What we do know is that sometime between 1616 and 1852, the Sutherland Golfing Society came into being; its members playing at both Dornoch and Golspie. And it wasn’t until 1852, when George Dempster, a golfer from St. Andrew’s, and a party of his friends played a round on the Dernoch Links that we begin to learn a little more the them.
Dornoch Links, in 1852, played only nine holes. The original nine holes came into being in much the same way as did the “Old Course” at St. Andrews: an Ice Age glacier carved the surface of the land, deposited vast areas of sand dunes which, over time, were stabilized by the growth of gorse, heather and a variety of sea grasses. Even in those ancient times, just as they do today, the great golf courses needed the touch of a master architect, and Dornoch was no exception.
In 1883, the legendary “Old Tom” Morris of St. Andrews, was commissioned to lay out the first “formal” nine holes. Three years later, at the direction of John Sutherland, another nine holes were added and Dornoch became a full 18 holes and became a major competitor to its even older peer: the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St. Andrews where the standard for all golf courses had been set some 122 years earlier.
So, Dornoch, now boasting 18 holes of masterful design, was gaining notice among the aficionados of the great game and, in 1894, it held its first “golfing competition.” A team of 28 gentlemen golfers from Moray traveled to Dornoch links and competition began. The match was a rout for the Moray team. Dornoch soundly thrashed the visiors by a score of 246 holes to none. The Moray team, however, took their defeat like the gentlemen they were. According to the official report, “the links surpassed anything we imagined. The turf is of excellent quality. Everyone was charmed with the course.”
And so, today, it’s really no wonder that Royal Dornoch Golf Club at Sutherland in Scotland, boasts a rare reputation, not only as one of the world’s most historic golf course, but also one of the world’s top 100 golf courses.
