“TREMENDOUS” CHANGES ENHANCE THE CHAMPIONSHIP EXPERIENCE
ROYAL Dornoch is proud to have become a fixture in the annual lists of the world’s top golf courses.
The changes carried out to holes seven and eight on the Championship Course in recent years have been warmly welcomed.
The 2023/24 “Golf Monthly” Top 100 covering the UK and Ireland sees Royal Dornoch listed at number six.
As has become the norm, it is in the mix along with Royal County Down (at number one), the Old Course at St Andrews, Trump Turnberry Ailsa, Muirfield and Royal Birkdale.
Carnoustie Golf Links, Royal Portrush Dunluce and Sunningdale Old and New make up the magazine’s impressive top 10.
The “Golf Monthly” list, partnered by apparel brand Peter Millar, is compiled by a senior panel and “knowledgeable, regular club golfers who are enthusiastic about golf course architecture.”
They hail “forward-thinking” Royal Dornoch as “a captivating place that will leave an indelible imprint on the memory.”
Reviewer Fergus Bissett said Royal Dornoch was not a club content to rest on its laurels, highlighting the “tremendous” work carried out to enhance the golfing experience and spectacular views of the sea and hills from the 7th and 8th holes on the upper level of the glorious links.
Fellow panellist John Slater said: “For a golfing experience it sits just below Pine Valley and St Andrews, but only by a smidgeon.”
Neil Hampton, general manager at Royal Dornoch, has welcomed wide-ranging positive feedback on the changes made to the Championship Course.
“We are delighted with the response from members and visitors alike to the changes made to the alignment of the 7th and 8th holes,” he said.
“In many ways we were turning back the clock, so these holes are played the way envisaged when the course was extended in the 1940s and long before technological developments transformed the game.
“By removing some of the gorse the views have become even more eye-catching than before, and I’m glad to say these holes quickly blended in with the landscape.
“They look as if they have been there forever – as the ‘Golf Monthly’ visitors discovered.
“When they pay us another visit in advance of compiling their 2025 list, I’m sure they will be even more impressed, now that our greenkeeping team have had another full growing season behind them.”
Click on the link to view the full Golf Monthly UK&I Top 100 – Golf Monthly Top 100 Golf Courses UK and Ireland 2024