UNTAPPED POTENTIAL IN SHARED DONALD ROSS HERITAGE
Header image: Vaughn Halyard of the Donald Ross Society pictured with general manager Neil Hampton during a visit to the Dornoch family home of the legendary golf course architect. Pic: Karen Halperin StoryLounge
THE president of the American-based Donald Ross Society believes there is untapped potential for Dornoch to enhance the town’s “tourism dollars.”
Vaughn Halyard met with Royal Dornoch Golf Club manager Neil Hampton and captain Professor David Bell during his latest visit to the Scottish Highlands.
In addition to savouring the delights of the celebrated Championship Course where local lad Ross was “keeper of the green” and the club’s first professional before being lured to the USA, Halyard seized the opportunity to reacquaint himself with the area.
A Los Angeles based media executive, whose home is in Milwaukee, Halyard heads-up a Society established in 1989 to preserve and enhance the profile of a man responsible for creating 456 courses in North America and beyond – and to safeguard the integrity of “the Golden Age of Golf Course Architecture.”
He said: “As for so many others, every time I return to Royal Dornoch, it is special for me.
“During this visit, Neil, David and I brainstormed on ways the Ross Society and Royal Dornoch could collaborate and engage going forward.
“I was impressed with the club’s excellent ideas. We discussed how we could encourage even greater economic benefits in terms of tourism dollars for the town where Donald Ross was born and raised.
“There has been welcome investment in the tourism infrastructure, with upgraded hotels, but there is significant untapped potential in expanding the narrative associated with Donald Ross.
“These bonds amplify and complement the history that makes this ancient town so special.”
The Ross Society works closely with Pinehurst, hailed as “The Cradle of American Golf.” It has been designated a championship Anchor Site by the United States Golf Association.
“It was great to see Dornoch formally signing a collaborative agreement with Pinehurst last year,” said Halyard.
“Donald Ross gave us the celebrated Pinehurst No2 course and many more after leaving Scotland.
“Businessman Richard Tufts and friends identified a young Ross as just the man to help develop the game in the States more than 100 years ago.
“The Ross Society works extensively with the Tufts Archives and the HistoryLinksMuseum in Dornoch is an obvious venue to profile the shared Donald Ross heritage.
“Dornoch and the golf club were mentioned extensively during the recent US Open coverage from Pinehurst.
“But Ross designed more than 400 courses in North America. Even in the Pinehurst and Southern Pines area, there are 12 Ross courses within five or 10 miles of each other, with many different design features.
“Ross has been a hugely influential figure in the development of golf and golf architecture in the USA.
“He ran a big machine. He was prolific and far from a one trick pony, working with all manner of terrain across the country.
“At some points he was laying out a double-digit number of courses simultaneously, working at his Pinehurst office from topographical maps drawn up by his staff.
“Ross, and fellow Scot, Alister MacKenzie, influenced generations of golf architects.
“It has been great to see various Ross courses being restored.
“At Pinehurst No2, Ben Crenshaw – an honorary member at Royal Dornoch – and Bill Coore have turned back the clock to a post-Depression era when the course was less manicured and didn’t rely on an excessive level of irrigation.
“As an aside, this design is far more efficient both environmentally, and agronomically.
“The greens proved controversial at the US Open but while the influence of Royal Dornoch is apparent in the ‘turtleback’ design and run-offs, they are less extreme in Scotland for the average golfer.
“Bear in mind, over the decades those humps at Pinehurst have grown considerably. Originally, they would have been more like the Dornoch greens Ross knew from his time as the greenkeeper and professional.
“The Championship Course is always an amazing experience for any golfer but, as the home of Donald Ross, playing there is a magical, spiritual journey.
“There is a uniquely organic, historical, and familial affiliation between Royal Dornoch and the hundreds of Donald Ross designed courses in North America and the Caribbean.
“At the Ross Society we are working with Royal Dornoch to enhance the ties between them. Each can trace a direct historical lineage to Royal Dornoch.
“Pinehurst, Seminole, and Oakland Hills share the same lineage as less well-known locations such as Cedar Rapids in Iowa, Tupper Lake in upstate New York and The Highlands in North Carolina.
“Pondering the potential of these expanded relationships with Royal Dornoch is exciting for not only the Ross Society, but by extension, the entire vibrant community of Donald Ross designed courses.”