HIGH FIVE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE
ROYAL Dornoch members are proud the club is listed regularly when the conversation turns to the world’s finest golf courses.
Unlike many leading golf clubs, especially in the USA, the Championship Course is accessible to non-members.
With 2025 round the corner, Golf World has revealed its biennial “Top 100 World Public Access Courses” ranking, which appears in Today’s Golfer magazine and on its website.
Royal Dornoch is again ranked at number five on the highly regarded list.
As in 2022, the Championship Course is at the top of the tree with St Andrews (Old), Royal County Down, Royal Melbourne (West) and Turnberry (Ailsa).
Muirfield, Royal Portrush (Dunluce), Bandon Dunes (Pacific Dunes) and Australian duo Cape Wickham and Kingston Heath complete the top 10.
Golf World’s Top 100 Courses editor Chris Bertram said: “Whether panellists were from GB&I or as far away as Canada or Australia, the affection for Royal Dornoch was universal. Some would have it even higher in the list.
“‘Royal Melbourne West’ is a fine course but is not as good as Dornoch in my opinion,’ wrote one North American panellist who has played more than 80 of the 100.
“Dornoch’s appeal is in its rare ability to offer a beautiful setting as well as intriguing, memorable holes and being a sufficiently stringent test for the strong player yet be playable and joyous for the higher handicapper.
“The World Top 100 is naturally the most competitive list we compile and to be a fixture at the top of it is testament to the pedigree of one of the game’s most alluring experiences.”
Chris noted that the top 25 was weighted towards GB&I courses.
“Are we biased? Well, I cannot stress enough that it is the overseas panellists who are most adamant about GB&I’s elite,” he noted.
“We are just very, very fortunate that the best courses in GB&I are, almost without exception, free to be played by non-members.”
Neil Hampton, general manager at Royal Dornoch, is pleased to see the Championship Course again featuring prominently in the Golf World top 100.
“It’s always heartwarming to see Royal Dornoch ranked high in any list of the world’s best courses,” he said.
“Rankings like this are always a great talking point over with a beer with members in the clubhouse and I’m sure it’s the same elsewhere.
“We often hear that visitors have our Championship Course on their bucket list because it always features highly on lists of the finest links courses in world golf.”