CAPTURING THE CINEMATIC BEAUTY OF ROYAL DORNOCH  

THE beauty of the Championship Course has been captured in a sequence of cinematic short films designed to give golfers a taste of the Royal Dornoch experience in the weeks, months and even years before they tee-up on the links.  

Over an 18-week period, “The Flying Caddie” team are releasing drone footage, providing an insight on how best to approach each of the holes.  

Co-founders Karl Birch and Bastian White stress they haven’t set out to replace the knowledgeable caddies who enhance the rounds of thousands of visiting golfers every year, often while fulfilling a bucket list dream.  

Yorkshire-based Karl explained: “We wanted to tell a story and suggest to golfers how to make the most of the experience, get a feeling for the history of the golf course and how best to appreciate the amazing views, including one of the most famous walks in golf from the second green to the third tee, when it all opens up in front of you.  

“Royal Dornoch was our first choice simply because it sits very highly in any list of the top courses in the UK, and the world.  

“It all progressed from a cold email to general manager Neil Hampton and he has been incredibly helpful.  

“Our trip north combined Dornoch with Nairn and Southerness. We have also been filming at Perranporth in Cornwall, with others to come.  

“We had done our research but as the date drew closer it quickly went from excitement to being a little bit nervous, just because of how celebrated Royal Dornoch is in the golfing world.  

“Bastian wanted to film the course at sunrise and sunset to capture the natural undulations on the links.  

“Thankfully the weather and light were incredible as we got closer to Dornoch and a call to Neil and PGA head coach Gary Dingwall paved the way to filming that evening.  

“After three hours’ sleep we were back on the course, out there with the drone before the greenkeepers.  

“We were blown away by the Championship Course. Quite simply, it is incredible.  

“We were there all day, seeing the helicopters coming in and fourball after fourball and their caddies setting out.  

“As the sun started to set, we were out there again before dinner, when Neil and Gary gave us a deep dive into playing each of the holes.”  

So how did the idea of “A caddie, in your pocket” arise?”  

“We headed to Spain with friends to play some golf a year or two back,” recalled Karl.  

“We played an incredible course but there were a lot of blind shots. It took away from the excitement and anticipation we had before the round.  

“We thought there must be a way for visiting golfers to get an insight into a course before coming to play and to enhance the experience.  

“There are plenty apps for golf so we wanted to go down a different route.  

“We fly a drone for each hole from tee box to green with a 360 degree look at the putting surface and all the undulations.  

“Then we sit down with the club professional to advise us how to play each hole. It’s a real deep dive rather than just a flyover.”  

General manager Neil welcomed the captivating clips which are being released on a weekly basis.  

He said: “The lads have done a wonderful job in capturing the Championship Course in all its glory and I’m sure the hole-by-hole films will whet the appetite of any golfer planning a trip to Royal Dornoch, and intrigue our members and anyone with an interest in golf course design.”  

You can watch the videos on The Flying Caddie’s YouTube Channel.