By Donald Booker-Milburn
Golf has been played over the links of Dornoch for a very
long time. King James IV of Scotland may have played, and Robert
Stuart, Bishop of the Diocese of Catt, a St. Andrew’s man, must
have; and that was before 1600. The first six historic links of
which there are mention are: St Andrews (1552), Leith (1593),
Dornoch (1616), Montrose (1628), Aberdeen (1642) and Musselburgh
(1672). Sir Robert Gordon, tutor to a young Earl of Sutherland and
historian of the Earldom, wrote (1630): "About this toun (along
the sea coast) ther are the fairest and largest linkes, (or green
fields), of any pairt of Scotland, fitt for archery, goffing,
ryding, and all other exercise; they doe surpasse the feilds of
Montrose of St Andrews." In 1630 no golf course as we know a golf
course today had been laid out and Sir Robert’s use of ‘surpasse’
must mean ‘greater in extent’ or does it?
Royal Dornoch Golf Club, as clubs go, is quite
young. On 5th November 1877 (without fireworks) the Sutherland
Golfing Society, who played golf over the links of Dornoch and
Golspie, applied through their Secretary Alexander McHardy, to the
Town Clerk of the Royal Burgh for permission to play golf over
that part of the links of Dornoch, the property of the Royal
Burgh. Permission was granted on 9 November, 1877 "Such permission
being held by the society at the pleasure of the Magistrates and
Town Council, who hereby reserve to themselves power to withdraw
the same at any time if so advised." Permission was not given to
the burgesses of the Royal Burgh to play golf over the patrimonial
lands of the Burgh, such permission being unnecessary because they
had played golf over those lands from time immemorial. Permission
was given to the Society, some of whose members may not have been
burgesses, to play golf over the links. So the Dornoch Golf Club
was born. In 1906, by gracious permission of King Edward VII, not
without the influence of Millicent, Duchess of Sutherland, Dornoch
Golf Club was allowed to use the style, title and dignity of
‘Royal’. The House of Sutherland was later to help the club in a
most significant way, but that is to move ahead too quickly. One
shot at a time is the best advice in golf!
In 1883 John Sutherland became Secretary and
Treasurer and guided the Club and the golf courses for 53 years.
Continuity of that length lays down a sure foundation and forges a
solid tradition. Royal Dornoch Golf Club was fortunate to have
John Sutherland at the right time and the club owes much to him.
His ability at the game, his knowledge of it, of greenkeeping, of
golf architecture and of design were of the highest. In 1886 Old
Tom Morris was invited to lay out ‘nine proper golfholes’ and with
the addition of a further nine three years later, Dornoch had an
18 hole course measuring some 5285 yards. The introduction of the
rubber core ball saw the course lengthened to 5960 yards by 1904,
some 187 yards shorter than the Old Course, 11 longer than
Muirfield and 155 longer than Prestwick. The man responsible for
these changes was John Sutherland, but Donald Ross, not yet of
Pinehurst and Pan-American fame, and J.H. Taylor, Open Champion
and destined to win another four, should not be forgotten. Minor
changes, in the main subtle and merely imitating the work of the
nature, were made between 1906 and the next major change in the
early 1940’s.
Hitler’s war had an effect on Royal Dornoch as it
had on Turnberry and Princes’, Sandwich. Much of the Ladies’
course was flattened for a relief airfield in the event of more
important airfields being bombed. The decision was taken to
construct further holes out towards Embo and once again the House
of Sutherland helped by leasing the land to the Club. (The land
was later sold to the club at a price which amounted almost to a
gift).
It is only recently that Royal Dornoch has hosted
what may be called a major championship. The Home Internationals
were played in 1980 and in 1985 the British Amateur came,
Jose-Maria Olazabal hoping to defend his title. He was unlucky to
catch the wind in an evil-mood and failed to qualify. The story
that Royal Dornoch is too far away - the same latitude as Hudson’s
Bay and North of Moscow - dies hard. It may have been Ultima
Thule to the Romans, but it is the ultimate to a growing
number of golfers.
Wherein lies the appeal of Royal Dornoch? Donald
Steel has written about traditional courses inducing respect
rather than the fear that the penalty for almost perfect shots
will be far in excess of the crime. "It is not difficult," he
writes, "to make courses impossible but that is a betrayal of true
principles. The real capacity of every great golf course lies in
its appeal and its enjoyment value - enjoyment for every class of
golfer." Those remarks were made of the Old Course but they apply
with equal force to Royal Dornoch. There is plenty of room off the
tee, but where to place the drive depends on the wind and the pin
positions. If you think out your shot well, you will get your
reward. Joyce Wethered (as she was when she wrote) said "I know of
no other links which possess a more complete charm." And so say
many others.
The golfer should never forget that there is more
art than science to golf. It is a game played outside on a natural
terrain which changes throughout the year and in weather which can
change from hour to hour. The course, like many historic links,
goes almost straight out and straight back, but the angle changes
subtly at each hole; the greens are big and undulating and many
are plateaux requiring well hit shots; nothing is hidden, but it
requires a golfer playing at his best to see it all and adjust his
strategy.
The club now owns the land from just off the
fourth tee round to the thirteenth green of the Championship
course. The rest of the course and the Struie course is on land
now leased from Sutherland District Council. George Duncan (Open
Champion) was the architect for the new holes, but much advice and
help was received from D.G. (Danny) McCulloch (Club Professional)
and Robbie Grant (Head Greenkeeper).
The course today has undergone minor changes
since the 1940’s; championship tees have been lengthened and a
number of bunkers removed which were serving no purpose with the
improvement in the ball and the Club. It is to be hoped that the
R&A and the USGA will continue to monitor matters so that the
many fine courses will remain the fine test they always were.
Forced changes are another matter and make life very difficult for
the those trying to preserve a piece of golfing history.
Many have written about Royal Dornoch and one has to be
selective. Bernard Darwin never played and was conscious of the
gap in his education: "and then alas! - worst of all the
deficiencies in my education - there is Dornoch... Mr Roger
Wethered has assured me, in the most solemn tones of which he is
capable, that it is the best golf in the world." (The Golf Courses
Of Great Britain) Across the Atlantic Herbert Warren Wind wrote in
the New Yorker (1964): "In a word, I found Dornoch all I had hoped
it would be - a thoroughly modern old links with that rare
equipoise of charm and character that only great courses possess."
Many famous names have played these links: Harold Hilton, John
Ball, John L. Low (who became a member), Harry Vardon, James
Braid, J.H. Taylor, Bobby Locke, Billy Joe Patton, Bob Charles,
Jack Newton, Greg Norman to name a few. Ben Crenshaw came and
gathered further evidence for his view that golf on a natural
linksland turf beside the sea is the best experience in golf. Tom
Watson, before winning one of his Opens, came to play a round,
played three and said that he had never had so much fun on a golf
course in his life.