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Scotland on my Mind by Dan King
Monday June 24th - Thursday June27th
Royal Dornoch Golf Club |
I found my home. When making money stops being a concern in my life, I found where I want to live. It's a little two story place along the second hole. It's a white house with large bay windows. There is a green trimmed balcony outside the second floor bedroom in front. Sitting at this balcony you can watch the play to the first hole, The entire second hole, tee shots on the third, play to the sixteenth, some of the seventeenth and the entire eighteenth hole of the greatest golf course in the world. Every time I walked by this house I imagined myself sitting on the balcony, a cigar in hand, reading a good book and occasionally looking up to watch the golf or just to look out the Dornoch Firth and the North Sea beyond. I guess my visualization techniques are going beyond golf shots.
It is right now 6:00 in the morning and I just got back to my hotel after playing my fourth and final (for now) round over these marvelous links. Since we are heading to St. Andrews this morning, I got up at 3:30 this morning to sneak in that final round. It was special. The weather has been very cooperative while we were here. This morning, at the crack of dawn I didn't even need a sweater. It was a gorgeous morning in the Highlands.
Three things stand out as special this morning:
The 7th hole at Royal Dornoch is up on a hill above the rest of the course. In a sense, it is a hole that doesn't really fit with the rest of the course. It stands a good 70 feet above sea level. Despite it being slightly out of character, it is a fine hole. When I finished the climb from the 6th green to the 7th tee, the sun had finished rising but the cloud cover kept it from being bright out. The 7th fairway goes off to the northeast with the North Sea in the distance. There were bright orange and yellow sun rays shining down out of the clouds framing the green 423 yards away. The North Sea was glowing from the rays. I just stood there for minutes taking the whole experience in.
While playing the 8th hole, I hit my tee shot right. The drive on this hole is blind, going back down to sea level from the tee. I went hunting around in the gorse bushes on the right, looking for my Titleist. I didn't find my ball, but I did find a Dunlop 65. It's the smaller British ball. I had thought they stopped production of these smaller balls many years ago. But there it was in fairly good condition. (I later looked it up, The R&A had outlawed the 1.62 ball from competition in 1976, however, they didn't outlaw it from regular play until 1990. The Dunlop 65 I found was made up until 1990.)
Foxy is the name of the 14th hole. I played this hole three times before and the results had been a bogey, double bogey and BIP (Ball in Pocket). Things were going from bad to worse. Foxy is a 407 yard par-4 without a single bunker on the hole. It doesn't need bunkers. There are plenty of hazards with out bunkers to get in the way. The driving area is incredibly tight, with the requirement you must be on the left side to have a shot at the green. The right side has 6-foot high sandhills and large grass bunkers all the way down the fairway. The green sits on a plateau, 8 feet above the fairway. There's room to miss the approach right, but never short, left or long. Chipping from below the green is hazardous. The green is only about 20 yards deep, but over 40 yards wide. This morning, I made par. A decent drive down the left, a 3-iron to the right of the green, a decent chip to 6 feet and I made the putt. I almost thought of heading in after that, why spoil my happiness. But I played on, and my good play on Foxy inspired me to play the last 4 holes in 1-over level-4s.
We arrived in Dornoch from Nairn on Sunday evening. Dornoch is a very quite little town. The city is dominated by the large cathedral in the middle. We were staying at the Dornoch Castle Hotel directly across from the cathedral and square. The hotel is no more than 3 blocks from the course. Prior to checking-in at the hotel, we went over to the course. While my friends shopped for shirts, etc.., I walked out to check out a few holes. It was around 7:00 at night on a lovely Sunday evening, and there were few golfers on the course. I asked the pro what was the earliest time I could come out to play the next day. We had an 11:30 tee time, but with first light at 3:30, seems I could easily get in a round prior to our tee time. He told me nobody was there before 8:00, but if I wanted I could come out and tee it up earlier than that.
I arrived at the course at 4:30 on Monday morning. Figuring it would be cold, I wore a long sleeve cotton shirt. I could have worn a short sleeve shirt. It was far too warm at that time of day to come dressed the way I did. I lightened my bag to 8 clubs (driver, 3-iron, 5-iron, 7-iron, 9-iron, wedge, sand club and putter) and went out. I'm not sure of the course fit my game or inspired it, but I played some of my best golf in Scotland. I shot an 81 from a combination of the regular and medal tees. Later that day, with my mates, I finally broke 80 for the first time in Scotland, shooting a smooth 78 which in included 2 double-bogies.
During the first day I saw
fellow Internet Golfer Mike Vose
Dornoch has a long history in golf. The earliest written record of
golf in Dornoch is from 1616, putting it behind only, Perth-1503,
Aberdeen-1538, St. Andrews-1553, Leith-1554, Seton-1567, Glasgow-1589
and Elie also in 1589. That is considering only written record. If
golf really did originate in the Low Countries, it could have
originated in Dornoch. Dornoch was an active port between the Low
Countries and the highlands.
The course itself was laid out in 1877 by Old Tom Morris on one of
his many excursions from St. Andrews. Notice with the old architects
we say the course was laid-out, while the newer architects claim
to design a course. Nowhere I've seen in the difference between the
two so remarkable as Royal Dornoch. To lay-out a course means to
leave the terrain the same and find 18 suitable hole sites. To design
a course, the terrain can be modified to fit what the architect
wants to see. The naturalness of Royal Dornoch is wonderful. I am
amazed that some of the choices for hole sites were made and how
wonderfully the site for the holes work.
Once Tom Morris laid-out the course, over the next 50 years, John
Sutherland, the club secretary made modifications to the course. For
a time in the late 1800s he was assisted by his protege, Donald
Ross, prior to Ross' immigration to the U.S. In America we usually
only mention Donald Ross. But here in Dornoch, his younger brother,
Alex, is often mentioned with Donald. Alex won the U.S. Open in 1907.
Both brothers were born at No.3 St. Gilbert's Street. The ivy covered
flat is still there, just down the street from the town square.
The course is routed well. Leaving the clubhouse we head North toward
the sea. After completing the par-3 2nd hole, we go over a sand dune
to the 3rd tee, and from there we see the course lay-out ahead of
us. A 40 foot high sand dune covered in gorse runs down the entire
left side of the course. When the gorse is in bloom, I'm sure these
next few holes are stunning. Holes#3, #4 and #5 are somewhat similar.
An elevated tee shot down to a fairway that gradually moves from
right to left, with a fairway sloped toward the right. The 6th hole
is a par-3, with the elevated green back in a little hollow against
the gorse covered sand dunes. After the 6th, we climb up to hill,
above the gorse to the 7th tee. The 8th hole is a blind tee shot to
a green that is the farthest point on the course. The par-5 ninth,
par-3 10th and the par-4 11th get us around the 7th fairway gorse
covered hill, with the sea to our left. The next 4 holes go around
a small inlet, with 16 heading back up the hill to the clubhouse.
17 and 18 are tucked between the 16th hole and the first hole.
There are only 3 blind shots on the hole. The tee shot on the 8th, over
a ledge. The approach shot on 16, with the green raised 30 feet
above the level of the landing area. The final blind shot is the
tee shot on 17, similar to the 8th, it's a blind shot over a ledge
to a fairway that turns left.
While Dornoch is clearly links land golf, there are features that
influenced Donald Ross designs. The crown greens, making it more
difficult to bump and run a shot up. The greens also make it
difficult to fly a shot in because the green is usually crowned on
all sides. The pot bunkers around many of the greens have also become
am American feature on Ross courses. Many of these bunkers are so
small, there isn't really room for the ball and the golfer. Many
of the fairways, specifically #3, #4 and #5, slope away from the
dogleg and toward hazards. Ross has also incorporated natural
protection of green sites. Objects other than sand bunkers and thick
rough. Large mounds and deep dips often act as protection on front
of the green. They can be negotiated, but not casually.
We head to St. Andrews in the morning, but I can't imagine any
experience topping my time at Dornoch. A great little town along
with a great and challenging course. Fred Couples and Greg Norman
are playing a Shell Wonderful World of Golf match at the neighboring
Carnegie Course at Skibo Castle. How much better it would be if they
played in here at Royal Dornoch. The course could easily host an
Open with minimal change but for its remoteness. Royal Dornoch
did host the 1985 British Amateur tournament.
"Forget Cypress Point and the others. This is easily the finest
course in the world. The absolute number one. I am not going to
tell anyone about Dornoch. I want to keep it to myself, the way
it is, and come back every year until I die."
--Peter Dobereiner
"It is the most natural course in the world. We in America are just
beginning to appreciate that no golfer has completed his education
until he has played and studied Royal Dornoch. It conveys to the
modern golfer the evocation of golf at its best."
--Herbert Warren Wind
"Let me put it this way, I nearly did not come back."
--Ben Crenshaw, on playing at Royal Dornoch prior to the 1980 Open
at Muirfield.
"There at 18 hours of sunlight a day here in the summer, and the
golf is so good that it's difficult even to enjoy the hospitality
of the upstairs club bar for very long before going back out for
another crack."
--Tom Doak
My favorite holes on Dornoch:
Every bluidie one of them. I'll give some examples of some of the
holes, but to single out holes here, makes the other appear weak.
There isn't a less than excellent hole on the course.
Hole#3 par-4 398 yard (Earl's Cross)
We have left the short second, and now cross a rise to the 3rd tee
where the entire course is now laid out ahead of us. The tee shot
is elevated to a fairway, 30 feet below us. All along the left side
is a 40-50 foot sand dune completely covered in gorse. The fairway
below is wide, but gently slopes toward a series of 4 bunkers,
down the right side. The tendency is to hit the ball left of the
fairway, into the fairly closely mowed heather and wins. However,
the ideal point to come at this green is from the right side of the
fairway, with the green sloped from back right to front left. The
bale out area on your approach would be the left side. The right
side would leave an uphill and blind shot.
Hole#4 par-4 403 yard (Achinchanter)
Somewhat similar to the previous hole. Again an elevated tee shot,
but not as elevated as the third. Again a gently dogleg left, but
more gentle than the third. Again the slope of the fairway is
toward the right, but now instead of sand bunkers you have a very
nasty ridge all the way down the right. Roll off the fairway, down
this ridge and your next shot will be in heavy whins and blind.
The ideal landing area on this hole is now left of center on the
fairway. The green is once again elevated, but more so than the
third, with 2 pots left and 2 right ready to catch balls that don't
make it up to the putting surface. The green is deceptively large,
some 50 yards deep and cut in half between a large, high back tier
and a lower front.
Hole#5 Par-4 317 yard (Hilton)
Once again, similar to Number#3 and Number#4, but now with it's
own new set of problems. The tee shot is much more elevated,
some 40 feet above the fairway. The fairway again slopes toward
the right, now to bunkers, too numerous to count. Some clear in
view, but many others hidden from the tee. A series of 3 cross
bunkers wait up toward the green for those wanting to be too
aggressive on there tee shot for this short hole. The green is
once again very deep, some 5 yards from front to back, but this
time it is also very narrow, only about 15-20 yards wide in spots.
Hole#6 Par-3 163 yard (Whinney Brae)
Probably one of the toughest, short par-3s we have played. The tee
shot is only slightly elevated, but the small, narrow green is on
a little shelve in the gorse covered sand dune. Wind conditions
are tough to figure with this hill appearing to protect the green
from the wind. Miss the narrow green right, and it will roll down
the hill, making the chip blind. Two difficult bunkers on the
left protect against those trying to play close to the hill. I
twice parred this hole by topping a 5-iron that hit all the humps
and bumps just right and rolled up to the putting surface.
Hole#11 Par-4 446 yard (A'chlach)
A tough hole, made tougher by the hazard to the left, the North Sea.
The tendency is to hit down the right to avoid your ball landing on
the beach. A single hidden bunker waits on the right side of the
fairway to catch those overly cautious. (It's actually only 200
hundred yards out from the regular tees.). The best angle to
approach this green is from the left side of the fairway. There
are two pot bunkers on the green, a small one left, and one right
which is just about on the green itself. It would be possible
to be on this green and have this bunker between you and the pin.
Hole#14 Par-4 439 yard (Foxy)
This is a hole that can completely change depending on pin placement.
There is not a single sand bunker on the hole, but there is no need
for one here. The fairway is very narrow, with sand dunes and grass
bunkers down the entire right side of the fairway. The ideal tee
shot is down the left side and incredibly long. Miss the fairway
left, and you'll have trouble finding your ball in the longer
heather, let alone hitting it. The green is very shallow, but very
wide. It sits up on a plateau all by itself. A right side pin
placement gives a bump and run option from the fairway. A left
pin placement leaves only a soft, high shot, since the green is
especially narrow here. Anything coming in hard will easily roll
off the back of this crowned green. Pars on this hole are usually
accomplished with a great chip and a good putt.
Hole#15 Par-4 298 yard (Stulaig)
Depending on wind conditions, a reasonably easily driven par-4.
Two large sand dunes frame the fairway. From the tee they appear
to be parallel. In reality, the right sand dune is 30 yards closer
to the tee than the left one. The ideal tee shot is over the right
sand dune, leaving a very simple chip to a raised green. The green
is large, with many humps and bumps, but is slightly tilted from
back left to front right. A bunker at the front left can catch
balls that are chipped from the left side.
Hole#16 Par-4 395 yard (High Hole)
A par-4 that plays much longer than the yardage. A constant
uphill struggle to reach this green. Heavy gorse down the right
and a quarry down the left. From around the middle of the fairway,
it slopes to the left, and down into the quarry. The fairway has
two level driving areas, one around 220 and the other around 240.
To have a shot at the green, you need to reach one of these two
areas. The second area gives a much less blind shot to the hole.
A 6 foot high sand dune protects the right front of this extremely
large green. All of the days we played, the pin was behind this
dune.
That's it from Royal Dornoch. Talk to you tomorrow from St. Andrews.
Dan King
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