Royal Dornoch, Championship Course

The Championship course at Royal Dornoch Golf Club is set on a narrow strip of dune land, on two distinct levels. As the club themselves say, "the ridges, hillocks, dunes and undulating links land have all the characters of the best of links courses, and most of the difficulties."

The course is a joy to play, though far from easy, and in a wonderful setting that brings people back to this part of the north of Scotland time and again. Tom Watson said it was the most fun he'd ever had playing golf.

Dornoch may seem a long way from the links of St Andrews or the Scottish west coast, but with the variety, quality and number of links courses now stretching from Nairn past Inverness to Dornoch, this part of Scotland is well worth a visit, and will easily sustain a challenging week of golf for any links golf enthusiast. Dornoch could be considered the jewel in the crown of the courses north of Inverness – the links of Tain are just to the south while Golspie and Brora sit to the north.

The original 9 hole layout was extended to 18 holes by Old Tom Morris in 1886. It was old Tom that introduced the plateau, inverted saucer, greens which are such an iconic part of this golf course. The bump and run tactic frequently used to approach the green on other links simply don't work on this style of green – and pitching on is always tricky in the wind.

Most of the back 9, from the 9th holes onwards, sit just to the right of Dornoch's sandy beaches.

The Championship course was ranked No. 5 in the world and No. 1 in Scotland by Golf Digest in 2016.

There is a second course at the club, the 18 hole Struie, which also presents typical links features. Re-modelled in 2000 the Struie course measures 6,200 yards and can still test low handicap golfers.

Address:
Royal Dornoch Golf Club
Golf Road
Dornoch
Sutherland
IV25 3LW
What 3 Words:
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Telephone:
01862 810219
Pro shop:
01862 811924
Email:
bookings@royaldornoch.com
Costs (2022):
Weekday round: £210.00
Weekday day ticket: £335.00
Weekend round: £210.00
Weekend day ticket: £335.00
Trolley hire: £5.00
Club hire: £30.00
Electric trolley hire: £15.00
Buggy hire: £35.00
Caddie hire: £50.00
Multi-day tickets:
Combination Ticket - Championship and Struie: £235.00
Restrictions:
Handicap certificate required: No
Buggy hire:
Yes
Driving range:
No
Course rating:
72.6
Slope rating:
134
Buggy restrictions:
There are limited buggies, which are only available to golfers with a medical certificate and a driving licence
Airport driving times*

* For guidance only - all timings are traffic dependent.

Options we suggest:

Within 15 minutes drive time
Within 15 minutes drive time
  • Carnegie

    Links, 18 holes

    Region:
    Highland
    Town:
    Dornoch
    Weekday green fee:
    N/A
    Holes:
    18
    Length:
    6833 yards
    Par/Rating:
    72 / 70.7
    Slope:
    126
    Type:
    Links
  • Region:
    Highland
    Town:
    Dornoch
    Weekday green fee:
    £50.00
    Holes:
    18
    Length:
    6265 yards
    Par/Rating:
    71 / 70.3
    Slope:
    125
    Type:
    Links