Great Courses of Britain & Ireland: Royal Dornoch Golf Club
History and mystique distinguish the most natural links in the world Dornoch is a supernatural place. It was here in the 18th century that Janet Horne, “the last witch in Scotland,” was summarily executed. Ever since, Royal Dornoch has cast a spell over golfers. Situated in the far north of Scotland, Dornoch is 600 miles […]
The 9 Greatest Royals Not on the Open Rota
Royal Liverpool’s turn at hosting its 13th Open Championship in 2023 marks yet another auspicious occasion for golf clubs with “Royal” connections. More than 100 clubs worldwide have been granted “Royal” status from a reigning monarch, beginning in the 1830s, when Royal Perth and the Royal & Ancient in Scotland earned the honor. Royal Liverpool, […]
Top 10 Courses: Scotland
Here are our top 10 courses in Scotland, the Home of Golf 1. ST. ANDREWS (OLD), St. Andrews Six hundred years old and going strong. The Road Hole, Hell Bunker, Swilcan Burn, and Valley of Sin all await at the world’s most famed and fabled course, which hosted a record 30th Open Championship in 2022. […]
Must-Play Links Courses That Have Never Hosted the Open Championship
Since its inception at Prestwick in 1860, the Open Championship has captivated golfers the world over. Justly branded as “golf’s original championship,” The Open, as it’s often casually called, has played host to stunning outcomes, dramatic storylines, and exceptional performances. Yet, across more than 160 years, the championship has been contested at only 14 courses. […]
The Best Golf Courses to Play at Twilight
After-dinner golf tastes sweetest at Scotland’s Royal Dornoch One of the underappreciated joys that the summer solstice yields is golf in the early evening. Some days are so much fun you simply don’t want to stop. In June and July, every golf course offers supplemental sunshine, an artist’s palette of changing colors, and fewer golfers […]
The Best Course I’ve Never Played
By Adam Schupak As the old American Express tagline suggested, membership has its privileges. For some big-name golfers, celebrities, architects, and administrators, membership in the game’s A List means access to the cathedrals of the game. As Wayne Gretzky put it, “I don’t mean to sound egotistical, but since I’ve retired I’ve played Augusta, […]
Coul Links: Scotland’s Next Championship Links?
By Adam Schupak Editor’s note: In June 2018, Coul Links received approval to enter the construction phase of the project. This article, written in fall 2017, provides useful background on what will be the newest course in the Scottish Highlands. Ever since he first played Royal Dornoch 40 years ago, developer Mike Keiser has […]
Royal Dornoch Celebrates its 400th Anniversary
The most elemental of the game’s playing fields celebrates its 400th anniversary
Royal Dornoch Golf Club, Scotland
Life in 17th-century Britain was once described as “nasty, brutish and short.” It was never dull: In England, there were the Gunpowder Plot, the Black Death and the Great Fire of London; the Pilgrim fathers set sail on the Mayflower and King Charles lost his head because he ignored Parliament and because he had […]