Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course: Review, Tee Times and Key Info

Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course Key Information

45 miles north of Inverness, there’s a sense of splendid isolation to be found on the fairways at Royal Dornoch Golf Club, where you'll enjoy one of the very best golf courses in Scotland that consistently ranks in the top 10 in Golf Monthly's Top 100 Golf Courses UK & Ireland rankings.

The earliest confirmed evidence of golf in Dornoch dates from 1616 meaning 2016 marked 400 years of the sport in the town.

The Golf Club was founded more recently, in 1877, and in 1886 the members invited Old Tom Morris to travel north to Dornoch to lay out a more formal course over the links. He was responsible for creating Dornoch’s famous plateau greens with their perplexing upturned saucer shaping.

Tom Watson, an honorary member of the club, described the links as “One of the great courses of the five continents.” The philanthropist and industrialist Andrew Carnegie said of his home in Dornoch, “If there is heaven on earth, it is here.”

Are the plaudits and praise justified? In a word, yes. This is a captivating place that will leave an indelible imprint on the memory.

The first eight holes follow the ridge of dunes skirting the inland perimeter of the course. All of these are tremendously memorable but the two par 3s stand out. Both the 2nd and 6th are devilishly difficult short holes where missing left or right of the putting surface can spell disaster.

The 9th turns to trace the coastline back towards the town. It’s a testing run of holes, from the long par-4 11th, to the bunkerless 14th “Foxy” with its rascally plateau green, to the dog-leg 17th where you must decide whether to play short from the tee leaving a long shot in, or to fire over the marker pole into the unknown.

Royal Dornoch is not a club that rests on its laurels and they are constantly looking for ways to improve their offering. The new 7th provides great evidence of this – A slight change in direction now sends you more out to sea, towards a green sitting at the top of the hill with only the Dornoch Firth and the expansive sky behind.

Following those dramatic improvements to the 7th hole, work has been undertaken to enhance the 8th hole. The tees have been shifted to change the playing characteristics and a significant amount of gorse and soil has been removed to open up the vistas of hills and sea.

What The Top 100 panel said

James Pinkstone

Dornoch has all the allure of the Open rota courses despite having never hosted the competition. Taking a photo under the sign on the first tee is a right of passage for a course enthusiast, and then the course doesn’t disappoint.

John Slater

For a golfing experience it sits just below Pine Valley and St Andrews, but only by a smidgen. The condition is excellent. Given the amount of footfall it gets, they are doing a great job in maintaining the course to a high standard. From the 7th tee the view is fabulous and throughout the round you are aware of the sea.

Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course Location

Visit the Royal Dornoch website for more information

Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course Scorecard

Best Courses Near to Royal Dornoch

BRORA GOLF CLUB

A James Braid masterpiece that epitomises the great Scottish professional’s ambition to create challenging but fair layouts while making full use of the natural terrain available. The links land is firm and undulating with natural swales, humps and hollows across the whole course. Brora delivers an authentic golfing challenge with holes following the contours of the ground as they sit.

CABOT HIGHLANDS

Castle Stuart Golf Links at Cabot Highlands is a classic modern links that has earned a reputation as one of Scotland's finest. Clinging to the edge of the Moray Firth it delivers spectacularly scenic golf. It's a former host to the Scottish Open and the place oozes class.

Best Places to Stay Near Royal Dornoch

Dornoch Castle Hotel - Book now at Booking.com
Situated directly opposite the inspiring 12th century Dornoch Cathedral, the Castle Hotel is just a short walk from the golf course. Characterful and historic, it also has an excellent restaurant.

Royal Golf Hotel - Book now at Booking.com
The ultimate in convenience, the hotel is set basically on the first tee of the Championship course and many of the rooms have great views over the course. It offers stylish and comfortable accommodation.

Links House at Royal Dornoch - Book now at Booking.com
For supreme luxury, the Links House is simply beautiful. It's furnished with old-school furniture and original art works. The breakfast is to die for and you're only 200 yards from the 1st tee.

Royal Dornoch Golf Club Championship Course Gallery

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Royal Dornoch Championship Course Historical Top 100 Ranking UK&I

• 2025/26 - 5
• 2023/24 - 6
• 2021/22 - 6
• 2019/20 - 7
• 2017/18 - 7
• 2015/16 - 8
• 2013/14 - 9
• 2011/12 - 12
• 2009/10 - 17

Frequently Asked Questions