Royal Dornoch needs no introduction — and yet no introduction quite does it justice. Consistently ranked among the top five courses on the planet, this is a links of timeless character and rare natural beauty, set in a small Highland town where golf has been played since 1616. The club was formed in 1877, and Old Tom Morris laid out the eighteen holes we essentially play today when he visited in 1886. The course was further refined by club secretary John Sutherland over fifty years of devoted service, and Donald Ross — born in Dornoch and tutored by Sutherland — carried its influence to America, where his crowned plateau green style shaped the design of Pinehurst No.2 and countless other classics.

The Championship Course is a masterwork of natural architecture. The outward nine rises to a spectacular clifftop ridge before returning along the Dornoch Firth, with plateau greens that are among the most admired and imitated in the world. The par-3 sixth, the long par-4 fourteenth and the sweeping closing hole are regularly cited among the finest holes in links golf. Conditioning is impeccable throughout the season, and the town of Dornoch itself — with its cathedral, castle ruins and warm Highland welcome — makes the experience complete.
The A9 now brings Dornoch within a comfortable hour of Inverness. Make the pilgrimage.