|
Mark,
My knowledge of the far North of Scotland is not that great,
geography-wise. But there is one course up there which shouldn't
be missed.
Royal Dornoch looks to be about 30-40 miles south of Wick, or
about 1/2 inch on an AVIS map. It is one of the best courses in
Europe. Peter Allis rates it as one of his top five, along with
St Andrews, Ballybunion, Portmarnock and Wentworth(?). Only its
geography makes its less well know than the others. It first
came to prominence in the 1920's, when the local champion beat
Harold Hilton in the then UK Championships. You may recall that
Harold Hilton was the first person to win The (British) Open at
Muirfield. Offended by this defeat, Harold challenged him to a
return match at Dornoch, and was very impressed by what he saw.
Word quickly spread that Dornoch was on a par with the best
courses around. It was originally laid out by Old Tom Morris,
ex-greenkeeper at St Andrews. The story goes that Dornoch now
has a membership of 2000+, of which 200ish are local, and the
rest are international members, who only play once a year. I fly
there with a friend every Spring. We had hoped to go again in
September, but can't quite fit it in - foolish person had a baby
only last week.
I've played Dornoch about 8 times now, and it is stunning. See
note 8.137 for an interesting story. True Links course, few
blind holes, with the best greens you'll ever wish to play on.
Be careful though, they are starting their Winter preparations on
Monday 14th September. This means they will be hollowtining the
greens and scarifying the fairways. Still a great location, but
the greens will be poor for a week or two after that.
Travel a bit further south, and you can play Nairn. Again an
excellent Scottish links course, full of bumps and hollows.
However, this may be a bit too far to travel. It must be 60-70
miles from Wick.
I'll call a friend in Dornoch, and ask him to recommend other
courses in the Wick area.
|
|
Mark,
Dornoch is about 80 miles south of Wick. Still worth the trip,
though. But I think travelling to other courses like Nairn and
Forres is a bit too far.
There are 3 courses in and around Wick; Wick itself, Thurso and
Brora. All of them are good links courses. They are prone to be
a bit windy. Take your one-iron.
Hope you have a great time.
Randall
|
| Randall
I never got anywhere near Dornoch!!
Ackergill Tower is an amazing place. It offers fishing, shooting,
archery, walking as well as all the other outdoor sports you would
imagine. In addition the hospitality is brilliant. Wanting to leave a
lunch table of the magnitude they offer and walk round a wet, windy
golf course takes tremendous willpower.
However, I did manage a couple of rounds at the course next door called
Reiss Sands. My first experience of a links course was very
enlightening, however I really enjoyed the scond game. Amazing what
difference it makes when a force 7 wind reduces to nil!
Looking forward to my next visit to Scotland courses.
regards
Mark
|