London & Scotland recommendations

[Rich Goodale]

Sean

My ship is sailing nicely, thank you.

Art

Sean has the right to his point of view even if it is addled.  Caveat lector.

Rich

[CJ Carder]

Art

If you are going to be in Dornoch, it is a no brainer to play another round there rather than see Brora, Nairn or Cruden Bay, or anywhere else for that matter.

Just imagine if you were in Monterey and had the choice of:

1.  A game at Cypress Point or Pebble Beach plus a game at Spyglass or MPCC

2.  Two games at Cypress Point or Pebble Beach.

A no brainer, IMHO, and since Dornoch is a better golf course than Cypress (and maybe even better than Pebble), and Brora, Nairn and CB are inferior to Spyglass, get a brain transplant if you choose any other option!

Regardless, enjoy!

Rich

Despite my respect for Sean's opinion, I think Rich hit the nail on the head here.  To me, Dornoch is one of those courses where your appreciation of it grows with each additional round.

[Brent Hutto]

My June agenda calls for four rounds at Dornoch's championship course, plus a possible fifth round one evening. Since we'll be there all week that also leaves me room for rounds at Golspie and Brora (more likely 36 holes) and once around the Struie as well.

I think playing some of the other courses is a must-do given that we'll still have multiple rounds at Dornoch. But I certainly wouldn't let any of the others pull me away from a second or third round at RDGC if I only had a single round scheduled there. Brora is the pick of the litter but I think someone had the correct analogy in making it the Spyglass Hill to Dornoch's Pebble Beach or Cypress Point.

Art, I know what you mean about connections when you originate at CLT. It isn't nearly as simple to travel Charlotte-Inverness and return as it would seem it ought to be. At least you found a 12.45pm flight, the only ones available when I was buying tickets left at more like 2.30-3.00pm and I just couldn't stomach overnight on the plane, half a day sitting around Gatwick and then another couple hours on a commuter. I need some fresh air and movement or I'll conk out before lunchtime. Are you using that USAirways A333 direct CLT-LGW? That's a very comfortable flight as overnighters go.

[Art Roselle]

Brent,
Yes, I am on the CLT-LGW and then have a few hours before the 12:45 to Inverness.  Not too bad in the big scheme of international travel.  I have certainly done worse (last time I ended up on a connection to Edinburgh through Brussels.  On the way home, they had a nice baggage handler strike and my clubs sat in a Belgian warehouse for three weeks.  At least it was not the way there).

We are already playing 36 at RDGC, so I am leaning to one more round there and one at Brora.  Then again, I may stay at Tain and just get sauced at the Glenmorangie House on Saturday.  That can't be a bad way to spend a day.

How far a drive is it from Dornoch to Brora?  It looked like about 30 minutes, provided I do not have a head-on collision on the wrong side of the road.

[rchesnut]

One more vote for Walton Heath....the old course, not the "new" one.  Wonderful place.   

[Tony_Muldoon]

How far a drive is it from Dornoch to Brora?  It looked like about 30 minutes, provided I do not have a head-on collision on the wrong side of the road.

Allowing for 30 mins is plenty.

Brent, if playing  the Struie on the same day make it before the main course, although it has many fine holes there's no comparison.  The further I got from the clubhouse and the flatter the land became the more I regretted not paying up to play the big one twice.  I would play it again, but only as an appetiser.

[Bill_McBride]

How far a drive is it from Dornoch to Brora?  It looked like about 30 minutes, provided I do not have a head-on collision on the wrong side of the road.

Allowing for 30 mins is plenty.

Brent, if playing  the Struie on the same day make it before the main course, although it has many fine holes there's no comparison.  The further I got from the clubhouse and the flatter the land became the more I regretted not paying up to play the big one twice.  I would play it again, but only as an appetiser.

Tony, they made us play both courses our first day at Dornoch next month.  That will be our only round on the Struie.