To The North IV: DORNOCH

[Sean_A]

I can honestly say that this trip has been one of the best in memory.  The condition of all the courses was good to excellent and the rough was manageable - I didn't lose a ball in over 5 rounds!  To top it off, our longest round was just under 4 hours.  Unfortunately, I can't say I won the Cup despite this miracle.  Playing off a society cap varying from 1 to 2 was a big ask for me and I am not ashamed to say I failed!  None the less, I played some very good golf for me, scoring in the 70s three days even though this only netted me 30ish points.  Such is life.  

The biggest surprises at Dornoch were the greens and #11.  I didn't remember such movement in those greens and how fiendish some hole locations could be.  Dornoch really does have a great combination of greens, bunkering, contours and wind.  A most impressive course to be sure.  I will only run through some of my favourite holes because so many pix of Dornoch are floating about.

The 2nd is one of those holes which is austere, but I think necessary.  The target is bigger than appears on the tee, but that is not to say the hole is easy.  This hole also features that unintentional hazard, the footpath.  Balls must hit on that hard pan on the right and hop into those blasted gorse bushes with at least some measure of consistency.  


This guy was driving me bonkers with his bunker play.  I don't think he made a successful first attempt escape all day.  I tried to explain that all he needs to do is open the face and swing into the sand.  He insisted on playing these bunkers like the ones we have in the Midlands, clay based with little sand.  


I liked the 4th primarily because of the raised aspect of the green.  The front part falls away quickly so trying to stick it in tight is a great risk-reward option.  The second day we played the hole was up front.


Now here is the swing of a guy looking to rest his back!


The 5th is a completely different hole when the pin is right back.  On the second day the hole was in the centre of the green, it wasn't nearly the challenge as this photo depicts.


If you hit your drive out to the right where all the trouble is and with a more difficult angle of approach like some bonehead I know this is what you face.


Ah, the 6th, where much of the time nothing but your best will do.  I must say, this hole is over-rated.  I hit a flat 5 iron to 8 foot and sank the putt - piece of p_ _ _.


#6 from the rear.


A look at the 6th from the 11th green.  There is plenty of goodness in severity.


#11 is the hole that I couldn't believe I forgot.  Its a cracker!


Just in front of the green is swale and here is the bunker about about halfway up the green.  Also, this baby slides from front to back.  


Among the excellent holes are excellent shots to take on.  This long approach to #12 after a cracking drive is one such shot.  There is nothing working in the player's favour, its uphill/sidehill, rough guarding the line of approach and moreso with the wind off the left and a bunker to catch out the slightly offline hit.  Yet, for some reason, this shot looks inviting.  Many must get suckered into going for it.


Sometimes I don't go for it.  For some reason I layed up in the perfect position and hit a lovely wedge in to secure my second birdie of the day.


Need I say more?




I hit a stonker, but I am in jail.  The odd thing is that I knew it as soon as I struck the tee shot.  I tried to hit a cutty sark well out left and get it running down wind and up the bank - I failed.


The 17th is a lovely hole.  I reckon we had it easy playing into the wind.  It must be a bear trying to decide what to do with a strong tail wind.


A really solid drive put me here.  I hit what I thought was a great wedge in, but this is Dornoch.


You can see that nasty ridge on the left of the green.  It sort of creates a ramp effect with the right side of the green which is banked and sends balls away from the front of the green.


That then is Dornoch.  I might have seen one better course than this in all my days, but I am not positive of this.  There is so much fun to be had that nobody could fail to love Dornoch.  Its well the journey up even if its only for this course.  I give Dornoch a 6.8.  I can't help but feel that if I were to play this course many more times that it would likely become my favourite course in all the land.  

Ciao

[Tom Huckaby]

Fantastic review.  One can never get enough of Dornoch.  Thanks, Sean.

[Philip Gawith]

I love your understatement about the 2nd _ "this is not to say this is an easy hole." You don't say!!!

Interesting that back flag on the 5th - my recent rounds the flag was right at the front which makes a lot of difference. You really want to be coming in from the left, but it is difficult with all that gorse to get yourself to finish the swing and finish where you should!

I enjoyed your boast re the 6th - that is someting worth boasting about!

You are right about the accommodation situation which is simply dire. I am sure De Savary will help, but it will be top-end - it won't do anything to fill the 60-80 pound/night slot which many would prefer.

The clubhouse has never really bothered me, but difficult to argue that adds much to the experience.

[AndrewB]

#11 is the hole that I couldn't believe I forgot.  Its a cracker!

Just in front of the green is swale and here is the bunker about about halfway up the green.  Also, this baby slides from front to back.

According to the club's history book, this green was originally played as a par three with a tee in an area somewhere near the current sixth tee.  It was a wide front/narrow back green sloping towards you then, but now it's the reverse.

On the first round during my recent trip, the hole was cut on the front right here.  I haven't seen this hole location before and it sure is difficult, bringing into much of the trouble shown in your picture.

The 17th is a lovely hole.  I reckon we had it easy playing into the wind.  It must be a bear trying to decide what to do with a strong tail wind.

I prefer playing this hole downwind much more since it makes the club selection much easier for me.  "All" you have to do is get your ball to bounce over the edge just left of the marker and you'll end up fine since the wind will help it to run out.  Into the wind you have to hit a lot more club, try to carry your shot all the way to the bottom or bounce it down but risk leaving it up top (which some people prefer, actually).

Thanks for the pictures.

[AndrewB]

You really want to be coming in from the left, but it is difficult with all that gorse to get yourself to finish the swing and finish where you should!

Indeed.  This is a very wide fairway but the flat portion is actually very narrow, making this seemingly easy shot very challenging.  Everything right of left-center will kick well right, so a bail to the right will kick even closer to or in the bunkers.  As you said, it takes a lot of guts to hit it down the left side here, but the benefit if you pull it off is significant.

[Mickey Boland]

Our B & B host in Dornoch said the hardest shot on #2 is the second shot.  After failing to get it up to the green level from off the right side on my first attempt, I believed him.

[AndrewB]

With some of the adventures I've had on that tee, I don't think I can ever bring myself to hit a wood from it again.  I hit four iron (~185) with no wind in firm conditions and it usually two-hops down the hill leaving a mid-iron.  Into the wind I will hit a two iron and hope it gets down to the bottom.  Down wind I've hit as little as a "bunt" five iron and just bounced it down.

I've never seen a ball stop on the hill there, but if that were a possibility then I think the shot would be much more challenging.  Trying to fly your shot all the way to the flat portion of the lower fairway sure scares the heck out of me just sitting here, let alone standing out there on the tee box.  I've always thought that a ball that just gets over the edge would always reach the lower fairway and that the speed with which the ball was traveling controlled how much it moved off to the right (like a putt, almost).  One day I'd like to stand at the bench there and just watch how the balls behave over that hill.  The same thing for eight as well ...

Hopefully Rihc will see this and inform us whether the rough on the slope of 17 has ever forced balls to stop there.  It would have to be pretty long, I think.

[Philip Gawith]

It sounds like you played 11 with the wind behind you Sean. With the wind into you it is such a hard hole - as tough I reckon as Foxy and 18 (into the wind). Partly it is the length, partly the perils of the drive, and even if you hit the green it is huge - though I suppose you could say the same for 18.

[Philip Gawith]

I suppose in future those flying into Inverness will have to ponder whether to add Castle Stuart to their agenda. I watched the Mark Parsinen video on YouTube that David posted - quite an interesting PR idea.

[Philip Gawith]

Yes, 16 is controversial - some consider it a great hole, others don't like it. Personally I like it. There is a bit of local knowledge to the drive which you have just set out, but it is not impossibly difficult, and the second is a real challenge - especially judging length uphill to largely blind green. And then the view from up there over the bay is special. So I like the hole!

Re 18 - yes that little ditch feature is very challenging. Did you notice the aircraft-carrier type landing deck on the left of the green where the ditch runs out? In theory you can pitch that and run on, but I don't think I have ever used it because it does not suit my shape. But if you were hitting a fade and pitched on it, you can imagine it would work. But you would have to be quite good to hit that target!

[AndrewB]

Yes, 16 is controversial - some consider it a great hole, others don't like it. Personally I like it. There is a bit of local knowledge to the drive which you have just set out, but it is not impossibly difficult, and the second is a real challenge - especially judging length uphill to largely blind green. And then the view from up there over the bay is special. So I like the hole!

There is more discussion about the 16th in this old thread.

[Philip Gawith]

Andrew, thanks for the link to the other thread.

My main impression is that if Sean had only bothered to do his research, he would have learnt from Rich's post Number 2 exactly why his driver up the middle was doomed!

As for Herbert Warren Wind - well, "even Homer nodds"!

[Philip Gawith]

Sean - so you and Ed Getka would not be natural golfing partners!

I agree with you re 7 - the hole does not have that much to recommend it, other than exactly what you describe, which makes it fiendishly difficult to get the ball close.

I really like 1 - very well described by Andrew in the linked thread. It looks very innocent, but can easily knock you off your stride. So too 9 - if you play it cautiously it is ok, but if you are ambitious it can also unseat you quite quickly.