David,
I bow to your superior knowledge of the course and your avoidance of the rough.
My experience of Golspie and Royal Dornoch is intermittent over a 40 year stretch and having a friend who is a member of RD has given me the opportunity to play it about 20 times. The first time I played in the 80's in April I remember a wispy rough and the undulations outside the fairway being clearly visible.
I also remember a period in the 2010's where the rough was thick and nasty.
In fairness when I played a couple of times last year 2023 in October the rough had been dramatically cut back.
From my own experience generally the condition of the rough is dependent, not only on the time of year and the amount of rain, but also on ecological restrictions during part of the year to protect bird nesting and plant seed reproduction, usually till the end of July.
Then comes maintenance practices when low man power and machines can restrict the greenkeeper team from controlling the rough. Not a problem for RD any more.
I'll look forward to visiting the highlands 2025 and if you are around it would be fun to compare notes on the conditions of the rough, particularly Brora, and their impact on our hearts.
Cheers
John