the vision of the future for the championship course at royal dornoch golf club

The Vision of the Future for the Championship Course

Royal Dornoch Golf Club July 2015

Introduction From The Captain

Dear Member,

The Council of Management engaged Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie and Ebert, who are currently redeveloping Turnberry. Tom was brought up in Dornoch and has been a member since his junior days. We asked Tom to look at both courses and give us his opinions. He prepared a very detailed hole by hole document for the Championship Course and for the Struie. At this time we are concentrating on the Championship.

The majority of the changes relate to the bunkering and in particular the positioning. Some of the bunkers are no longer in play and need to move back – for example the small pot bunker behind the large bank to the right of the first hole. Tom proposes moving this bunker some 20 yards nearer the green to bring it more into play.

Any proposed alterations to the course will only proceed when the members have given their consent at the relevant AGM.

The first major alteration for member’s consideration is around the 11th green, 12th tees and 12th fairway. The plan is to remove the old 12th Medal and Box tees and in so doing, re-shape the left of the 11th green. Move the 12th Yellow and Red tees over to the left in line with the existing 12th White tee and move the 12th fairway to the left so creating a wider barrier between the 5th and 12th holes. This will also give us a sharper dog-leg hole which will hopefully give the longer hitters something to think about. On the Club’s web site you will find a fly through of the area in question that Tom has prepared for the members to give them a better idea of what is planned. This proposal will go to the AGM of 2016 for the members to vote on.

Jim Seatter

Captain

Introduction From Mackenzie & Ebert, Golf Course Architects

Introduction From Mackenzie & Ebert Ltd.

Mackenzie & Ebert, golf course architects, are links course specialists, advising 10 of the 20 courses in the UK and Ireland. They also advise 6 of the 10 courses on the Open Championship rota and, in

July 2015, they started a substantial project to bring The Open back to Royal Portrush after more than 6o years. They are also about to embark on the ambitious upgrade of The Ailsa Course at

Turnberry. The new 9th hole at Cruden Bay was created under their guidance in the autumn of 2014 and they are also advising the likes of Portmarnock, Saunton and Royal Cinque Ports.

Tom Mackenzie, a partner of the practice, has been associated with Royal Dornoch for more than 30 years and has played the course hundreds of times under differing conditions. Taking his golfer’s hat

off, the Club appointed him to carry out a detailed historic research study of the course leading to recommendations for the course. The research for this included the sourcing of historic aerial

photographs, trawling through the Club’s archive and working with the Dornoch Heritage Society. This allowed a picture to be painted of how the course evolved since the days of Old Tom Morris and, as

far as possible, which features date from when. The findings were perhaps not revolutionary but various points of interest were found that really helped in under-pinning the ongoing advice to the Club.

The following recommendations are the summary of the more involved study that was produced. They have been inspired by the historic research and their clear aim is to try to keep the quality of

Dornoch’s golf offering as good as it possibly can be. Members are, quite correctly, hesitant to change things, but it must be understood that many drive bunkers, for instance, have not moved for more

than a century. Some even are remnants of holes that no longer exist. Consider the profound changes in equipment and maintenance that have happened over the past century and it is clear that doing

nothing is sanctioning huge change, albeit by the back door. Virtually every single links course is adapting to the modern game. Dornoch’s magnificent greens continue to defend the course admirably, but

refreshing other aspects is timely and justified if approached sympathetically.

Tom Mackenzie

Description

Some minor fine-tuning is recommended here. It is a good loosener of an opening hole with a fine green, but the bunkering is

becoming increasingly obsolete.

The major adjustment is to move the small pot bunker on the right so that it is on the upslope and much more in play.

At the green, the main recommendation is to make the back left shelf usable in tournament conditions. It is just too small and the

contours too severe. It was clearly intended to be a pin position—why else would it have been created? Ease it off and use it.

Recommendations

1. These bunkers are irrelevant to modern play (except the odd shank) but they are

part of the arrival experience at Dornoch, so leave them.

2. Fill in the first bunker and move it on by 35 yards.

3. Try to restore the heather between the 1st and 18th holes.

4. Consider adding a bunker on the left in the crater. It would be a big feature, but

it would in fact keep play moving because it is easy to lose balls in that area.

5. The front right bunker appears to have guarded a little more of the front of the

green. Extend it round a little when next revetted.

6. Raise the back shelf so that is half as deep which will also enlarge it. Make it big

enough to be a tournament standard position. This may involve building out the

surrounds a little as well.

1st Hole

1

1

2

3

4

5

6

5

The tiny pot bunker was once much bigger and one of a pair, the other being further on and right. It would be better moved on by 35 yards

so that it is the range of better shots that are too far right rather than just punishing poor shots.

NEW BUNKER

FILL THIS BUNKER

This was a bunker in the past

and the fairway extended out

to here.

There are remnants of heather here. It

would be great to try to restore it to

form a barrier between the 1st and

18th holes.

Existing View

1970

1st Hole - Existing View

Proposed View

1st Hole - Proposed View

NEW BUNKER

FILL EXISTING BUNKER

There are remnants of heather here. It

would be great to try to restore it to

form a barrier between the 1st and

18th holes.

The front right bunker used to guard the front of the green a little more prominently. When next re-worked, slide it around across the front a little more.

Existing View

1st Hole - Existing View

Proposed View

1st Hole - Proposed View

2nd Hole

No Recommendations

2nd Hole

A classic par three.

No Recommendations

3rd Hole

3rd Hole

The revisions to the 3rd hole executed in 2013 under the guidance of Mackenzie & Ebert were inspired by the view from the old tee before it was lowered.

Description

The only recommendation here is to consider the creation of a back tee that would add about 20 yards. This will mean

that more players will be landing in the original landing area.

The drawback with this is that there will be limited interference with the 3rd green, with players waiting for each other,

although this is already happening in tournament play, so it is not really a big issue.

Recommendations

1. The addition of some length is appropriate to help bring the original landing area

back into play more of the time. It is accepted that this will interfere with the 3rd

more than is currently the case.

4th Hole

1

The green design with its angled approach and bunkering and the rolling green is, quite simply, a masterclass in links golf design.

This disguises the fact that the hole is less formidable than it once was, which is a real shame.

4th Hole

Description

The drive has changed a bit over the years as a result of the new equipment. A minor re-shuffle is appropriate by filling

in the first bunker and adding some hills on the right to separate the 5th from the 12th fairway more.

The drive bunkers may look more dramatic if they were left more rugged and wispy.

Recommendations

1. The first bunker used to be much more in play than it is now. It is better to fill it

in.

2. The possible re-alignment of the 12th fairway would create rougher terrain right

of the bunkers. It has always been a slight weakness that dreadful teeshots could

be rewarded with a shot the green from closely mown turf. This will no longer be

the case.

5th Hole

2

1

Cutting the green back to the

front bunkers is only a recent

action as the aerial photographs

from 1970 and before clearly

show.

It has created some fiendish pin

positions, but players are

generally hitting in much

shorter shots nowadays so this

is appropriate.

Existing View

5th Hole - Existing View

Proposed View

5th Hole - Proposed View

Description

Things change gradually without people noticing. How much has the sand built up on the left of the green over the years.

Returfing has taken place, but have the levels been checked? It is quite possible that they have increased quite a bit. Taking cores

out may show where the original soil levels are and the sand build up can be compared with the right side. It is recommended that

once the investigations have been done, that a detailed levels survey is undertaken to establish a benchmark for future

assessments. This is a green that succeeds because it is on the edge of being fair and unfair. It is easy to slip onto the wrong side of

the line.

Royal Troon concluded that the Postage Stamp green had suffered adversely on this front and a re-levelling exercise was

undertaken. Recoveries from the left had become completely impossible whereas before they were possible but difficult. The same

could be true here.

The same is true of the gorse which has crept down towards the green over the years. Some re-balancing is required.

Recommendations

1. Monitor levels across the green to ensure that it does not become too sloping.

2. The whins have crept closer and closer to the edge of the green and bunkers over

the years making the hole increasingly penal. If really poor shots end up in the

bushes then fine, but when people can lose balls within two or three yards of the

green, then that cannot be right.

6th Hole

In 1970, there was little gorse on the left of the hole.

2

1

Another par 3 to strike fear in the heart. A question to ask is whether sand build up on the green has created too much of a tilt

from high left to low right. It is recommended that cores are taken to see whether that is the case. Royal Troon discovered that

this was the case with the Postage Stamp and took action because the green was becoming so severe. It would make sense to

have a really detailed survey of it the green, so that there is a baseline set of data for future generations and to avoid debate.

6th Hole

Everyone assumes that the whins have always been left of the hole, but that is not

the case at all. They have become very much part of the character of the hole but

they have certainly crept closer and closer to the green edge—too close in places,

being only a couple of yards away at the back left of the green. That cannot be right.

Description

The drive bunkering on the 7th has always seemed a little odd. When the hole was originally designed, they were

significantly closer to the tee than the green on a par four that usually plays downwind. They do not really make sense.

Furthermore, they sit in a bay in the bushes, so balls long and short of them will often end up lost. It is recommended

that this is addressed.

Fill the first two bunkers in and add two new ones further up on the left, recreating the triangular formation, but a little

more stretched out. The far bunker will sit on the high ground, just before it drops down into the valley beyond.

A slight weakness of the hole is that when conditions are dry and the hole is playing downwind, the longer players are

free to drive huge distances leaving only a short shot in. For this reason, it is suggested that two further bunkers are

added on the right where there are some lovely little humps that are perfectly suited for the purpose. They will be out of

range for many, but they will give the hole a little more shape.

The loss of the heather detracts from the character of the hole. Put a plan in place to restore it.

Recommendations

1. There has been a steady loss of heather in the carry and on either side of the hole.

It would be good to restore it as heather was very much part of the character of

the upper holes until recent years.

2. Re-organise the drive bunkers so that they are more relevant to the modern

game. Recreate the same sort of configuration but site them so that they

challenge the better players more, being close to the ideal play line. The far

bunker is sited around 270 yards from the tee.

3. New downwind bunkers for hard and fast conditions give the hole more shape

and make longer drivers really have to shape their shots from the tee. At more

than 300 yards from the tee they are not in play for shorter players.

4. This bunker used to be more angled so that it was more visible from back down

the fairway and its effective width was greater.

5. Open out the views from the green and try to create a heathland area in the

foreground and up to the edge of the ridge.

7th Hole

3 4

5

2

1

1

4

The teeshot has been over-powered by the modern game. The bunkering needs to be refreshed.

Existing View


The first two bunkers on the left are removed and replaced with two further on. Two additional bunkers are added on the right that will feature in firm fast downwind conditions.

Proposed View


Recommendations - 7th & 8th Hole Idea

7th & 8th Hole Idea

The view from the 7th tee, once the breath is back, is one of the great ones on golf. The green is certainly an interesting and challenging one, but it has to be said that if the

hole was being designed today, then surely better use would have been made of the bank on the right and the views. Once the view from the tee has gone, then the gorse

dominates and the sea is not really visible until the 8th fairway. Given that the views are so much part of the Royal Dornoch experience, as any review of the course confirms,

it seems odd that this is the case.

It is fully accepted that there is no great appetite for revolutionary ideas, but it would be remiss of a long term planning document such as this not to raise this. There is a

certainly another way to configure the holes which offers considerable advantages and is worthy of consideration. The easy thing, of course, is to rule it out immediately.

Similarly, the safe route would have been to omit it from this report as well, but it definitely has merit. The plan is opposite, although there could well be other options and

variations. Sometimes, thinking the unthinkable is an important part of a planning exercise. Many great courses have embarked on more ambitious plans than this.

Description

The 8th remains one of the holes by which many people remember the course because of the glorious view from the hill down to

the green with the beach in the background, but the hole has lost much of its strategic richness over the years, unless it plays into

the wind. Longer players no longer have a decision to make because they all play down to the bottom. The result of this is that the

fairway on the upper level has become smaller and smaller.

The proposal here is to add a further Blue Tee back in line with the main tee so that the teeshot plays parallel to the top of the

slope and to clear out all along the top of the ridge, extending the fairway accordingly. This new tee adds about 20 yards, although

more could be added. The clear intention is to make it more challenging to drive down the bottom and to make more players

consider the upper level as a landing area again.

Other than that, ensure that the heather is retained and restored on the upper level.

At the green, it is recommended that some minor regrading is undertaken at the back right and back left to create areas suitable

for pin positions. As greens have become faster, finding good, varied and fair pin positions becomes increasingly difficult and the

8th is a severe green that would benefit from a few more safe pin positions, even if they are not very easy to get to.

Hole Changes

1. Add a new back tee that adds 20 yards or perhaps even more.

2. Restore the heather in the carry.

3. Clear along the right of the ridge and expand the fairway.

4. Carry out some localised regrading to create pin positions at the back left and

back right of the green to increase options when the greens are at full speed,

especially on windy days.

8th Hole

2 3

4 1

2 4

Blue 434 Yards - White 434 Yards - Yellow 389 Yards - Red 375 Yards Par 4

Proposed Blue - 456Yards

Back right area levelled off a

little to create a pin position.

Back left shelf

eased off.

8th Hole

Carry some localised regrading to create pin positions at the back left and back right of the

green to increase options when the greens are at full speed, especially on windy days.

Description

Of all types of hole, par fives are the ones that have been most adversely affected by new balls and clubs. Longer players

are starting to assume that every par five is reachable in two shots and is therefore an automatic birdie chance. The

challenge is to make them think more. Limited addition of length will help in the case of the 9th, because there is a

wonderful tee position alongside the beach. This tee makes it proportionately harder to carry the ridge on the 2nd shot,

which gives such a big kick forward. The tee adds about 30 yards.

The next recommendation is to slide the right approach bunker left and to sit into the ridge. It will be in the line of play

more and it will not be perched up in the air.

Over the ridge, the main suggestion is to move the front left bunker over by 3 yards and towards the green by about the

same, so that the bunker is tighter to the edge of the green.

The right bunkers have got significantly smaller over the years and one result is that it is now easier to miss them right

and end up with an easier chip onto the green.

Recommendations

1. New back tee on the shoreside adds about 30 yards.

2. Fill the right approach bunker and add one on the edge of the fairway and set

into the bank, where it will be much more in play.

3. Move the front left bunker over by 3 yards and towards the green by about the

same, so that the bunker is tighter to the edge of the green.

4. The right bunkers were much larger before and they must have guarded the

right of the green surrounds much more. They have become much smaller now

and it is quite easy to accidentally skirt them and end up in a good position.

Restore their sizes and slide the far one further up the side of the green.

5. Lower the 10th back tee by about 2 feet and shallow out the banks

significantly using that material.

9th Hole

2

3

4

5 1

4

Blue 529 Yards - White 529 Yards - Yellow 491 Yards- Red 435 Yards Par 5

Proposed Blue - 561 Yards

The 10th tee is not a great addition to the

view with its steep banks.

Approach bunker is wide and perched up

into the air so that balls can only fly into it.

Existing View


10th Tee lowered. Left greenside bunker over

towards the front of the green.

Restore the size of the right

bunkers and try to stop balls

running around the right into

good position.

Bunker moved over and sat at foot of

bank.

Proposed View


Description

There are three observations and recommendations on the 10th.

The back tee is an ugly feature on the 9th which is otherwise one of the most beautiful holes in golf. Age has not softened it and

something really should be done. Lowering it by 2 feet (600mm) will make almost no difference visually and the arising material

plus some extra should be used to shallow out the banks and soften their appearance with humps and bumps.

The final suggestion is potentially more controversial. Dornoch’s short holes are undoubtedly one of its greatest strengths. It

cannot be right therefore that this hole is close to unplayable if the greens are firm and fast and it is playing downwind. It

becomes a lottery whether or not players can hit an upslope in order to stay on the green. If a downslope is hit then the ball will

probably run off the back and towards the 11th tee. It is interesting that the 13th had a similar arrangement in 1954 and yet it

was altered to create an approach, sometime before 1970. It seems odd that it was done on the 13th and not on the 10th. It is not

suggested that such a bold plan be adopted on the 10th, but that the central front bunker is rotated and the right bunker eased

right to make a small apron so that, with skill, there is a little more room to land the ball short.

Recommendations

1. Lower the 10th back tee by about 2 feet and shallow out the banks significantly

using that material.

2. There really is no need to cut from tee to green. Let more of it grow into wispy

rough.

3. Rotate the large front bunker and ease the right bunker right to make it just

possible to land the ball short and run the ball on.

10th Hole

2

3

1

13th Hole - 9th March 1954 13th Hole - 10th May 1970

The 13th was altered to make it possible to allow shots to land short and run on.

This is great par three into the wind but in firm and fast conditions, luck plays too much of a role when the hole plays downwind.

Existing View


The front bunker is rotated a little and the right bunker is slipped a little right to create a small apron increasing shot-making options.

Proposed View


Description

The 11th was designed to be played from the edge of the beach and not from the right tees. Although the elevation of the right tee has its

attraction, it does, however, introduce a forced carry on a course which otherwise does not have them. The fairway is largely obscured and

there is no way of really knowing where to go. It is better to stick with the left tee and to gain a few yards on this line.

The drive bunkering has been changing constantly since the hole was built and a further re-adjustment is required again. Even with the

addition of a back tee, the drive bunker is wide and a little too close to the tee and too far from the green. It simply stops balls from going into

the bushes - not really the role that a bunker should play. There is a hump about 10 yards further on and 5 yards into the fairway which

would be the ideal its relocation, narrowing the wider right route at about the correct distance.

The approach bunker adds little to the hole and it hardly influences the thinking of the better player, merely punishing the shorter hitters. If

a goal of this report were to reduce the numbers of bunkers, then this would certainly be a candidate for removal. Moving it to another

location was considered, but there is not really a good position on what is already a very tough approach.

At the green, the old back tee was added as an artificial feature. Now that it is abandoned, it should be removed, making the penalty for

missing the green more consistent. It will also make maintenance a little easier, reducing the need for hand-cutting of the banks.

Recommendations

1. Add a back tee that adds about 20 yards to the Blue Course.

2. The right tees do not improve the hole - quite the reverse and they

should be reserved for winter play. Make the most of the beach-side

location of the left tee.

3. Move the right bunker further on and into the fairway, sitting it into

the existing hump.

4. If there is a will to reduce bunker numbers then this is one which

could be removed without loss to the strategy of the hole.

5. Remove the old 12th medal tee and restore the bank as it once was,

as the old aerial photos show.

11th Hole Blue 449 Yards - White 446 Yards - Yellow 434 Yards - Red 426 Yards Par 4/5


2

3

4 5

1

2

5

The drive bunker is really wide and is only stopping balls from going into worse trouble. Existing View


It is moved on and into the fairway. Proposed View


Description

The 12th is an unsung hero of the course. It is not showy and the first few times of playing it may not stand out, but it is a hole with

one of the strongest strategies on the course. It is made by a brilliant green design with its angled surface and the hump and the

long hollow guarding the left of the green and the perfectly placed greenside bunker. Placement is at a premium with the approach

shot. This strategy, however, relies on the green being only just reachable by the longer players as this forces them to consider

whether to go for the green and risk missing it long and right or left or whether to lay up. For this reason, a back tee on the line of

the current tee is proposed which extends the hole towards 570 yards.

The move to the left tee is in fact quite faithful to the original design of the hole but there are criticisms that the big hump obscures

the view and kicks balls off at odd angles. The proximity of the 5th and 12th teeshots has always been a bit of a weakness on the

course, with some terrible shots being rewarded with fairway, albeit the wrong one, so a plan to regrade the hump and re-align the

fairway can be used as an opportunity to move the fairways apart. It would also give the 12th more shape and would force the

longest hitters to play a more accurate shot. Currently, their landing area if they can carry over the road is a generous 48 yards, so

accuracy is hardly at a premium. Modern par fives need more defence than this.

The next recommendation involves filling in the shallow round saucer of a bunker close to the 4th approach. It is a bunker that few

will have been in often and it should be replaced with a new bunker about 25 yards short of the right approach bunker. The aim is

to make the lay up shot more demanding, encouraging players to either go to get past the bunkers or to lay up even further back.

The existing approach bunker is perched up in the air a little and the extensive divot short of it shows that many more balls would

go in if it were shaped to gather shots.

Recommendations

1. New Back Tee

2. The Yellow And Red Tees Are Moved Over To Be On The Same Line As The Back

Tees.

3. New Path Created

4. Create Rougher Ground Between The 12th And 5th Fairways.

5. Remove Existing Hill And Create New Hills Of A Similar Scale To Create An Angle

On The Fairway.

6. Fill Bunker

7. Add a second approach bunker to make lay up shots that bit more demanding.

12th Hole

1

2 3

4 5 6

Existing Blue 535 Yards White 535 Yards Yellow 490 Yards- Red 472 Yards Par 5

Proposed Blue 571 Yards White 535 Yards Yellow 493 Yards- Red 472Yards Par 5

7

The large hump blocks the view and pushes shorter players towards the 5th. It also makes it hard to know where balls have finished. Existing View


The fairway is slipped over and the hill recreated further on to shape a more angled teeshot

and to move the fairway away from the 5th. Proposed View


13th Hole

No Recommendations

13th Hole

Description

One of the most famous holes in links golf and perhaps the best bunkerless hole of all.

It is, however, not quite as formidable as it once was because of new clubs and balls, but there is not much that can be

done about that. There is scope to squeeze a few extra yards, perhaps 10, but then that is it forever.

At the green, there is clear historic evidence that the green has become larger on the right and the extreme right area

that is sometimes used for pins was never meant to be green, which explains why it is a little too sloping and extreme. It

should be avoided when the greens are fast or, alternatively it could be levelled off a little to make it usable at all green

speeds.

The front right of the green could be extended a little as well by two or three yards.

Recommendations

1. When the tee is next levelled, slide the tee back 10 yards or so.

2. Extend the green at the front right by 2 to 3 yards.

3. The green has become a little wider here over the years. It is not really suitable

as a pin position - either avoid using it when the greens are fast or level it off a

little. The latter is probably better.

14th Hole

2

3

1

Blue 445 Yards - White 445 Yards - Yellow 439 Yards- Red 401 Yards Par 4/5


The old aerials show that the green has, unusually, been getting larger on the right onto ground where it was not formerly cut.

This explains why this area is uncomfortably steep for pin positions. It should either be avoided for pin positions when the greens are fast or levelled off slightly.

23rd May 1946

9th March 1954

10th May 1970

13th May 2009

14th Hole

Description

The historic comparisons show that the Blue Tee plays most like the hole was originally designed and that the decision

was how tight to drive to the hump, with only the tiny majority able to carry over it. The fairway was therefore cut wider

out on the right alongside which there was a distinct and large sandy waste area which is clearly visible on the 1946,

1954 and 1970 aerials.

It would be great to reinstate this feature and to widen out the fairway on the right, but narrowing it down more than at

present towards the green. Anyone who drives into this area is long enough to go over the knoll. There is a case to have

an intermediate tee between the white and blue tee for medal play.

Recommendations

1. For better players, the Blue Tee plays more like the hole did decades ago when it

took a big shot to carry over the knoll.

2. There is really no need to cut the fairway around the left of the knoll.

3. Extend the fairway out to the right towards the old sand waste area.

4. The old sandy waste area should be reinstated.

5. Narrow the fairway down towards the green so that anyone long enough to carry

the knoll should do so.

15th Hole

5

4

2

3

1

The right side of the 15th evolved significantly over the years. The knoll was much more of a daunting feature and many played around to the right

of it. Further to the right there was a large sandy area and the fairway was cut right up to the edge of it. It has since grown over and the fairway

has changed shape.

10th May 1970

Existing View


An impression of how the sandy area may look with the fairway extended towards it.

Proposed View


Description

It is not the stuff of day-dreams, but the 16th is a strong hole to start the closing stretch. In real terms, it plays much

shorter than it once did, but that brings the quarry even more into play.

There is scope to steal a few extra yards at the tee which will make the carry onto the ledge that little bit harder more like

the way that it once was.

The right bunkers on the drive need to be kept visible from the tee. There is not much point in having them if the faces

are lowered taking them out of view. They are an important part of the look of the hole.

Interestingly, this green has become much larger over the years at the front left and back right.

Recommendations

1. Add a back tee which adds about 15 yards making the carry to the shelf more like

the way it played in the 70s and 80s.

2. Keep the right bunker a little more visible from the tee. They both need to have

presence.

3. The green has been enlarged significantly over the years but the huge green is a

good feature because it makes two-putting such a challenge on what is a high and

exposed green.

16th Hole Blue 401 Yards - White 401 Yards - Yellow 395 Yards- Red 387 Yards Par 4/5


2

3

1

Few would select this as a favourite at Dornoch, but it is by no means a pushover.

16th Hole

Description

The addition of the back tee has strengthened the hole a little, but the original two tier strategy has been largely lost

except into the wind, which is a shame. Without losing the practice ground, there is little scope to add more length,

making the 8th proposals all the more important because the holes have quite a lot in common.

Make sure that the left bunkers are visible from the tees by cutting back the whins.

This is a green where the variety of pin positions becomes more limited as the greens become faster and faster. That is

particularly true of the back of the green and it would be good to level off a section a little in this area to create a tough

but fair pin position for competition use. It would be a shame for this area to be avoided because it is too marginal for fair

use.

One final thing to consider is to rotate the front bunker at the 17th to bring the bunker a little closer to the green surface.

Recommendations

1. New back tee is a good addition.

2. Clear whins to make left bunkers visible.

3. Reinstate the heather in the carry as these characterise the top holes so much.

4. Consider rotating the front bunker and sliding it a little closer to the green so

that it is tight to the green edge and a little more in play more of the time.

5. Level off an area of green and extend the back a little to make a tough pin

position on the back right.

17th Hole

2

3

4

1

5

3

The front bunker is very square to the line of play and only catches shots that come up short.

Existing View


Rotating the front bunker and moving it towards the green will bring it more into play.

Proposed View


Description

As with so many great links, the course finishes on something of an off-key note. This is partly explained by the fact that the hole

looks to have been designed as a three shot hole with the approach from the left close to the practice ground from where the green

surface is visible and the approach is ideally suited. The hole has not adapted all that well to being a two-shot hole as it leaves the

blind and rather unappealing shot to the green. It is a demanding and reasonably fair hole, but it is a shame that it is the last

memory. There is no way to wind the clock back on this though unless the practice ground is abandoned.

The drive bunkering is looking rather outdated with the first bunker actually closer to the tee than the green and a remnant from

when the hole was a bogey five. It should be removed and replaced with a new bunker beyond the existing second bunker at about

240 yards. It may be possible to have the bunker a little further on but the ground starts to drop away and the bunker needs to be

visible.

On the approach, there used to be a large bunker that sat diagonally to the line of play and the hollow still exists. It is suggested

that this could be reinstated, as it would give a big visual boost to the hole. To offset this addition, fill in the two left approach

bunkers which really do not add anything to the hole. The right bunker can reshaped to make it a little more visible as well.

The final point is to try to restore the heather between the 1st and 18th fairways.

Recommendations

1. This bunker pre-dates 1946 and is closer to the tee than the green which does not

make sense on a par 4. It should be filled in.

2. Replace with a new bunker beyond the next bunker, sitting at about 240 yards

from the back tee, just before the ground drops away into the valley.

3. Restore the heather between the 1st and 18th. It will be good first and last

impression for the observant.

4. Reinstate the old diagonal bunker in the approach to add to the look of the hole.

5. Fill in the left approach bunkers.

6. Make the right bunker more visible.

18th Hole

6

2

3

4

5

1

There was a large diagonal bunker which is now a hollow in the fairway. The shot to the green is perhaps not all that visually interesting.

Reinstatement of this bunker, although only visual, may improve the final approach on the course. Existing View


An impression of how the bunker might look, with the right bunker reshaped and the left approach bunkers removed. Proposed View


the vision of the future for the championship course at royal dornoch golf club

Documents