The last couple days have been filled with some good golf courses and nice weather. Thursday I had an afternoon tee time at Royal Dornoch and went prepared to play after some morning range time and then short-game work. The day was not nearly as windy as it has been recently and I had hoped to play well. I started off nearly driving the first after a downwind tee shot and a ball that rolled like it was hit down an airplane runway ended 10 yards short of the green. However on the second hole, a par 3 of 167 yards, my well struck 9 iron landed 20 yards short, ricocheted up onto the green after a couple well directed bounces and I watched in dismay as it rolled past the pin and continued rolling off the left side of the putting surface. Now faced with a vertical pitch off of hardpan to a tightly cut pin, my wedge bounces off the near asphalt turf and sends the ball past the pin and off the other side. After 2 attempted 7 iron bump and runs that end up back at my feet, I get the next onto the surface and 2 putt for a 7. I also added another couple bogeys to round out the front. Game over for a decent score. I did play the back 9 remarkably well and needed a par on the last to shoot -1 on that side but alas it was not to be either.
My honest take on Royal Dornoch is that it’s a tremendous links golf course, perhaps one of the best in the world, but I feel it’s tricked up for visitors. Every surface around the green is shaved tight, the fairways are very firm, and the greens themselves are so firm and fast that it’s nearly impossible to land the ball on the green and expect it to stay. Couple that with wind that blows all the time and sometimes really hard and it’s an extremely difficult test. I can’t imagine that it was ever intended to play this way.
Yesterday I was back in the car to drive an hour and 1/2 to the west coast of the highlands to play Ullapool Golf Club. This is another remarkable sea side links of only 9 holes but with 2 sets of tees. Fabulous conditions, beautiful weather and a challenging course made for a great day.
I had the place mostly to myself and I enjoyed every bit of it including the scenic drive to and from. Today I played the Autumn Open at Tain. Similar to Dornoch, it was like the Superintendent’s revenge. Green speeds blazing and the already very firm conditions made much more difficult by winds gusting to 38 mph. At times the ball was blown off its mark before you could putt. I was the only member of my group of single digit handicap players to complete every hole and not lose a ball. Final score for me….84
Golf here is just different than back home. It’s no wonder that Europe is tough in the Ryder Cup. As I write this, the pub just erupts in cheers after Hoveland cans the putt on 17 to preserve a 1 up advantage in his match with Scheffler and Henley.
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| Drive to Ullapool |
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| Drive to Ullapool |
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| Dornoch |
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| Dornoch |
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| Dornoch |
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| Dornoch |
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| Dornoch |
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| Dornoch |
Dornoch
Ullapool
Below: Scenes from Ullapool
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