On the 1st April 2010, the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch will again open its doors and welcome visitors from all parts of the world. This iconic hotel has been closed since 2006, but now with the backing of Grant Sword and other investors from Castle Stuart Golf Links, the newly refurbished hotel will be back in business.
Royal Golf Hotel
The hotel overlooks the 1st tee at Royal Dornoch and is in an ideal location for a stay in the Highlands. Other great courses within an hour’s drive are Tain, Brora, Castle Stuart, and Nairn. Dornoch is a great little town which also offers non-golfing activities for those who do not want to play; Dornoch Cathedral is where Madonna’s baby was christened, part of Dornoch Jail is now a lovely little gift shop, and the Glenmorangie Distillery is only a 15 minute drive. Dornoch was also the birthplace of Donald Ross and this is where he took a lot of inspiration for many of his designs in America. He used to work at Royal Dornoch as a green keeper before moving to the US in 1899 and you will find a plaque in his memory outside the house where he grew up in the town centre, just off of the High Street.
The scenery in the area is stunning and many visitors can enjoy long walks or drives to pass the time during the day. You can then retire to ‘the golfer’s bar’ at the hotel for a wee dram before dinner. Highly recommended!
For more information on touring the Glenmorangie Distillery, click here.
By Gary Sheppard. Gary has been with PerryGolf for over 3 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
On a recent trip to New Zealand, one of the highlights was a flying visit to the fantastic Cape Kidnappers. We arrived at around 2pm after the scenic 2 hour journey from the town of Taupo. We drew up to a rather unassuming front gate that doesn’t instantly suggest you are at one of the best golf resorts in the world. We made our way along the 8 mile private driveway to the “Farm” (as they call it). Note: to call it a farm doesn’t do it justice; as while the building is in a traditional farmhouse style, it is of a very luxurious standard. After check-in we made our way to our private lodges just a short walk from the main building. The rooms, again, are in a homely but comfortable style and each have their own reception area with bar leading into the main large bedroom which have patio doors opening onto a porch and provide a view over the estate and out to the Pacific. The bedroom also has a remote controlled ‘real’ fire and large screen TV discretely located on the wall behind some local photography…as well as a very comfortable king size bed. The bathroom is also of a high standard; a very large spacious area offering a bath with a view out to the ocean.
Cape Kidnappers Golf Course
After unpacking it was down to the course – which is around a 5 minute drive away – for a quick few holes on a course that can only be described as breathtaking. I was there in November just as the better weather is beginning in New Zealand and the course was in great shape. It’s difficult to pick out any one hole as there are so many, but the back 9 played out along the cliff tops with a 500 foot drop to the ocean just yards from the semi-rough and is like no course I have ever experienced. The 15th is a 600 yard par 5 played straight out to the ocean with a sheer drop on the left that leaves no margin for error. The 16th takes you back inland but has the best view from any tee I have ever seen; to your left and right there are views along the coast line and behind you lies the Pacific Ocean. I didn’t play particularly well, but thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the round and was glad of my golf cart with all of the elevation changes on the course.
Cape Kidnappers
After golf there was time for a quick dip in the pool, which again has great views over the estate and out to sea…the next thing I knew it was time for dinner. Guests usually get together for drinks prior to dinner providing a warm and friendly atmosphere. During our visit there was a large group celebrating a birthday, so dining was slightly delayed, but this was a welcome problem as we were well looked after by staff with canapés and this also allowed us to sample some of the great local wines in the area. Hawkes Bay is just up the road so there are plenty of local vineyards. We had dinner in the Loggia beside a warming fire and, again, with a view out of floor-to-ceiling windows over that great view.
Dinner was scallops with pork belly followed by beef and a passion fruit dessert – all of which were excellent and a great way to end a busy day.
Dining at Cape Kidnappers
The following morning was a fantastic breakfast of fruit and Eggs Benedict, again in the Loggia, before our early departure for the flight from Napier airport (approximately 40 minutes away).
By Alastair Niven. Alastair has been with PerryGolf for over 9 years and is one of the members of staff responsible for our South Pacific programs.
Royal Birkdale Golf Club: No. 12, par 3, 183 yards.
Royal Birkdale is one of the best courses on the planet and is consistently ranked in the top 30 courses in the world. It has hosted the Open Championship on 7 occasions, most recently in 2008 when Padraig Harrington was victorious.
During a recent familiarization visit to England’s Golf Coast (North West England), my colleague and I were very kindly given courtesy of the course by the club committee. Even though we were a week into December, the course was still playable and the greens, though slow, were very true. Royal Birkdale have winter tees which come into play between the end of September and the beginning of April – with the course measuring around 6,200 yards with these in play. This was more than enough golf course to keep my colleague and I occupied during our round as there was also a steady 25mph wind to contend with. One thing I noticed about the course was the amount of subtle breaks on the greens; this coupled with the wind made putting very difficult. I don’t claim to be a good putter, but putting on true greens in the middle of December was a joy and I have to say I holed my fair share of putts en-route to a 4 and 2 victory. Sorry Keith.
I found the course to be quite demanding from the tees, not from a distance point of view, but from an accuracy perspective. Onus is definitely placed on precise tee-shots to allow for easier approach shots to the heavily guarded greens. Some of which don’t have many bunkers but have defense in the form of severe run-offs. I also suspect that it would be a rarity to play the course on a calm day which adds to the importance of accuracy. Even from the softer winter tees we were given the opportunity to appreciate the course as most of the tees are positioned in line with the summer tees. We also took the chance to have a look at some of the championship tees which were pretty daunting to say the least.
My favorite hole on the course has to be the par 5 17th. This is the hole where Harrington hit a 5 wood to about 5 feet in the Open Championship last year, undoubtedly one of the best approach shots to a par 5 I have ever seen in my life. Unfortunately I couldn’t emulate Harrington’s magic and had to make do with a bogey 6, but this didn’t take away from the fact that the hole is an absolute cracker.
A must play course for anyone staying in the North West of England. This is usually number 1 on the list of courses but there are many other great courses in the area and a week long stay can be filled with 7 or 8 top class links courses.
By Gary Sheppard. Gary has worked for PerryGolf for over 3 years and is one of our Golf Travel Specialists.
I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Lancashire Coast in England’s North West; and what a place it is for golf. I was only there for a couple of days but I managed to visit the top 8 courses in the area. Of them, I was lucky enough to play Royal Birkdale which is one of, if not, the best course I’ve ever played. It brought back memories of the 2008 British Open when Padraig Harrington lifted the Claret Jug – especially his awesome 5-wood into the 17th leading to an eagle on the final day. I also hit a 5-wood for my second shot, but I could only muster up a par 5!
Other than Royal Birkdale, I also saw Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Liverpool, both of which need no introduction given their prominence on the British Open rota…but it was the quality of the lesser known courses which impressed me most. Whilst I didn’t play them all, I did walk out onto the courses and spent time in the clubhouses enjoying the hoards of memorabilia each club displays. Wallasey, near to Liverpool, was one which intrigued me greatly. Not only is the course spectacular with what looks like one of the best finishing holes in links golf, but the club as a whole is steeped in history. The Bobby Jones portrait (the only one he ever signed because he liked it so much) is without doubt the centre of attention (that was where he qualified for the Open which lead to his grand Slam); but the club is also the home of the Stableford format, as member Frank Stableford came up with the idea whilst on the 2nd fairway. There are some great pictures and stories on the walls about them both; so if you’re there, be sure to pop in for a look.
The PerryGolf Team at Royal Liverpool Golf Club
One of the best things about the area is the location of the courses which make it possible to play 8 great courses (and I’m not exaggerating when I say great) from just one hotel. You’ll never have more than an hour’s drive to play the three Royal’s, Wallasey, Hillside (generally regarded as the best links courses never to have held the Open), Southport and Ainsdale (twice host to the Ryder Cup), Formby and West Lancashire. If you’ve ‘done’ Scotland and Ireland, the North West of England is definitely the next place you should go. You will not be disappointed.
By Keith Baird – Golf Travel Specialist. Keith Baird has worked for PerryGolf for over 10 years and is one of the members of staff responsible for our British Isles programs.
Spent the day in St. Andrews yesterday, and while Scotland has seen lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures, I’m pleased to say the St. Andrews Links Trust are constantly reviewing the conditions on the Old Course – mindful of the British Open being played there in July this year. Since Sunday there has been enough thaw to melt most of the snow, however the ice is the biggest worry as it can be so damaging to the grass. Apparently the Links have been taking advice from experts worldwide to ensure they treat the ice to have it thaw as quickly as possible. You can watch the progress of winter on the live webcam .
Players will be using mats until the 1st of April (again to preserve the course) then it will close for all play on 19th June. It is always very exciting to have the Open at St Andrews, nothing can beat the atmosphere there. Remember Jack Nicklaus in 2005? His farewell picture on the Swilken Bridge was something special. The Royal Bank of Scotland produced a commemorative £5 note for the occasion, with limited issue; I still have a wee stack of them – every Nicklaus fan should have one!
By Anne Filshie. Anne is the Group Director of Operations for PerryGolf.
