An internationally-renowned Highland golf course has been ranked number two in the world by Golf Digest.
The global golf magazine’s World’s 100 Greatest Courses placed Royal Dornoch Golf Club second only to Northern Ireland’s Royal County Down.
Royal Dornoch, previously ranked fifth by the title, stays three places ahead of the Old Course in St Andrews – the next best ranked Scottish course – which jumped from eighth to fifth place.
Castle Stuart golf course near Inverness was ranked 53rd in the list, which does not include US golf courses.
Golf Digest ranks US golf courses separately as they use a North American panel only who judge on seven criteria, whereas their world ranking system uses a single criterion of “overall greatness” judged by international panelists.
Neil Hampton, Royal Dornoch Golf Club’s general manager, said: “To reach number two in the world, albeit without American courses being included in this list, is a major achievement for the club.
“It is a wonderful accolade and a tribute to everyone at the club who work hard all year round to give our visitors the Royal Dornoch experience.
“We are constantly looking at improving the course and this year carried out some small upgrades and to move up the rankings is a great reward.”
Summarising the Royal Dornoch experience on their online article, Golf Digest writes: “Herbert Warren Wind called it the most natural course in the world. Tom Watson called it the most fun he’d had playing golf. Donald Ross called it his home, having been born in the village and learned the game on the links.
“Tucked in an arc of dunes along the North Sea shoreline, Dornoch’s greens, some by Old Tom Morris, others by John Sutherland or 1920 Open champion George Duncan, sit mostly on plateaus and don’t really favour bounce-and-run golf. That’s the challenge: hitting those greens in a Dornoch wind.”
Royal Dornoch has also been recently awarded the GEO Certified ecolabel, an international symbol of great golf environments.
The accolade recognises clubs that have met high standards for performance in nature conservation, water and energy efficiency, ethical and environmental supply chain, pollution control and community engagement.
The assessment highlights an “exemplary” management of a Site of Special Scientific Interest adjoining the golf course and states the club’s energy resource management as “particularly impressive.”