Why Royal Dornoch has no plans to add more yards in the modern era

As elite golf courses around the world continue with the modern obsession to add yardage to keep the big hitters at bay, Royal Dornoch is refusing to follow the trend.

Course extensions have now become routine for a lot of places. Venues looking to host the big events and major championships often move their tees back in preparation of the best golfers in the world coming to town.

Historical places, like the Old Course at St Andrews, are often the home of a distance debate. Many people believe that it no longer presents a good enough challenge because of its length.

Speaking on the NCG Top 100s Podcast, General Manager Neil Hampton said that the Highland links feels no pressure to add length.

“I think we’re lucky that we don’t have any aspirations to host The Open or any size of professional event,” he said.

“So, we’re not worried about what a top pro might do to the course. Our desire is a top amateur event. That’s what we want. But we feel that the course itself can stand up to these guys.

“I mean, it’s 6,700 yards at it’s very longest. But if you get a puff of wind and you play a firm fair with a firm green it really doesn’t bend over backwards for you, and it really does beat you up.

Hampton mentioned Fortrose and Rosemarkie as another example of a golf course that doesn’t just rely of distance to present a challenge.

He added: “It stands up to itself. Fortrose is the same. It’s only 6,000 yards. You get a puff of one (wind) there, and it’s one of the hardest courses to play.

“We feel that the championship course here is the same. You know that the way it’s laid out, I mean, the greens are huge. One and a half times the size of any other greens, yet it’ssome of the hardest pins to find. You stick a pin at the front of the fourth, for example, and with the very big false front that has in the whip, trying to get your ball anywhere near it is difficult.

“We think we can set up the course, that if these guys (tour professionals) were to come that they really would find it very, very difficult.

Hampton also questioned the current obsession to protect a course’s par.

“What is wrong with shooting 61 or 62? It’s great golf. Guys will play great shots and hold great putts.

“The analogy I give is that Usain Bolt, the fastest man ever, but he only ever ran 100 meters. They didn’t say, ‘your fastest and faster, so you have to run 105 metres today’, just to give Tom a chance. You’re going to have to run further. That’s not the way that the thing works. They just applaud him for going faster and faster. Why don’t we applaud people for going lower and lower?

“And what is this desire that par is king? Well, if the guys are that good, which they are these days, let them do it.

Listen to the NCG Top 100s Podcast

HAVE YOUR SAY ON ROYAL DORNOCH?

Have you played Royal Dornoch before? Was it a challenge? Do you think they need to lengthen the golf course to meet modern professional standards?