Top 100 Golfer at Royal Dornoch

I begin the description of Royal Dornoch with a quote from the great golf writer Herbert Warren Wind who said of the course: "No golfer has completed his education until he has played and studied Royal Dornoch."

Royal Dornoch is the northern most located golf course in the top 100, located in the Scottish Highlands. The drive up to Dornoch from southern Scotland is long but scenic. I played Dornoch early one morning several years ago in the summer. One of the nice things about Royal Dornoch is that they will let out two-somes prior to 8:30am. So it was that we were teeing off at 7:32am and the caddy said we'd be back in by 11:00am. Playing golf in the home of golf they know the value of playing fast. This was my second time playing Dornoch and I was very much looking forward to it because it is just different that most courses on the list. Because of its highland location the air is different; the day light is different and you have a feeling of being far away from civilization because you are.

In any event, little did I know that the day would bring two new experiences to my own personal golfing education. The day was kind of damp with a low fog hanging in the air. About three holes out we were attacked by midges. Midges are tiny swarming insects that are like gnats only they travel in swarms. For about four holes we could not get rid of them. They attack you all over, even under the golf hat I was wearing. The caddies were in shock, they said it was the worst attack they had ever seen, they put towels over their heads and you couldn't swat them because there were so many. Apparently it was a bad year given the damp conditions that spring. I don't wish to scare you off of a trip to Dornoch because its worth the trip; apparently the midges are not present that often, but if they are, watch out.

The beauty of Royal Dornoch with the gorse in bloom

So finally the midges were starting to abate. As we teed off on the 6th hole it happened. I apologize for using the word, but I shanked the ball. There is no question that the most difficult shot in golf is the shot you have to hit after you shank the ball. In any event, the problem did not go away. I couldn't advance the ball other than at a 90 degree angle. It was desperate. Dornoch is an out and back layout, meaning that for the first eight holes you travel away from the clubhouse and the next 10 bring you back in toward the clubhouse. In other words, it's not the type of course you can just walk in. I turned to my caddy and said "Do you have a pro on duty who can take a look at my swing. I don't think I can continue, I'm going to walk in". He looked at me and said "Just hit the f---ing ball, there's no way we're walking in, just turn your shoulder".

And so it was. I know it sounds dramatic but he was right. While I was still a bit fragile coming in, it worked. I stopped shanking and made it in. Scottish caddies have a well earned reputation for dry wit and candor and he was great. The tip he received at the end of the round was the most generous I have ever given.

Dell Leigh wrote the following about Dornoch in 1925 and it is still true today, "The very journey thither is a pilgrimage of pleasure of the kind which remains crystal clear in the memory long after the return to the drab side of life. And the very fact that one cannot say in bald words that the links are definitely this, that or the other thing instils into the mind a predominant feeling - the desire vehemently expressed, to play over them again, and then once more."

Despite the problems of the day, I still have very, very fond memories of Dornoch. It is a fine and challenging golf course. Donald Ross grew up in Dornoch and you will clearly see where he got many of his design ideas from. Although what happened to me at Dornoch is not exactly what Wind meant, I recommended it highly. Go and complete your education!

Royal Dornoch's Website

Our Philosophy of the Game and Blog

Our philosophy of the game

We (that is, the Royal we) all need goals in life, one of ours is to play the top 100 golf courses in the world. Like the pursuit of the holy grail, we wanted to aim high! We have selected Golf Magazine's 2003 list as our target. Rather than continually adjusting and trying to hit a moving target each year, we plan on playing this list. The other reason we don't want to play the current list is that we refuse to play any course with the Trump name on it. We find buying a course onto the list to be distasteful. After all the paid public relations dies down, we predict it will be voted off the list. Below we give our own views on some of the top 100 we've played as well. If you have a different view, please share it with us.


Throughout the blog we will try to share with you the experience of playing the top 100 courses in the world. We will focus more on the customs, rituals, traditions and overall feel of the course and the club. In other words, to try to give our readers the chance to share the experience. We won't bore you with a hole-by-hole description of the courses or the wonderful shots we hit. Personally, I find that type of writing to be boring. We don't want to be the on-line version of the blow-hard that exists at every golf club who re-counts every shot to anyone who will listen in the bar or locker room. Nobody cares.

We don’t let the weather affect our plans. Rain gear was made to allow us to play in bad weather. We don’t have a strong preference of old courses vs. new courses as long as they are quality. We don’t particularly like the golf course design philosophy that emphasizes length. Some of the best holes in the world are short par 4s and interesting doglegs. Creativity and shot making should be rewarded as much as length. We like quirky designs and believe that blind shots are under-rated. Given our choice we would always choose a links course over one in a warm climate. We also respect the history and traditions of the game and like courses that exude such history. We are particular fans of the designs of Charles Blair Macdonald, H.S. Colt, A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross and Willie Park, Jr.

Golf carts should be banned. Walking is the only way to play the game. Walking with a caddie is the best. Sitting in a golf cart waiting with two groups already on the tee ahead of you is not golf. We strongly dislike golf courses whose sole purpose is to sell more houses for the developer. Looking at thousands of houses jammed upon one another does not make for good golf. Frankly, a good municipal course is probably better than most courses built around a housing development.

Length is ruining the game. The world doesn't need another 7,000 yard golf course. There is much more fun and challenge in playing a course where you have to use your head and strategy to play well. Electronic gadgets to calculate yardage are rude. Calculate the yardage yourself, walk it off or play by feel.

When playing golf, you should always dress properly, including tucking in your shirt!

Like trying to pick your favorite child, trying to select your favorite course is a difficult challenge. The courses are so varied it makes sense to break down your favorites into various classes. For a heathland course it is a toss-up between Sunningdale and Woodhall Spa. For an overall sense of serenity relaxing on the porch overlooking the beach after a perfect day on the links, Maidstone would be hard to beat. As far as having the most fun on a golf course the two qualifiers would be Cruden Bay and Woodhall Spa. As far as your knees knocking on the first tee, we find both Merion and The Old Course to be the two most terrifying. Most spectacular views would go to Turnberry and Kingsbarns. Best lunch would go to Prestwick. The most formal and the greatest sense of tradition is Muirfield. The overall best course would be Carnoustie in Europe and The National Golf Links in Southampton. We appreciate the rules and respect for formality at many British Courses. At a place like Ganton or Royal St. Georges or Royal Liverpool where you must have on a jacket and tie in the dining room. Most of the best courses in Europe understand that they are simply guardians of a great course and not the owners. Thus, they allow visitors to experience the grandeur of their special places. We think too many American courses have confused exclusivity with greatness and that’s a shame. It’s ironic given that Britain is generally a class-oriented society and America a place where you don’t have to check birth certificates that in the world of golf, it’s been reversed.

And, I'm always looking for an invitation for a course on the list I haven't played yet.

Happy Golf Holidays and Thanks!

Well, it's that time of year again, a time when I take a break from golf bloggin' to enjoy the holiday season and play some winter rounds of golf. But since I live in sunny So. Cal., winter golf doesn't mean frigid golf. I just checked my thermometer, and it's around 70 degrees. Yes, that's one of the main reasons why I moved here from the East Coast! It won't be a White Christmas here, and I hope it never will. But before Grouchy Golf hibernates for the rest of the year, I would like to offer a much deserved "thanks" to those who support Grouchy Golf:

• First, I want to thank my friend ML for providing the impetus to start Grouchy Golf in the first place. She's a great writer chronicling the ups and downs of modern-day housewifery. If she were to ever pen a book, I'd buy it in a heartbeat.
• Thanks to my fellow golf bloggers featured in my blog roll for their support and encouragement. Please try to visit them on a regular basis.
• Thanks to the regular Grouchy Golf commenters including Dave, CB, Eric, Miranda, MediaGuru, Eat Golf's Rich, The Sand Trap's Erik, WoundedDuck, Wedgehead, JAT, Armchair Golfer, Tom G, Lord Hearteater, Evil Chasmodian, Pebbleby15, Jam Boy, GolfSLO, and Jen Mario. I read all of your comments and I appreciate each and every one (except for the spam, of course)
• Thanks to Heather at TravelGolf for the much appreciated traffic. She also earns my vote for "Golf Blog Hottie of 2005"!
• Thanks to Craig Better of Golf Magazine for the nice mention in the March 2005 issue. Until that issue, Golf Digest used to be my favorite monthly golf mag...
• Thanks to the AOL Internet Radio Show and Podcast "Sports Bloggers Live" for having me on the show a couple of times as a guest. They have a great sports show with some amazing sports guests, myself excluded!

But most of all, I want to thank you, the reader of Grouchy Golf. Without you, I'm just a golf nut writing aimlessly about random golf stuff. I wish you a Grouchy Holidays and a Grouchy New Year!

P.S. GolfDash is currently running a promo where anyone who becomes a member (Free membership) will receive a Free GolfRound towel ($7.95 value). Free is a good deal in my book!

Tiger Woods Scotty Cameron Putter, the Ultimate Golf Gift?

It's the holiday season, and gift giving will soon be in full force. IMHO, finding a gift for a golfer is a relatively easy task. I can't think of another sport that has spawned such a wide array of products at virtually every price point. As a result, it's easy to find a golf gift for every budget. But what if you were Donald Trump? What regoddamndiculously expensive gift would you buy for that special golfer in your life?

Believe it or not, there are putters out there with asking prices that eclipse that of a nicely-equipped brand-spankin' new 5-Series BMW. The owner of a local golf shop here in Los Angeles is supposedly a close personal friend of Scotty Cameron, so he has a lot of "one-of-a-kind" and signed Cameron items for sale. I was at this store recently and snapped some photos of the most highly prized item, a backup to Tiger Woods' Scotty Cameron putter!

The people at this golf shop are some of the friendliest and most knowledgeable in the business. They told me that Scotty crafts only a handful of custom putters with the exact specs for the great Tiger Woods. They even have a hand-written and signed letter from Mr. Cameron himself as confirmation. Be sure to click on the photo to zoom in and read the words written by the God of Putters himself!

The putter in this picture is an exact copy of the Newport 2 303 GSS Cameron gamer that has resided in Tiger's bag since the 1999 GTE Byron Nelson Classic. Notice the single large red dot or "cherry bomb" on each side of the putter. This is a standard Cameron practice to denote a Tour putter. It appears that there are only 4 of this exact model year in existence. It's truly a beautiful and rare piece of golf equipment.

But is this special putter really worth a luxury mid-size German sedan? I was told that a customer did pony up that kind of cash for a previous Tiger model. Remember, something is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Keep in mind that this isn't even a putter that Tiger has played. It's not even the backup to the putter that he plays. It's really the backup to the backup. You can only imagine the value of Tiger's gamer. Are we talking six or even seven figures?

But this is just one of the 14 clubs that fill Tiger's bag. Steve Williams must be carrying sticks worth many times more than their weight in gold. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that Stevie lugs around a bag worth more than several million dollars on his back. I just hope he read about my post about golf club thefts.

To anyone who may be considering giving me a Tiger Woods' club as a gift this holiday: I think that I'd rather have a bimmer...

But if you are seriously interested in buying a rare Cameron putter, make sure that it has been authenticated. Obtain the registry number and enter it at the Scotty Cameron Registry to verify its authentication! If you have any more Cameron-related questions, just ask my friends over at The Cameron Collector. They are the real experts!

The Rose Bowl Parking Lot, My Home Course

The biggest game in college football history has been set. The 2006 BCS Championship Game will be played Jan. 4th at the "The Granddaddy of All Bowl Games" pitting #1 USC against #2 Texas. While the 90,000+ fans in attendance will be watching one of the most anticipated college football games of all-time, their cars will be leaking oil on my home golf course. Let me explain.

My home course, Brookside Golf Club, is adjacent to the world famous Rose Bowl. Built in 1921, the stadium's official seating capacity is 92,542. That's a lot of people, and, since it's located in must-drive Los Angeles, a lot of cars.

But there's not a lot of room around the Rose Bowl for dedicated parking. So where do you park all those darn global warming machines on wheels? You park them on the golf course, that's where! Of the 20,600 parking spaces available for events at the Rose Bowl, approximately 12,050 spaces are provided on the two golf courses of Brookside Golf Club.

Yes, anytime there's a major event at the Rose Bowl, the Brookside Golf courses undergo a dramatic transformation. Hole #18 becomes Parking Lot 1A. Ball washers and tee markers are displaced by Bimmers and Toyotas. But the real change is the people on the course. It goes from golfers who treat the course like it's a temple to drunken tailgaters who treat it like a Sigma Alpha Epsilon frat house. "We once saw people frying a turkey, and they just spilled all the oil from it on the golf course," said Noni Holt, a UCLA football season ticket holder. "We were just mad because we know it hurts the golf course, and we're mindful of that. It really is a beautiful place." But most revelers just don't give a damn. "I'm sure the course gets torn up," said Jim Guthrie, a 2003 UCLA graduate who tailgated at a UCLA home game. "But we don't care that much."

Obviously, the course is closed for golf while it works double-duty as a parking lot and tailgating wasteland. But the course never gets a rest. After moonlighting as a parking lot, a crew of over 100 cleans up the course for tee times the next morning. Yes, the next morning! As you can imagine, they can't clean up everything. If you do play the day after an event, don't be surprised to find your ball resting against unusual "loose impediments" in the form of strewn Corona bottles and Coors cans. Balls landing in a SUV tire tread or a pile of spent charcoal isn't uncommon. The golf rules for relief from standing water are sometimes applied to standing motor oil. Heck, sometimes abandoned cars are left in the middle of the fairway!

Proceeds from the $25 per car parking fees cover the money that would have been generated from greens fees. But you would think that the abuse Brookside receives as a parking lot would spell disaster for course conditions. In reality, it doesn't. Sure, it's not Augusta National, but Brookside is typically in very good condition after a tailgating binge. I applaud the entire staff of Brookside who manages to maintain the course's position as one of the top 10 public courses in Southern California year after year. Once host to the LA Open, I pray that Brookside will once again host a pro golf event so that we can all park on the Rose Bowl football field for some much needed payback!