{"id":228218,"date":"2025-10-27T13:30:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-27T13:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/228218\/"},"modified":"2025-10-27T13:30:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T13:30:20","slug":"new-royal-dornoch-clubhouse-stirs-up-locals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/228218\/","title":{"rendered":"new Royal Dornoch clubhouse stirs up locals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some are calling it the best thing to have happened in Sutherland in many years.<\/p>\n

Others say \u2014 mainly on social media \u2014 that Royal Dornoch Golf Club\u2019s modern new clubhouse resembles everything from a Victorian mill to a municipal crematorium, a caravan-site toilet block, a nuclear bunker, a prison and even a slaughterhouse.<\/p>\n

When it comes to golfing heritage in Scotland, the traditional home of golf, opinions often differ, especially when American influences are seen to be in play.<\/p>\n

The Royal Dornoch\u2019s championship course \u2014 a true Scottish links course on the Sutherland coast \u2014 has a history going back four centuries and is now regarded as one of the best in the world. However, it is the replacement for the clubhouse \u2014 opened in 1909 by Andrew Carnegie, the Scot who became the world\u2019s richest man through building American railways \u2014 that is dividing opinion.<\/p>\n

\"Portrait<\/p>\n

Andrew Carnegie in 1896<\/p>\n

GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

The old structure, with its 116 years of golfing heritage and distinctive clock tower, is weeks away from being demolished, with a towering new sandstone building taking its place.<\/p>\n

The designs for the new building were chosen after a competition won by Keppie, a Glasgow firm of architects. The entrance arch references Dornoch\u2019s famous cathedral<\/a> and there are other nods to the town\u2019s architectural heritage. But it is the sheer scale of the structure that is attracting most attention \u2014 and not all of it is positive.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The new clubhouse, left, alongside the current clubhouse<\/p>\n

ROBERT M WILSON<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Lynn Redfern, at the neighbouring Dornoch Caravan and Camping Park, said she understood the need for a new clubhouse but had some reservations about its impact. \u201cIt looms right over our caravan park and it\u2019s certainly making a statement,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a prestigious golf course. They are planning a third course and other upgrades and they need something that reflects that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have done a fantastic job with the building but it does look like an old mill, which I\u2019m not sure really fits with Dornoch. We have never had mills here.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I know people who have been inside and say it\u2019s stunning. I suppose the light stone will weather and we\u2019ll eventually get used to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The old clubhouse, despite its history, was regarded as looking tired and was not what club managers and the membership wanted. Royal Dornoch<\/a> attracts golfers from across the world, especially high-spending Americans used to a luxurious level of services and facilities, which venues such as St Andrews, Gleneagles and Turnberry provide.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The clubhouse in 2018<\/p>\n

DAVID CANNON\/GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n

With demand booming \u2014 and a 30 per cent rise in advance bookings for the 2026 season compared to the same period last year \u2014 club managers wanted to make improvements. <\/p>\n

The \u00a314 million clubhouse is part of a plan that includes revamping the town\u2019s second course \u2014 The Struie \u2014 with the help of American designers as well as adding a new par-3 course to attract more of the tourist dollar. A guest round at the club costs \u00a3360.<\/p>\n

There is no shortage of supporters. David Purvis of DP Private Hire, who regularly transports international golfers to the course, said he loved the new clubhouse. \u201cIt\u2019s the best thing that has happened to Dornoch in a long time, which is very lucky to get a building of this stature. I have a big American clientele and they think that it\u2019s great.\u201d<\/p>\n

He is aware of the criticism. \u201cSome don\u2019t like change but they\u2019re living in the dark ages. It\u2019s time to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keppie, the architects, said the twin-gabled new building with its new clock tower \u201chonours the legacy of Royal Dornoch Golf Club while celebrating its future\u201d. The interior design, with its open-plan lounges and restaurant will have \u201cspaces that reflect the marvellous offering of the course itself and capture the heritage, prestige, and global reputation\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Illustration<\/p>\n

The architects\u2019 impression of the finished clubhouse<\/p>\n

KEPPIE<\/p>\n

Alison Davies, of Dornoch Heritage Society, said the clubhouse and demolition plan had received a \u201cmixed reaction\u201d among locals but she believes any criticism is likely to die down. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that the architect and the club were committed to a design which reflected the architectural references in Dornoch,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be nostalgia about the passing of the old clubhouse but it has been through a number of changes over the years and it is broadly agreed [that it] no longer meets the functional needs as well as being structurally past its sell-by date.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some are calling it the best thing to have happened in Sutherland in many years. Others say \u2014…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":228219,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-228218","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-golf","8":"tag-golf","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=228218"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/228218\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/228219"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=228218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=228218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=228218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}