NORTH GOLF NEWS ROUND-UP

Dornoch 400 year drive-in by club capt Seatter

By ROBIN WILSON

Watched by a large number of members, Royal Dornoch Golf Club  captain, James Seatfer,  began the season’s celebration to mark 400 years of first recorded golf in the ancient royal burgh by driving a gutty golf ball from the first tee at 9.30am on Saturday. January 2, using a specially crafted hickory replica club.

The burgh's records show that in 1616 a young boy, who rose to become Earl of Sutherland, had spent £10 on bows and arrows, and golf clubs, with which to play and practis on the links of Dornoch which, 400 years later, are now ranked the sixth best golf course in the world, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Club professional Andrew Skinner accompanied James Seatter

to the tee and teed the ball up for him on a little sand pile before the captain struck the gutty. 

Winning the dash to retrieve the golf ball was a 12 year old junior member, Cameron Welsh from London, spending the holiday break in Dornoch with his parents . He was rewarded with a commemorative silver medal (presentation from club captain Seatter pictured right). After the drive -in the captain raised a special 400 Centenary Flag while a piper played.

During the coming year's celebrations special competitions will be held for the members and the course will be visited by the Scottish PGA who will stage the Northern Open from June 21 to 24.

 Royal Dornoch Golf Club has been the most successful in the Northern Counties Cup men's foursomes competition with 21 wins since 1900.  Ten of these were in succession from 1903 to 1912. Dornoch's last triumph was at Nairn in 1988 but with that competition returning to Dornoch this year (September 22-24 )and with the senior verson of the cup also being played in Dornoch for the first time (May18 to 20) there are added attractions in 2016 for both members and visitors.   

Brora Golf Club's 125th birthday this year

Next year, 2016, Brora Golf Club and its members will enjoy twelve months of special events to mark its 125th birthday with two of the North's golfing associations visiting to host their

championships, writes Robin Wilson

The Northern Counties Women’s Golf Association will open the season in May with their championship and the men's North District Association will close the season in September with the

launch of a new Champion of Champions competition.

These two and all other club arranged special events come just a year late for one visitor to Brora in 2015, a great grandson of the club's first president in 1891 who, after playing

last September, wrote the following letter to the now retired club professional, Brian Anderson.

Darwin Formwork Pty Ltd.

Winnellie, NT 0820

Darwin, Australia.

Sept 15 2015

Dear Mr. Anderson,

Whilst I was in Scotland recently I had the pleasure of playing a couple of rounds on your wonderful course. Unfortunately I was unable to produce the form which may have been expected

of a Great Grandson of George Sutherland, your founding Chairman.

I found this obituary amongst my late Mother's possessions (Alix Gordon Sutherland), and thought if you had not already seen it, it may be of some interest to you and the club.

Cheers

Angus Fleming.

The obituary was that of his Grandfather which had appeared in the Northern Times following his

death in October 1912 and after reading it, with the help of Ellen Lindsay, I  set out to trace Angus Fleming's roots back to the Sutherland family who once owned the Sutherland Arms Hotel in Brora.

Angus Fleming's great Grandfather was George Sutherland who chaired a group of local gentlemen golfers in the Upper Room of the Brora Library Institute premises on the corner of Gower Street

and Rosslyn Street. opposite what is now The Sutherland Inn. They  had gathered with the aim of forming a golf club in the village and Mr Sutherland was appointed the Brora Golf Club's first president.

He and the other appointed office bearers were charged with extending the area of ground where golf was already been played, i.e. East Brora Farm, which just so happened tpo be tenanted by the president.

The remainder of the club and course history is fully covered in Mr. Baillie's book but, returning to Angus Fleming's connection to Brora, I set about following his family tree.

President George Sutherland had a family of six, three sons, and three daughters. The oldest son was William George, who followed his father into the family hotel business and the running of the

golf club. William George served terms as president of Brora Golf Club in years, 1922, 1923 and 1928.