Royal Dornoch, the revered links in the Scottish Highlands, will add a third 18-hole course as part of an expansion partnership with an American course design firm announced last week.
The club has hired King Collins Dormer Golf Course Design to create a master plan that includes a new 18-hole layout, a renovation of the club’s Struie Course, a par-3 course and a new practice range, short-game and putting areas.
The new 18-hole course will be constructed on a 50-acre parcel adjacent to the Struie Course that the club acquired. It will join the Championship and Struie courses in Royal Dornoch’s lineup.
“Golf has long been the key economic driver in this part of the country and additional, high-quality, eco-friendly championship courses created by highly regarded designers can only enhance our reputation as a golfing destination and encourage visitors to extend their stay in the Highlands,” said Neil Hampton, Royal Dornoch’s general manager.
Architects Tad King and Rob Collins are known for designing the acclaimed Sweetens Cove in Tennessee and Landmand Golf Club in Nebraska, while Trevor Dormer worked with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw on Cabot Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. READ MORE
Barbara McIntire, a two-time U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and winner of the 2000 USGA Bob Jones Award for distinguished sportsmanship, died last Tuesday in Southern Pines, North Carolina. She was 90.
McIntire won the 1959 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland, and added a second title in 1964 at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas. She played on six U.S. Curtis Cup teams from 1958 to 1972 and was a two-time Curtis Cup captain (1976, 1998). She also served as chair of the USGA Women’s Committee in 1995-96. READ MORE
A new golf comedy series starring Owen Wilson will premiere on Apple TV+ on June 4. The series, “Stick,” features Wilson as Pryce Cahill, a washed-up, down-on-his-luck pro golfer who bets his future on a troubled 17-year-old golf phenom. The series also includes cameos by PGA Tour players Collin Morikawa, Keegan Bradley, Max Homa and Wyndham Clark, as well as broadcasters Jim Nantz and Trevor Immelman. READ MORE
Tap-Ins
A shattered windscreen in his private jet produced a mid-air scare for Greg Norman, prompting pilots to make an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport shortly after takeoff, Norman posted Saturday on Instagram. READ MORE
In a giveaway being called “The People's Perk,” the PGA of America will give away tickets to the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black randomly to New York residents at Bethpage State Park and several other public golf courses on Long Island and in the New York City metro area. There also will be a series of special visits to give Ryder Cup tickets to area first responders and community groups. READ MORE
The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews has unveiled a new portrait of Sir Michael Bonallack and his wife Angela, Lady Bonallack, in the Big Room of the clubhouse, honoring their lifelong dedication to golf and their distinguished service to the club and the sport. READ MORE
The R&A announced that His Honour Judge Dennis Watson KC will serve as captain in 2025-26. Watson will begin his year in office after the traditional driving-in ceremony on the first tee of the Old Course on Sept. 19. READ MORE
England’s Prince’s Golf Club will stage the 53rd Walker Cup between the United States and Great Britain and Ireland in 2030, the R&A announced. READ MORE
The top three players in the World Amateur Golf Ranking – Florida State’s Luke Clanton, Auburn’s Jackson Koivun and North Carolina’s David Ford – are the finalists for the 2025 Ben Hogan Award. The winner will be announced at a dinner next Monday at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, in advance of the PGA Tour’s Charles Schwab Challenge. READ MORE
The USGA has agreed to a multi-year deal with SeatGeek to become its official ticketing provider. The partnership will debut with the USGA’s 2026 championship season, beginning with a May 22, 2025, presale for select groups ahead of the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club. READ MORE
Compiled by Mike Cullity