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Friday 3rd December 20<strong>21</strong><br />
Once again this week I have a winter snow scene outside my window which has stopped anyone<br />
from playing and also lessens the footfall in the clubhouse. I do hope that the weather will<br />
improve as we approach Christmas and allow the many people who come to Dornoch at that time<br />
to enjoy the courses.<br />
Many thanks to all those who braved the rather chilly, snowy and slippy conditions last Saturday<br />
to attend the Annual Prize Giving. It was great to have a reasonably full clubhouse and recognise<br />
all the successes of the year just past. We managed a full season of events (unlike 2020) and so the<br />
prize table was resplendent with shiny trophies once again. The honours boards have also been<br />
updated so there are names in gold for those that won the major titles.<br />
Donald McCulloch<br />
Sadly Donald died earlier this week. He was 94 years old and a member for over 50 years. A Dornoch resident all<br />
his life he was a regular golfer who played to a reasonable standard but is probably best known for being the local<br />
police sergeant and keeping some of our current officials in line! Our thoughts and condolences go to all his family and<br />
friends.<br />
Neil Regan<br />
Very suddenly and unexpectedly Neil passed away this week at the age of only 65. He was a member at Winged Foot,<br />
Ballybunion and Royal Portrush and his application for membership of Royal Dornoch had just been approved. Our<br />
thoughts and condolences go to all his family and friends.<br />
Pizza Takeaway - Sat 4th December<br />
Just a reminder that for this week only the Pizzas are available on Saturday night (not Friday) and so you can still order<br />
one up until 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon. You do that by calling the bar 01862 810<strong>21</strong>9 ext. 4 or popping in to see<br />
them during the day. You can see what is available here.<br />
PAGE 1
Struie Toilets<br />
Due to the drop in temperature these are now CLOSED.<br />
Live Music - Sat 11th December<br />
As we move into the Christmas Season why not come along and enjoy a bit of dancing and letting your hair down in<br />
the Clubhouse. We have a members private dinner in the backroom and they have paid for Stevie Rebel to play his<br />
great mix of old and new cover versions and everyone is welcome to join in with the party.<br />
Junior Christmas Poster Competition<br />
Unfortunately last weekend our juniors, like the rest of us, couldn’t get out on the course to play but rather than just<br />
watch the TV or play their Xbox Gary Dingwall set them the task of designing a poster to promote the Christmas Junior<br />
Event. The entries were terrific and gave the judges, Willie Mackay (Captain) and Colin Mackay (Junior Convenor), a<br />
bit of a headache in deciding who the winners were but we are all delighted to let you know that the 1st Prize went to<br />
Freddie Gruber. You view see Freddie’s poster and all the others here.<br />
Pizza Nights<br />
Due to some Christmas party/dinner bookings it is not possible to provide Pizzas every week so they will be available<br />
on the following dates: Friday 17th December, Friday 7th January and then every fortnight from then on. We will send<br />
out an email at the start of each week that the Pizzas will be available.<br />
What’s on in Dornoch<br />
Saturday 4th December is the Dornoch Christmas Festival with Outdoor Christmas Market on the Cathedral Green<br />
from 10am to 2pm, St Andrew’s Fair in the Social Club from 10am to 4pm, a Christmas Fair in the Dornoch Hub and<br />
the Christmas lights go on.<br />
Covid 19<br />
Even though we are “Beyond Level 0” of Lockdown you MUST still book a tee time, check in with the Pro Shop and<br />
start from the 1st hole as Track and Trace remains mandatory for everyone.<br />
Signing in is still mandatory in the Clubhouse and you can do this using the NHS Scotland App or by writing your name,<br />
phone number and time of arrival on the sheets provided. Please remember to CHECK OUT/SIGN OUT when you<br />
leave the Clubhouse as failure to do this may result in you being contacted by the NHS for track and trace purposes if a<br />
case is identified on the day you were in the Clubhouse whether you were in the building at that time or not.<br />
PAGE 2
Sunday Roast<br />
The first three Sundays have seen some good turnouts with many people enjoying the food that Brian and his team are<br />
producing. It is also wonderful to have a buzz about the clubhouse which we hope will be the start of things to come as<br />
we move into 2022.<br />
To help Brian plan for Sundays if you are able to book ahead that would be great and the front of house team will be<br />
ready for your arrival. You can still come along on the spur of the moment as there will always be enough to go round.<br />
Course Condition Updates<br />
With the thought of the colder weather approaching and the prospect that the Championship Course may be closed<br />
due to frost or snow, or that buggies may not be allowed, then our team will be posting on the dedicated Twitter channel<br />
to keep you all informed. You can follow us here @RDCourseStatus and you can also see the feed on the Home page<br />
of the website.<br />
Upcoming Club Events<br />
• Sat 4th Dec - Whisky Stableford; Ladies Christmas Event (Struie); Pizza Night<br />
• Sun 5th Dec - Sunday Roast<br />
• Tues 7th Dec - Seniors Christmas Stableford and Lunch<br />
• Thurs 9th Dec - Pro’s Stableford<br />
• Sat 11th Dec - Whisky Stableford; Live Music with Stevie Rebel<br />
• Sun <strong>12</strong>th Dec - Sunday Roast<br />
• Tues 14th Dec - Seniors Roll Up<br />
• Thurs 16th Dec - Pro’s Stableford<br />
• Fri 17th Dec - Pizza Night<br />
• Sat 18th Dec - Whisky Stableford<br />
• Sun 19th Dec - Sunday Roast<br />
• Thurs 23rd Dec - Pro’s Stableford<br />
• Sat 25th Dec - Courses CLOSED and Clubhouse CLOSED<br />
• Sun 26th Dec - Sunday Roast<br />
• Thurs 30th Dec - Pro’s Stableford Christmas Special<br />
• Sat 1st Jan 2022 - Clubhouse CLOSED<br />
• Sun 2nd Jan - East of the Burn v West of the Burn<br />
PAGE 3
Office Hours<br />
For December the office opening hours will be 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday. It is still closed to visitors so please<br />
contact them on 01862 810<strong>21</strong>9 or bookings@royaldornoch.com<br />
Clubhouse Bar & Catering<br />
Winter Hours of Service:<br />
Bar - 10am to 6pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 8pm on Friday and Saturday.<br />
Catering - Closed Monday and Tuesday; 10am to 4pm Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday; 10am to 6pm on Friday and<br />
Saturday.<br />
Please note that the clubhouse may close earlier than these times if there are no customers.<br />
Pro Shop<br />
The pro shop hours for December will be from the first tee time to 4pm 7 days a week but may close earlier due to<br />
weather or playing numbers. Contact them on 01862 811924 or email proshop@royaldornoch.com. The online store is<br />
available for you to make purchases here and to get your members discount you have to register on the site but please<br />
note that verification may take a day or two.<br />
PAGE 4
Golf courses<br />
Well winter has finally hit the courses! With frost, snow, wind and rain it’s not been the best week to be working<br />
outdoors but as normal the team has persevered to get things done. On the Championship Course the team have<br />
nearly completed the bunker revetting on the 10th and started the ones on top of the hill on the 17th. The greens have<br />
been micro tined which is done to relieve compaction and help the water percolate through the surface as quick as<br />
possible so when the snow melts this should help dry out the surfaces quicker. Following the tining they were then<br />
rolled to smooth the surfaces for play. We continue to turf weak any worn areas on fairways. The revetting on the bank<br />
of the 8th tee is in the process of being redone. On the Struie course we continue to aerate the greens with the Air2G2<br />
air injection machine. This breaks up the soil profile under the surface giving the roots of the grass plant room to grow<br />
in the air pockets it makes. The turfing of weak areas on the greens surrounds also continues. After a few stormy days<br />
the coastal erosion fencing on the 10th on the Struie Course took a battering so the team has replaced the damaged<br />
sections, built up the bank with sand and planted Marrum grass to help stabilise it. With the snow covering the course<br />
we also turned our attention to areas of bushes that need to be removed or cut back. We have also started removing all<br />
bushes in the dunes on the sea side of the course and trimming sides of pathways.<br />
Please note that the winter greens have been marked on the Struie Course so please treat them as Ground Under<br />
Repair<br />
Play from Mats - When you see a mat on a teeing ground then you MUST use this for your tee shot.<br />
Bunkers - We have reinstated the Preferred Lie local rule for the time being.<br />
Thanks for reading.<br />
Happy Golfing!<br />
Neil D. Hampton, General Manager<br />
Stay safe. Protect others. Save lives.
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