The club makes 13,000-plus visitor rounds available every year in a bid to cater for high demand from individuals, groups and international tour operators. With prime tee times already booked up for this summer, the club has announced that bookings for next season will be taken from 9am on Wednesday, April 23.
General manager Neil Hampton stressed: “To ensure a level playing field, we are taking requests for 2026 tee times via email only at bookings@royaldornoch.com and these will be processed and responded to in chronological order. In the interests of fairness, the opening time will be strictly enforced and I’m afraid any emails received before 9am will not be processed.”
The club’s eagerly awaited £13.9 million new clubhouse will welcome guests next season and Neil anticipates it will enhance the reputation of a club counting down to its centenary in 2027 and welcoming the Curtis Cup the following year.
“These are exciting times for the club. The clubhouse will have a soft opening this winter and be ready to welcome everyone next year. It will be marvellous to offer golfers an off the course facility to equal the golfing experience guaranteed at Royal Dornoch.
“There are still some tee times available this season, but these tend to be later in the day. The later you leave it, the less likely you are to secure your preferred tee times. Given recent experience we are anticipating high demand for 2026.
“When travel opened up again after the pandemic it became clear that more and more golfers were determined to tick off a bucket list course like Royal Dornoch. And having played here, many of them decide they want to return as soon as possible. Golfers from around the world want to savour the traditional, authentic links experience that we offer at Royal Dornoch.”
With the Scottish Highlands growing in popularity as a golfing destination, this year Royal Dornoch is coordinating the 2026 booking timetable with Cabot Highlands in Inverness and Nairn Golf Club.
“We are opening our tee sheets at the same time to allow people to plan ahead and book their Highland holiday, wherever they are coming from,” said Neil. “With tee times secured, they can turn to getting travel plans and accommodation organised. The Highlands are now regarded as an attractive stay and play destination in their own right, with a variety of lovely courses in the area to add to the bucket list experiences.”
While the Championship Course is in demand from tour operators, two thirds of tee times are snapped up by independent golfers aware that the £320 tee time compares favourably with other top-10 ranked courses in world golf.
“We are open to all and welcome visitors seven days a week. There are no blank days, unless there is an event on,” said Neil. “We are fortunate to enjoy a high profile in the USA and 50% of our business is North American, which is important to the local economy. But 30% of visitors are UK-based, and we are delighted that so many want to make the trip north and see what Royal Dornoch is all about.”
