The Championship Course at Royal Dornoch Golf Club is viewed as one of the finest courses anywhere. It is ranked as the 16th best course in the World and 4th best in Great Britain & Ireland.
Whilst this status has been enjoyed for many years the Club has not rested on its laurels. Like most businesses it experienced a down turn during the recession but is fighting back with increased numbers through 2010 and 2011.
In 2010, the Club undertook a review of its strategy and position in the market place, which has led to the development of a new marketing strategy and to Royal Dornoch forging partnerships with other courses and relevant businesses so that it can tap into the worldwide golfing market and maximise its position amongst the world’s elite.
A core element of the Club’s intention to have an improved presence in the marketplace has led to the development of a new website, www.royaldornoch.com, with a complete online booking and payment facility.
The new website and services were first launched to the Club’s membership early in 2011 and received rave reviews for the content and the functionality that has allowed the members to access many new features, one of which was online tee time booking. After the success of this the Club then moved on to the next stage of its plan: online visitor tee time booking and payment. This was developed in conjunction with the website creators, The Cheryl Hopkins Consultancy, and the Club’s existing software provider Epic Software.
From the moment the online system went live at the beginning of July the world’s golfers have taken to it immediately and have been using it to great effect ever since with over 60 golfers booking and paying for tee times so far.
Club Captain Hamish Macrae comments: “We have always been very keen to share our course with golfers from all around the world and the online booking system allows us to continue to offer golfers from every corner of the globe access to the tee times that they want and guarantee their game at Royal Dornoch in a very modern fashion. This facility is an excellent addition to the service we already provide and will allow our staff to give our members and visitors an even higher level of experience every time they play our course.”
Royal Dornoch Golf Club was formed in 1877 with the first recorded playing of golf in Dornoch taking place in 1616. The Club’s second course, the Struie, was recently ranked 50th in Great Britain and Ireland. While being a members Club it welcomes visitors 7 days a week and is keen to share its course with golfers from all over the world.
Epic Software Limited www.epicsoftware.co.uk
Royal Dornoch Golf Club www.royaldornoch.com