Day One: Tain - Course Report
This is what Scottish Golf is about. 180 Celsius, Blue Skies, great golf. Those driving North to Tain this morning were blessed with magnificent views and clear roads. The last of the winter snow was still visible on the far mountains but the temperature - warmest in Britain today - was rising by the minute.

Tain is a small village just south of the Dornoch Firth and whilst not as well known as its northerly neighbour Dornoch. It provided perfect golfing conditions for the opening day of the Highland Golf Classic.

The clubhouse at Tain which was refurbished three years ago (and incidentally opened by Sir Michael Bonallack, formerly R&A) offers superb facilities for the visiting golfer and the welcome afforded the players matched the surroundings. The course itself was set up superbly by Head Greenkeeper Iain Macleod and his team and the comments from all of the field reflected the way the course was prepared for this early season event. Fast greens, nice firm fairways and rough which punished but not to the point of disaster.

The course itself has superb views over the Dornoch Firth and is pretty well the same as it was when designed in 1890 by Old Tom Morris himself. The signature hole if you can use such a phrase is known as The Alps due to its two mountainous dunes guarding the green. It also has several other names we believe - overwhelmingly regarded as the favourite hole of the golfers playing in the Classic.

The weather was set up for some good scoring with bright sunshine and a light north easterly breeze cooling down. With several low handicappers including Walter Conway Todd from South Carolina checking in at +1 the scene was certainly set for some high stableford points totals.

Some sadist somewhere decreed that that the first hole should be the scene of the longest drive competition; given that there's out of bounds rights and a well placed bunker on the right it took some courage to pull out the driver on a first shot and go for it. But go for it they did and mixed in with a few OOBs the longest hit by the men was by Derek Newlands from Buckpool Golf Club in Buckie with the Ladies Lang Whang coming from the very last drive of the day by Sinny Smith from Brechin Golf Club.

The nearest the pin competition was at the sixteenth which is a 147 yard played from an elevated tee with water on two sides front and right and bunkers on the left. Nearest the green is often the case but John Miskelly from Hendon Golf Club managed to put the ball to within a couple of feet and in doing so won himself a nice bottle of twelve year old malt courtesy of whisky sponsors Glen Ord. The two longest drives also have a bottle of the water of life to take away with them.

While the conditions lent themselves to some great scoring they apparently also leant themselves to some shall we say less than par golf. Nobody will be highlighted but there were some candidates for "Duffer of the Day" and the accompanying prize. A five putt was noted and a Strokesaver was returned unused to the pro shop as none of the landing points from the drives were in the book!

Highlight of the day undoubtedly belonged to 11 handicapper Derek Ronaldson from Cupar who added an inward 19 to a superb outward 21 giving a leading total of 40 points. The score equated to a Gross 77 with a net 66 on a course with a Standard Scratch of 71. Four threes on his card - two of them birdies helped things along greatly and puts him comfortably in the lead.

Behind Derek are two Americans Thomas Todd and Richard Knox on 34 points and Derek Newlands and John Miskelly both on 33 points.

Over the day the averages proved interesting with the average stableford points being 24.48. The high being 40 and the low being 14! Most difficult holes of the day proved to be the Par 5 thirteenth and the Par 4 second. Easiest hole giving up an average of 1.70 points was the Par 5 fourteenth. Click on the charts attached for some more info and graphs.

The ladies played on the whole very well with the best score being posted by Sue Helal who plays over the Nazeing Course in Hertfordshire with a handicap of 26 - she scored an excellent 31 points which keeps her well in the running for the main singles prize and establishes her as leading lady!

The team event is played in pairs with combined stableford scores. The leader is perhaps not surprisingly Derek Ronaldson and his partner and Graeme Honeyman with a total of 66 points. However it is tight behind them with Johnson and T Todd and M Todd and Hensley on 59 and the two Ann(e)'s - Buckley and Baker - on 58.

So it's off to Dornoch in the morning. The sun's still shining and the forecasts great.

Day Two: Royal Dornoch….. The Story Continues

So it was over the Dornoch Firth towards probably the biggest challenge in Highland Golf - Royal Dornoch. The course hardly needs introduction to golfers worldwide and the town itself hit the headlines with Madonna's wedding in the local cathedral. The town is as good a reason as any to head north but combined with the golf course the decision to travel up here is made easy. With direct flights into Inverness and a drive of an hour from there it's not as difficult to get to as you may think. There are two courses at Dornoch and while the big course is the key attraction The Struie shouldn't be overlooked. There's a great selection of hotels, bed and breakfast and self-catering accommodation in the area so all budgets can be accommodated.

On to the golf. The tee times were mixed around and every one was playing with new partners. The first day nerves had evaporated a little although the aura of the course was apparent just standing on the first tee.

The course was as usual superbly set up; the greens are undulating but true, if difficult to read. Comparisons with any other course is difficult as Dornoch is just Dornoch and the comments from the players supported it's unique nature. Some reports have rated it the 15th best course in the world. One competitor asked, "If this is 15th I'd sure like to see the other fourteen". "…played badly but the best course I know", …"the whole day has been memorable", "two words…Top Class", "I want to play this course again but only a little better!" and to finish with "This is simply golfing heaven".

With comments like that some of the scoring seemed almost irrelevant but there was still a competition to be played. The wind was blowing in from the north east and it was expected that the first nine heading into the breeze would cause the most problems. However as it turned out the average points score on each nine were pretty much identical with 13.5 on the front and 13.8 on the back. The overall points were 27.3 on a day which was pretty difficult for scoring but well up on the previous days 24.5 at Tain.

The pressure was supposedly on the leader Derek Ronaldson but it certainly didn't get to him and he produced an excellent 35 points to follow his 40. Hugh McDonald from Auchterarder Golf Club came in early with an excellent 36 points but was pipped late on by Tain golfer Iain Fraser who with the help of his son Jonathon as caddy produced the day's best of 37 points. Out in level par Iain dropped some points on the run or he would have been right up the leaderboard. His excellent gross 77 was under the conditions a superb score.

The overall leaderboard still shows Ronaldson in front by 6 with Thomas Todd and Iain Fraser on 69; John Miskelly lies in fourth with 67 and three others, Knox, McDonald and Buckley all on 64.

On the team front Derek Ronaldson and Graeme Honeyman are still outfront with 66 each day giving them a total of 132. Only six behind are Todd T and Johnson and the "Two Annes" on 124 points. With the stableford format any one of the top ten teams could still turn it around and claim first prize.

Shot of the Day - James V Jackson - One iron to seven feet at the first. Okay so the first's only 300 yards off the yellow tees but James didn't exactly hit his drive off the middle of the club and he did miss the putt but the one iron to the green from about 210 yards probably made it the shot off the day. Ann Watt's approach to the Par Three sixth was a thing of beauty as well and with just a wee bit more pace would have rolled straight to the hole. Ann's ball ended up as closest to the hole and wins some of Glen Ord's wonderful product so the shot of the day belongs to James V.

Longest Drive or the Lang Whang as it has become known was won by Thomas Todd and Yvonne Davidson at the seventh.

The event has also engendered some strange comments about the Highland nature with the sightings of Skylarks and seals being mixed in with a lack of eagles and albatrosses. But then again that's what the Scottish Golf Classics are all about. Golf is the raison d'etre but with towns like Tain, Dornoch and Nairn and the magnificent scenery all around the area, the Highland Golf Classic offers just that wee bit more.

Day Three - A Best Kept Secret out of the Bag!

Fortrose and Rosemarkie is one of those archetypal gems that the Scottish Golf Classics was set up to promote. While all have heard of Dornoch, most have heard of Nairn Dunbar and many have heard of Tain, Fortrose and Rosemarkie is possibly the Highlands Best Kept Secret.

Located about twenty minutes from the centre of Inverness the golf courses is accessed through some picturesque fishing villages like Avoch and on a day like today with the sun once again splitting the sky it made the early morning drive all the easier and more enjoyable.

Through the village of Fortrose and just before the village of Rosemarkie is situated one of the best links courses in the north of Scotland and as was to be seen possibly the very best greens.

Off the back tees the course only measures in at 5875 yards and has a par of 71; the standard scratch of 69 makes the course sound easier on paper than it is in reality as the scoring for the day - an average of 26.3 - confirmed. With an easterly breeze coming in off the Moray Firth the north to south running holes on this peninsula played at their most difficult and caused some of the competitors a little difficulty.

However it didn't stop some excellent golf with three players tying on 35 points and the scores on the back nine coming into play.

The winning 35 points was charted by Stuart Fordyce, from Elmwood in Fife, with a back nine of 20 unluckily followed by Colin McAllister and Erick Davidson.

The longest drive was located on the twelfth hole and struck by Samuel Jackson Galloway from Spartanburg in Carolina; the ladies lang whang was gloriously struck by Susan Coyle from Hertfordshire Golf Club.

Nearest the pin came from Alex McKay from Strathlene golf club at the Par Three 5th known as the Ice House (which incidentally is the old building behind the green which was historically used for freezing the freshly landed fish).

As was stated above, Fortrose and Rosemarkie is one of those wee secrets that some golfers like to keep to themselves. It is one of the most welcoming places you are likely to visit with the secretary, clubhouse staff and committee acting as perfect Highland Hosts for the day. The clubhouse is excellent for an after round dram and a bite to eat with wonderful views across to Fort George the Moray Firth coastline and, if you are lucky, the dolphins frolicking in the water. If you're planning a visit to this part of The Highlands this course is a must. The comments from the players reflected our opinion, "probably the best greens I've ever played" was a frequent quote coupled with the oft used and complimentary "I didn't play well but what a superb course". Fortrose and Rosemarkie will undoubtedly feature in next year's Highland Golf Classic and many more to come. Make sure you visit on your next trip north.

Day Four - The Final Round

So, onto the final round at Nairn Dunbar Golf Club. The lead was being held by Derek Ronaldson of Cupar but was still catchable from a few others below him in the field. The sun shone again and although there was some wind it was still a superb golfing day. Local knowledge tells that the wind was not the prevailing one and as a result the par 5's played easy with large numbers of eagles being posted and some of the supposedly "easier" holes causing havoc.

However the one person it did not cause havoc with was Anne baker from Hertfordshire who went out in the earlier games and posted a superb 39 points. Her 39 points meant that Derek Ronaldson from Cupar had now to post at least 25 points to be the first winner of the Highland Golf Classic - with the wind picking up that target was by no means certain and this was in fact highlighted by the fact that he scored 34 points. However it was still enough and his 139 winning total brought him home with nine points to spare.

Nairn Dunbar was a day for the Ladies with Anne Baker being the clear winner of the day's event from second place Ann Watt who had an excellent 36 points; Sue Helal completed the all female leaderboard with 34 points. As if that wasn't enough Susan Coyle put her ball nearest the pin; Sinny Smith from Brechin won the ladies longest drive and the only gent to take away a prize from Nairn was Walter C Todd from Musgrove Hill in The States with the days longest drive.

While the wind blew the course remained a highlight for many of the players. It's degree of difficulty on the day in no way undermined the quality of the course and in particular the greens. The level of hospitality at the club itself was up to the level set all week and did secretary Scott Falconer and all his team proud. Without exception everyone was looking forward to returning to Nairn Dunbar again for 2002's classic.

The Final Analysis

The prize giving dinner was held at the excellent Newton Hotel in the superb Highland Conference Centre rooms. We were delighted to welcome a top table which included representation from Whisky sponsors Glen Ord and Golf Highland including its Chairman Duncan Allan.

The excellent meal and equal service was rounded off with the prizegiving. The full list of prizes and prizewinners is available by clicking on the icon to the left.

Derek Ronaldson was the overall individual winner and also scooped the Team Prize with partner Graeme Honeyman with an excellent total of 246. The award of unluckiest punters of the week and also 2nd place in the team event went to John Miscall and peter Bonnet who after a combine 144 holes finished a single point behind. In terms of prizes however the highlight probably belonged to Anne Baker who seemed to carry away half the table with third place in the doubles with Anne Buckley, Ladies Singles Winner and second place overall. We hope she had a great night and got all her prizes in the back of the car!

So was it a great week? Well from the comments received by not only the organisers but the Club Secretaries, hoteliers and others involved there was nothing but positive comments. The comments made have all been taken on board and the launch of next years event will incorporate many of the suggestions received; in particular the event will be held in the Nairn area next year with Nairn, Nairn Dunbar, Fortrose and Rosemarkie
The date has been put back a week to avoid the Bank Holiday weekend and a wider range of hotel properties will be included in the marketing. Other than that it'll be more of the same and an anticipated field of 240 for next year….of which we hope many will come from this year's entry.

The organisers of the event would like to thank the secretaries and all the staff in the restaurants, bars and green-keeping for there wonderful co-operation in the planning and implementation of the event. The hotels all contributed to ensuring that the Highland Hospitality was savoured by all and we hope that they will reap the rewards well into the future.

And last but not least the thanks of all of us at Golf Highland and Plan B must go to the competitors. The courses were great, the hotels surpassed expectations but the most memorable part of the week was surely the camaraderie of the players who made the first Highland Golf Classic the event to remember and one which turned out to be so much easier to manage.

As promised at the prizegiving dinner the participants will be enrolled into Highland's First - the exclusive club for the first competitors in the Golf Highland - and offered perpetual discounts and offers for future Scottish Golf Classics. We are looking forward to welcoming you all back to not only the Highlands but Ayrshire and Speyside as well.