Historic Scottish golf club strengthens bond with US venue over antique prize

A group of members from Royal Dornoch, led by club captain Gary Bethune, crossed the Atlantic to take on The Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst for a prize called the Roly Bluck Putter.

The relationship between the two clubs was struck approximately 50 years ago before being made official in 2017, with The Country Club of North Carolina being the only club in the US having a reciprocal arrangement with Royal Dornoch.

"It is such an amazing thing to have such a relationship with a club in the United States,” said Neill Hampton, Royal Dornoch’s general manager. “The fact that the relationship started with CCNC in the 60s and 70s is very important to the town of Dornoch itself.

"The expression of the players, the joy on their faces when they jump on the plane is amazing. The number of friends that they've made and the relationships have grown from this. For a wee town in the north of Scotland, the reach that we have now and the global effect the players feel is absolutely marvellous."

The match is believed to be the only annual fixture between US and Scottish golf clubs, with the putter, which was named after a former Royal Dornoch captain, ending up in American hands on this occasion after a 18.5-6.5 victory.

"It just gets better and better,” said Bethune, who, in addition to Hampton, was joined by Struan Robertson, Derek MacDougall, Chris Day, John Gow, James Cameron, Stuart Morrison, Kevin Matheson, David Pearson, Mike Thompson, David Bell and Hamish Macrae in flying the Royal Dornoch flag. “The camaraderie amongst the guys is lovely."

Match is ‘going to carry on and grow’

Dick Urquhart, the founding father and first club president of The Country Club of North Carolina, called the land on which the club was located the Royal Dornoch Golf Village, with members making regular pilgrimages to Sutherland over the past 60 years.

"This is a tradition,” added Hampton. “This is something that is going to carry on, year after year. It's going to grow. The number of people who want to play in it, the number who can play in it and what we do when we get here. It's not just a match. It's a way of life when we come away from Dornoch to visit here."