Royal Dornoch (Struie)

The 3rd green, which was among the new work done by Robin Hiseman, has great internal movement

The 15th green is a good example of the features being placed well to take advantage of the minimal undulation on the ground that houses 3, 4 and 15-17

Course name: Royal Dornoch (Struie)
Location: Dornoch, Sutherland, Scotland
Four Word Course Review: Interesting greens, great views

One of the benefits of spending some time in the one place on a golf trip is the chance to play the lesser courses that still offer plenty of good golf.

Dornoch's second course, the Struie, is a patchwork quilt of golf holes, with some having always been part of the course, others absorbed from the main course after WW2 and five new holes (9-13) having been built by Robin Hiseman earlier this decade.

While a clearly inferior younger brother to the main course - Stephen Baldwin to the Championship layout's Alec - there are some really good moments.

The opening hole, one that was initially on the main course, pit sets your expectations a tad high for what follows, with only the 3rd, 4th and 5th greens (all after fairly pedestrian tee shots) and par three 8th offering exciting golf to match it on the rest of the front nine.

The stretch of 11-13 is fun, a long par four followed by a 240-yard two-shotter over a natural wetland and then a well-bunkered par five with a wonderful green.

The 16th is the last of the highlight holes, doglegging right to set up the approach to a wildly sloping green.

To be fair, many of the holes I've not mentioned are far from poor, the standard set elsewhere on the property is just that high.

What's most enjoyable about the Struie is how it contrasts with the main course. Where the famous Dornoch greens up on the higher linksland are massive, with gentler undulations and domed edges that parry the ball away, many on the Struie have more wild interior contours and smaller overall size.

The views are also a real joy, looking back towards the town from the far reaches of the course, which run along Dornoch firth. There's a great touch on the 12th with the spire of the town's cathedral rising up from the middle of the green as you stand on the tee.

There's also a nice contrast of setting on the 6th and 7th as the course moves into a pine wooded area.

Most of the world's 30,000-odd golf courses can't hold a candle to Dornoch's championship course, so it's no insult to say the Struie falls into that camp, but it has enough highlights for it to be worth a play if you're spending a couple of days in town.