Royal Dornoch Golf Club in the Highlands of Scotland has a proud history of championing women’s golf.
Now the club, which can trace its roots back to 1877, is looking forward to hosting the first leg of an exciting new tour teed-up for 2024, which will be supporting the UK charity, Battle Against Dementia.
The Scottish Women’s Amateur Tour gets under way with an eagerly awaited event in the Highlands on April 17 and 18.
Then it’s on to Scotscraig, Dalmahoy, Monifieth, Murrayshall, West Kilbride, Montrose, Fairmont St Andrews, Strathmore and, on September 22, it’s back up the A9 to Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart for a finale with a 12-strong field.
The Tour is restricted to 130 members and registration opens on March 1, with an annual £85 membership.
Details should be registered before February 29 at www.alantaitgolf.co.uk or by emailing ATait@golfbreaks.com
It is open to women and girls with a handicap of nine or better, with prizes for scratch and nett categories. The entry fee for each tournament is £65.
Battle Against Dementia will benefit, with £1.50 donated for every joiner and entrant.
Neil Hampton, general manager at Royal Dornoch, has welcomed the new tour.
“We are delighted to support the inaugural event and look forward to seeing how the competitors fare against our Championship and Struie Courses during their visit,” he said.
The new tour has been backed by Louise Duncan, the 2021 British Women’s Amateur champion, and two times LPGA Tour winner and three times Solheim Cup star, American-based Scot Janice Mood.
Neil said: “Royal Dornoch has hosted many prestigious national and international amateur championships over the years. The Scottish Ladies Championship was first held here in 1956, when Perth’s Jessie Valentine took the honours.
“It has returned on several occasions in the intervening years, along with the Ladies Home Internationals and Senior Amateur Championships.
“Looking to the future here at Royal Dornoch, our Junior Section is proving very popular with both boys and girls.
“Our first club Ladies Championship dates to 1972 but, even in the early years, golf was never the preserve of men at Royal Dornoch, despite fashions of the Victorian era being hardly conducive to swinging a golf club!
“Louise Carnegie, wife of Scots-born US steel magnate Andrew, drove the first ball to open a 12-hole ladies course on the lower links in 1899.
“Four times British Ladies Open winner Joyce Wethered, hailed by Bobby Jones as the best golfer he had ever played with, was a five times winner of our Ladies Silver Medal 1919 and the 1920s. It has been played for since 1905.”
The new tour is being promoted by former European Tour player Alan Tait and he is thrilled to have Royal Dornoch and Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart on board.
He said: “I’m genuinely excited about the new tour and hope it goes a long way to help the women’s game. I’d love nothing more than if one of the players goes on to represent Scotland or even make their way into the Curtis Cup, through their performances on the new tour.
“I’m also really proud of the venues I managed to get who are hosting. They were all amazing and hugely supportive when I approached them. All agreed it was needed and all jumped at the chance to get on board.
“The players are spoiled for choice and to have two courses in the world’s top 100 – Royal Dornoch and Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart – on the schedule is fantastic. I can’t thank all the venues enough for their support.”