This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course.

If my mind heads off to Royal Dornoch Golf Club from time to time, pardon me.

If my heart and soul follow, there are a few good reasons.

• Royal Dornoch in the far north of Scotland is a great golf course, acclaimed by many around the world as one of the very best.

• Sitting, as it does, in the small town of Dornoch hard by the North Sea, it is both picturesque and challenging.  Plus, it is one of my favorite types of golf course – a links-style course where you play your golf ball close to the ground so it runs out.

• The course was designed by one of golf’s greats, “Old Tom Morris.”  Plus, it had a notable greenskeeper for several years, Donald Ross, who became an acclaimed golf course architect around the world, including in Scotland.

• Its history is incredible, dating as it does, to 1877.  So, if you play the course, you imagine those tough Scots who preceded you so many years ago.  Of course, after they finished their round, often in pounding rain and howling wind, they would retire to the clubhouse for a “wee dram.”  Yes, it’s Scotch.

I have had the privilege of playing Royal Dornoch three times, two by myself, with my wife Nancy (who doesn’t play, but whose parents came from Scotland to the U.S., so Nancy considers Scotland a “second home,” and she walked along with me at least one of those times), and one with my son, Eric, who is a far better golf than I am and proved it on a great day at Royal Dornoch.  One for the memory books.

Another reason Dornoch comes to mind frequently is that a good friend of mine in Salem, Oregon where we live has gone out of his way to find Dornoch relics for me:  (a) a framed flag from Royal Dornoch, which sits on the wall by my desk; (b) a book entitled Personal Memories of Royal Dornoch by Donald Grant, a Dornoch member from 1900-1925; and (c) another book, A History of the Royal Dornoch, 1877-1999, by long-time member, John Macleod.  It also has a place of prominence near my desk.

It took my friend, Steve, an experienced golf collector extraordinare, about a year to find the last book, so thanks to him for his undying effort.

A third book stimulated my early love for Dornoch several years ago.  It was entitled A Season in Dornoch, by a golf writer from Toronto, Lorne Rubenstein.  With his wife, he set out to spend four months in Dornoch to learn the course, to meet the residents, and to commune with nature in that far off place, very different from either Canada or the U.S.

Then, Rubenstein wrote great prose about his experiences.

His words captured my imagination, so much so that, (a) I have read the book multiple times, and (b) was able to experience the course first-hand, sort of, I guess, like Rubenstein. 

On our first trip to the town of Dornoch, my wife and I visited the book shop that Rubenstein described because he and his wife lived in a flat above the store.

[As an aside, it has been interesting for me to note how much the Scots love to read, both newspapers and books.  There are bookstores and “news-shops” in nearly every town.  Of course, there are golf courses, as well.]

One of the lines in Rubenstein’s book still resonates with me.  He said he “loved to hear his foot-fall on the hard ground of Dornoch.”  Hard ground is a characteristic of links-style courses in “the home of golf.”  So, you literally can hear your feet as you plod the ground along the 18 holes with vistas of the North Sea.

Rubenstein tamed that kind of ground, but not just for golf alone.  The course became a sanctuary for him, one where his thoughts roamed among such topics as golf, his sojourn in Scotland, his life in Toronto, and time spent at his summer home in another golf mecca, Jupiter, Florida.

In the long Scottish days, Rubenstein recalled how he often set out late at “night” to get in one more round.  By himself.  With only the turf, the sky, and the sea to accompany him. 

So, overall, why does Dornoch reside so much in my thoughts?

Well, as I said above, it is acknowledged as one of the great golf courses in the world, established as it was 145 years ago.  It was awarded “royal status” in 1906 by King Edward VII…and it earned the distinction.  The name “royal” is held by only seven other golf courses.

Further, the following comments by golf two well-known golf experts verify Royal Dornoch’s value:

• “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had on a golf course.” –  pro golfer Tom Watson
• “No golfer has completed his education until he has played and studied Royal Dornoch.” – Golf writer Herbert Warren Wind

So, the point is that “I have completed my education because I played Royal Dornoch.”

But, not just that.  It remains in my memory and, good news – it won’t leave.