Customer Reviews

A Season In Dornoch: Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands

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For most non-Scots, a trip to the Homeland of golf necessitates a whirlwind tour of the Open Championship rota courses- Royal Troon, Turnbury, Muirfield (if you plan well ahead), Carnoustie, and certainly, the Old Course at St. Andrews. Great history, lots of photo opportunities, bags of logo sweaters, memories and experiences to savor. But, for many, and increasingly, the saavy and erudite golfer is selecting destinations and links courses away from the package- tour crowd. Where the courses are relatively uncrowded, and where the locals have not been put through a mandatory training class in dealing with finicky, type-A travelers, who rage at the bacon being not just so, or the course not being yardage marked on every sprinkler head. Names pop up, like Machrihanish, Peterhead, and especially, Dornoch. The small village of Dornoch, county Sutherland, the birth place of Donald Ross, is located in the Northern Highlands, 50 miles north of Inverness, 4 hours plus from the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and nearly as long a journey from the Rota courses. Many central region Scots view the trek as being too cumbersome for their holidays. And that surely is part of the quest and the reward. Royal Dornoch invariably is rated among the top 15 courses in the world, and if villages had their own rating system, dare say the burgh would rank as high. Lorne Rubenstein and his wife Nell somehow(praise them with large dollops of envy) spent the summer of 2000 living in a small flat above the bookshop, playing the wonderful links, and meeting a variety of the local citizens. The reader is invited into the life of the village, where golf is truly integral to the economy as well as the ethos of population. Everyone plays, everyone cares about the game, everyone welcomes and befriends the visitors. You will meet, and indeed "know" Euan, the kilted, poetry spewing barman; Andrew, the septugenarian RDGC member, who caddies for guests of the club; Pipey, another weathered ancient, who has lived the game of golf his entire life, and would not trade a minute; Jim Miller,from nearby Brora, one of the finest amateurs in Highland golf history. Rubenstein delves into the history of the region, exposing the horrific drama of the "clearances". He also gives us a good glimpse of himself, his long, tight ties with the game, and his relationships with its players, and his loving wife Nell. If you have been to Dornoch, this book will ring clear and true, and you will want to E-mail Rubenstein with your own anecdotes about the town and course and people. If you have not had the priviledge of the Dornoch experience, or of Scotland , for that matter, you will getting your maps out, setting a new vacation budget, and calling your travel agent before you close the cover.

Lorne Rubenstein has scored a literary "Hole in One" with this book. How so? - He has successfully tackled that most difficult of subjects - a community and its local characters, as seen by an outsider (or "incomer" as known locally in the Highlands) who is living slap bang in the middle of town. Not only this, but the landscape and its people are seen in an historical context that is dominated by land ownership and the forced clearances of tenants.
Pretty heavy stuff, you might protest, but no - a charming, light hearted insight into Dornoch life that really tells you something about the Highlands of Scotland, its history, its romance, its golf.....and Madonna! Lorne does this by getting seriously involved in the heart of things - he doesn't sit around on the sidelines and ponder - He gets his boots muddy by psyching himself up & competing in the Carnegie Shield golf championships at Dornoch; sharing the excitement of playing the ancient, traditional links of nearby Brora & Golspie; tramping & cycling around the countryside and most of all by meeting as many local folk as possible, downing a dram and recording their philosophy of life, love & the golfing universe.
We also learn something about Lorne & his wife Nell, a partnership which has true romance peeking out between the pages.
If you have ever dreamed of spending a summer in the Highlands of Scotland, read this book - Rubenstein has got it spot on .. an Ace in all respects.

Rubenstein seeks out the Scottish course that he enjoyed 25 years past, and discovers much more than he bargained for.

This eminent, wordcrafter contributes a delightful tale of golf, not "cart-ball" as the game as become on the NA contienent. Here, it's not booming drives and high stick shots, but more the relaxation and wide open spaces with the tranquility and sereneness the game has had in these Highlands.

One gets somewhat the feel that golfers rave about in Scotland, and this fine book helps those of us who have never been closer than say London in my case to get a taste of what it's like to be near the sea in sand formed links.

Golfers will reverberate to his find wordsmithing such as: "Golf, not marriage, is the triumph of hope over experience. I don't konow why I shuld feel hopeful after playing dreadfully for thirteen holes and now facing the most comfounding hole on the course. That's golf. That's a golfer."

Such charming writing about what every golfer that I know has ever played speaks of Dornoch, it is the essence of Donald Ross and links golf and everything the game is about.

What the season life at Dornoch gives Rubenstein he also passes on, the Clearances and the plight of this people of pipes and drams and links and books. Sounds like the perfect village life many of us dream of living in.

Lorne Rubenstein, the veteran golf columnist of the Toronto Globe and Mail, is one of the game's most distinguished writers, in the tradition of Bernard Darwin and Herbert Warren Wind. A Season in Dornoch is the chronicle of the enchanted time he and his wife, Nell, spent in the tiny Scottish village that gave birth to the renowned golf architect Donald Ross and is home to the Royal Dornoch Golf Club. The course is highly-esteemed by golf architects and prominent golfers like Tom Watson, but its remote location allows it to exist in relative obscurity compared to more famous counterparts like St. Andrews, Muirfield and Carnoustie. For three months spanning the summer of 2000, Rubenstein immersed himself in the golfing life of a golf-intoxicated community. I enjoyed his accounts of matches won and lost, swing thoughts seized on and almost as quickly abandoned, and the rueful, but good-natured tale of his play in the major amateur event of the summer, the Carnegie Shield. Much of the true charm of the book, though, lies in Rubenstein's keen, wide-ranging observations on life as it's lived away from the golf course in this ruggedly beautiful area of the Scottish Highlands. I found it enlightening to learn about the sometimes painful history of the region, the way that history echoes down to the present, and how it influenced Rubenstein's response to the landscape. For Rubenstein, golf obviously has been a means to explore the world, and so he introduces the reader to subjects as diverse as Scottish piping, the natural history of links golf courses and the subtle pleasures of fine single-malt Scotch. I enjoyed meeting the charming cast of characters that come vividly to life in Rubenstein's gentle prose (Madonna even makes a cameo appearance). A Season in Dornoch is a delightful book for lovers of the game of golf and all things Scottish. I know it has me eagerly looking forward to my first visit there.

I bought this book for my husband. We loved Scotland and he loves golf so I thought this was the perfect book. It took us back to our time in Scotland and Denny's first view of St. Andrews. I recomment this book for any avid golfer. It was a hit at my house.

Lorne Rubenstein has written a wonderful account of his stay in Dornoch , a tiny village in the Scottish Highlands, famous for its legendary golf course Royal Dornoch.

In superbly crafted prose, the Author tells of his Golfing experiences at this 'Holy Grail' of Golf Clubs, which along with St. Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon, Royal Aberdeen, Turnberry, Muirfield and North Berwick is one of the most historic and revered courses in Scotland.

He and his non-golf playing wife Nell meet many warm and wise locals and form a strong bond with them and the community in Dornoch. The story is so well told, both in terms of pace and content, that it makes for very enjoyable and rapid reading.

Lorne is obviously already a very capable golfer but falls under the spell of golf in such a beautiful and remote location, rediscovering the shear joy of non-competitive play, the grandness and openness of the natural surroundings, the kindness and decency of Scotland's people and his own longing to reconnect with the pleasures and benefits of Golf as played in Dornoch.

A highly recommended read for the golfer who has traveled, or wishes to travel to the Homeland of Golf.

For most non-Scots, a trip to the Homeland of golf necessitates a whirlwind tour of the Open Championship rota courses- Royal Troon, Turnbury, Muirfield (if you plan well ahead), Carnoustie, and certainly, the Old Course at St. Andrews. Great history, lots of photo opportunities, bags of logo sweaters, memories and experiences to savor. But, for many, and increasingly, the saavy and erudite golfer is selecting destinations and links courses away from the package- tour crowd. Where the courses are relatively uncrowded, and where the locals have not been put through a mandatory training class in dealing with finicky, type-A travelers, who rage at the bacon being not just so, or the course not being yardage marked on every sprinkler head. Names pop up, like Machrihanish, Peterhead, and especially, Dornoch. The small village of Dornoch, county Sutherland, the birth place of Donald Ross, is located in the Northern Highlands, 50 miles north of Inverness, 4 hours plus from the cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, and nearly as long a journey from the Rota courses. Many central region Scots view the trek as being too cumbersome for their holidays. And that sure is part of the quest and the reward. Royal Dornoch invariably is rated among the top 15 courses in the world, and if villages had their own rating system, dare say the burgh would rank as high. Lorne Rubenstein and his wife Nell somehow(praise them with large dollops of envy) spent the summer of 2000 living in a small flat above the bookshop, playing the wonderful links, and meeting a variety of the local citizens. The reader is invited into the life of the village, where golf is truly integral to the economy as well as the ethos of population. Everyone plays, everyone cares about the game, everyone welcomes and befriends the visitors. You will meet. and indeed "know" Euan, the kilted, poetry spewing barman; Andrew, the septugenarian RDGC member, who caddies for guests of the club; Pipey, another weathered ancient, who has lived the game of golf his entire life, and would not trade a minute; Jim Miller,from nearby Brora, one of the finest amateurs in Highland golf history. Rubenstein delves into the history of the region, exposing the horrific drama of the "clearances". He also gives us a good glimpse of himself, his long, tight ties with the game, and his relationships with its players, and his loving wife Nell. If you have been to Dornoch, this book will ring clear and true, and you will want to E-mail Rubenstein with your own anecdotes about the town and course and people. If you have not had the priviledge of the Dornoch experience, or of Scotland , for that matter, you will getting your maps out, setting a new vacation budget, and calling your travel agent before you close the cover.

Lorne Rubenstein writes in a way that anyone can enjoy. In a subtle way, he has much to add to the philosophy of golf in this book. However the most important aspect of this book relates to Dornoch itself. If you are thinking of going there, it is probably a good idea to read this book. If you are golfer and have not thought of going to Dornoch, read it and you may change your mind. If you are uncertain about Dornoch this book is a must.
I enjoyed it, but I am an ageing golfer who has long hoped to go there but so far has not been able to. I am also interested in people. So if you buy this book, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. JSG

When I picked up a "Season in Dornoch" I was expecting something different. However, Lorne Rubenstein, with his words, has painted a beautiful landscape of the people and place that is Dornoch. I had the privledge of playing there several years ago but was on a whirlwind tour at the time and was in Dornoch for less that a day. This book does a wonderful job in showing me what I missed.
Two things of which I would be critical. First, the focus on the Clearances. Obviously the Highlanders were hard done by this event but is was over 200 years ago. Time to put it in the past. Second, I would have liked to see better descriptions of the course itself. Many of the stories from the book are written while golfing, but there is not that much specific information on the course. One of the reasons for Dornoch's fame is it was the birthplace and training ground for one of the world's most respected course designers, Donald Ross. Showing how this course influenced Ross' later works would have added an excellent dimension to the book.
A definite read if you enjoy golf.

I bought the book for a lesson in golf history, but was fascinated by the ecology, history and culture of the Scottish Highlands as desribed by the author. It is also a beautifully written travelogue, poetic and mystical, and has certainly changed the way I think about golf. This book could only have been improved by the addition of photographs.