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

~ Lorne Ruberstein (Author), Sean Connery (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Most of the memoirs written about golf trips to Scotland generate in the reader as much envy as pleasure. Canadian golf writer Rubenstein's trip to Dornoch in the Scottish Highlands certainly inspires envy, but his quietly evocative prose forces us to focus on the charms of the place rather than the melancholy fact that he was there and we weren't. Because of its isolation in the far north of Scotland, Royal Dornoch Golf Club remains relatively free of the hordes of American tourists who clog the fairways on St. Andrews' Old Course. That may change after enough golfers read Rubenstein's account of spending an entire summer in the village of Dornoch, living above a bookshop, immersing himself in the rhythms of the community, and playing golf both casually (a few holes after dinner) and seriously (trying to qualify for the club's annual amateur tournament). It is the village life (evocative of the film Local Hero) even more than the golf that imbues this memoir with its seductive tranquility--that elusive quality we search for but rarely find in either our daily lives or our vacations. Whether Rubenstein is recounting fascinating bits of Highlands history or offering vivid character sketches of Dornoch natives, the prose breathes a kind of atmospheric calm that works on the reader like a mild summer breeze. Golfers interested only in assaulting the great courses of Scotland with their titanium drivers won't respond to this book at all, but for those who would rather play a quiet hole or two in the twilight, Rubenstein opens the door to a linksland version of Brigadoon. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

James Dodson author of Final Rounds The wee sea-blown village of Dornoch is a special, if somewhat cloistered, holy place of golf that is known by many but probably truly understood by only a few. With A Season in Dornoch, Lorne Rubenstein, one of golf's gifted modern writers, has done every fan of the game a great and entertaining service by taking us with him on a magical mystery tour of Royal Dornoch's surprising history and rich social lore, revealing far more than the area's soulful landscape and unforgettable local characters. Part sporting travelogue, part memoir of a summer magnificently spent, this tale of discovery will linger in the mind of any lover of the auld sod long after it's finished -- taken down and savored, winter after winter (at least by me) for years to come. -- Review --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080652457X
• ISBN-13: 978-0806524573
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #196,921 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where the Game Still Rings True, November 6, 2001

By	scott jensen (Minneapolis, Mn., USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Season in Dornoch : Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands (Hardcover)

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.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ace in the Hole!, January 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Season in Dornoch : Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands (Hardcover)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wee Bit of Dram of A Golf Book, May 6, 2002

By	rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

This review is from: A Season in Dornoch : Golf and Life in the Scottish Highlands (Hardcover)

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.