Royal Dornoch Golf Club is one of the most revered and historic clubs in the world. Its Championship Course is an outstanding example of the links experience for which Scotland, The Home of Golf, is renowned. The first known reference of golf being played in Dornoch is in 1616 and celebrations to mark 400 years of the town’s association with the game were held in 2016. The club was formed in 1877 and the original 9-hole course was extended in 1886 by Old Tom Morris. Royal status was granted in 1906 by King Edward VII and Royal Dornoch remains one of just 66 clubs worldwide with the Royal title. Its first professional was Donald Ross, who was born in Dornoch and went on to become one of the finest golf architects, designing courses in America, Canada and Cuba. Royal Dornoch is a private members’ club but has, since its inception, welcomed visitors from across the world to enjoy the Championship Course, ranked No.5 in the world and No.1 in Scotland by Golf Digest in 2016, and the adjacent Struie Course, also ranked among the Top 50 links courses in the UK & Ireland. Honorary members include two-time Masters champion, Ben Crenshaw, and five-time Open Championship winner, Tom Watson, who said Royal Dornoch was "the most fun I ever had playing golf”.