Royal Dornoch has unveiled a statue honouring two key figures in the history of the Highland club and golf on both sides of the Atlantic.
Fife-based sculptor David Annand, who created the Old Tom Morris statue which stands near The R&A clubhouse in St Andrews, was commissioned to craft a bronze in memory of the legendary golf course architect Donald Ross and long-time secretary John Sutherland, who played a key role in nurturing golf in Dornoch and the Highlands.
David was joined for the ceremony by US based Canadian benefactor and Heritage Foundation supporter Greg Ebel, Ross’s Canadian grandniece Jane McElligott, Nate Hoffman, of Donald Ross Sportswear, Pam Allen of the Donald Ross Society, club captain Gary Bethune and past captain Professor David Bell.
Professor Bell explained the club seized the opportunity to acknowledge Sutherland and Ross as part of the new £13.9 million clubhouse development, which is ready to welcome members and visitors from around the world for the new season.
“We are grateful to club member Greg for his generosity in supporting the Heritage Foundation and delighted that he could be with us for the unveiling ceremony,” said Professor Bell.
“David has done a wonderful job in capturing the moment when Ross, our greenkeeper and first professional, bid a poignant farewell to his hometown to carve out a new life in the United States, where he went on to become one of the most important figures in the ‘Golden Age’ of course design in North America.
“We have drawn upon newspaper reports of the occasion in March 1899 when members and townsfolk gathered in the Volunteer Reading Room to wish a youthful and popular Ross well as he headed for America – after five years as a club-maker and professional – initially for roles at Oakley near Boston and later at Pinehurst, which is regarded as the ‘Cradle of Golf’ in the USA.
“Ross had a hand in creating more than 450 courses and Pinehurst No2, now regarded as his masterpiece, is an anchor venue on the US Open rota.
“Sutherland, the town clerk and honorary secretary who served the club for 58 years and whose golf articles of the day lured well-heeled Edwardians to the town for the summer season, had encouraged Ross to pursue club-making under Old Tom Morris at St Andrews before returning north.
“Sutherland’s impact on golf in the Highlands and far beyond is not as well-appreciated as that of Ross but hopefully this statue will help redress that.
“David’s splendidly detailed statue captures the handshake from that evening when Ross was presented with a purse of sovereigns from the club and a gold Albert watch and chain gifted by the Free Church Bible Class and the town’s brass band.
“The more observant will also notice Sutherland is clutching two golf balls in his left hand, which recalls how steel magnate and club vice-president Andrew Carnegie was the first golfer in the UK to possess pioneering rubber cored Haskell balls.
“He invited Sutherland to experiment with them over the Championship Course and his course at Skibo Castle, which Sutherland had designed.
“These controversial, high-tech balls carried much further distances than the standard gutta-perchas that were standard at the end of the 19th Century. Those in Sutherland’s hand are cast from 3-D printed models of originals borrowed from The R&A World Golf Museum.”
The imposing 110% life-size statue faces west from the door of the new clubhouse, looking towards the Eastern seaboard of America.
Benefactor Greg said: “It has been a real honour to participate in this statue becoming a reality, and also the development of the club’s Heritage Foundation.
“The project demonstrates Royal Dornoch’s great respect for its past and the commitment to golfing excellence now and into the future.”
In Case You Missed It:
Aberdeenshire-born sculptor David (78), who paid tribute to the team at Edinburgh’s Powderhall Bronze foundry for their role in casting his clay model, revealed this was his third golfing commission, following on from 18th Century first set of Rules of Golf signatory Dr John Rattray at Leith Links and Old Tom Morris at the “Home of Golf.”
“This commission was more challenging because it involves two figures. The handshake is crucial in that respect and it was lovely working on the finer details to illustrate the emotions behind the gesture,” said David, who works from a studio in Kilmany.
“It has been rewarding working closely with Professor Bell, current captain Gary and general manager Neil Hampton, who clued me in on the history of Ross and Sutherland, along with Lynne Mahoney, curator at the town’s Historylinks Museum.”
