carnegie club

Heaven on earth' was how Andrew Carnegie described Skibo - his glorious Highland Castle which is now home to the Carnegie Club. The Scottish-born American steel tycoon and philanthropist left his native land at the age of thirteen to make his fortune in America and returned one of the richest and most successful men of his generation. His extensive search for a Highland home led him to the unparalleled estate of Skibo which for over a thousand years has enchanted all those who have visited there.

The passing years and slow change of the name had no way dispelled its old magic and Carnegie was immediately captivated. He acquired Skibo in 1898 and spent a fortune rebuilding the Castle, to create one of the world's great residences.

Carnegie used Skibo as a base for his intensely active social life and for his philanthropic endeavour. There he entertained many of the most famous people of his day; the Castle guest-book reads like a Who's Who - King Edward VII, the Rockefellers, Rudyard Kipling, Edward Elgar, Paderewski, Lloyd George, Helen Keller.

Scotland is the birthplace of the royal and ancient game of golf, as we know it today. Andrew Carnegie constructed a private links course at Skibo in 1898 under the supervision of the legendary John Sutherland, an acknowledged expert in green-keeping and golf course design - who was Club Secretary at the nearby Royal Dornoch Golf Club from 1883 for almost sixty years.

Carnegie then invited the celebrated J.H. Taylor, five times Open Champion, to stay at the Castle and teach him and his wife Louise to play. Despite having a private golf course at Skibo, Carnegie maintained strong connections with Royal Dornoch. He became Vice President of the golf club, presenting to the members the magnificent Carnegie Shield for open competition. The Shield, which is on display a the clubhouse, is one of the finest golf trophies in the world.

Donald Steel, the internationally renowned links architect, has effected a reconstruction of Carnegie's original course at Skibo, to provide an outstanding natural eighteen hole championship links. Sited in spectacular and wild scenery with views of Struie Hill, the course is bounded on three sides by the esturial waters of the Firth, which affords an abundance of wildlife.

The course, which has a wide range of tees to suit all standards of play, is for the exclusive use of Club members and their guests. A second 'parkland' eighteen hole championship course is planned for the Club.