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DORNOCH, Scotland - The first time I played the Struie Course at Royal Dornoch in 2015, I loved it so much my playing partners started calling me "Struie".
My second visit to the course, in 2022, had a much more somber tone. The first time, I had not noticed the small sign called "Witch's Stone" along the fence line of a home near the 18th tee. When I finally stopped to read it, I was shocked. Here, in the midst of the beauty of the Scottish Highlands, it was hard to fathom that I was standing on the site of such a gruesome, terrible tale.
In 1727, Janet Horne was lathered in tar, rolled in a barrel to this very spot and burned alive, accused of witchcraft. Thankfully, she was the last Scot to be persecuted and killed in such a haunting manner. Her disabled daughter, whom Horne was accused of turning into the "devil's pony," fortunately escaped before she was handed the same fate.
Suddenly, the double bogey I made on the par-3 18th in 2015 didn't seem so important. To this day, I'm still haunted by the fate of poor Janet Horne. She deserved better.
What's the most haunting experience you've had on a golf course? Let us know in the comments below.
