North Carolina members give Royal Dornoch a locally made walnut centerpiece

Members of the Country Club of North Carolina have given Royal Dornoch a table built for its Donald Ross Room: a 4.8-metre American black walnut piece made by local firm Treecraft Woodwork.

Royal Dornoch detailed the gift on October 15. About 20 members of the North Carolina club contributed privately after a conversation with former Dornoch captain Gary Bethune. Some belong to both clubs, which have longstanding ties and play biennial matches.

At 1.8 metres wide, the table presented Treecraft owner Alvin Wood and lead craftsman George Farrell with a problem beyond its size. Solid timber expands and contracts with the seasons. Wood said steel stabiliser bars were routed into the underside to help the top stay flat while allowing that movement.

The club's coat of arms is worked into the surface with African ebony, Namibian rosewood and maple. Each wood behaves differently, Wood explained, making the fit a demanding part of the job. He estimated that the coat of arms accounted for as much as 40 percent of the commission.

The table sits in a clubhouse that members first toured in December 2025. The £13.9 million building replaced the club's home of more than a century, ahead of its 150th anniversary in 2027.

Architecture publication Urban Realm described Keppie's design in March: sandstone and slate, a clock tower and a central exhibition staircase leading through three levels to a top-floor restaurant and bar. The table adds a more personal piece of club history inside that larger project, from North Carolina members to craftspeople working in Dornoch.