Scottish Golf View
Editor: Colin Farquharson
Webmaster: Gillian Kirkwood

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

New Castle Course proves popular at St Andrews

PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY ST ANDREWS LINKS TRUST

A busy opening month for The Castle Course saw more than 4000 rounds of golf played at the new seventh course at St Andrews Links.
Both local and visiting golfers have been taking up times at the new clifftop lay-out leading to it being fully booked on many days. Since it opened for play on June 28 the course has drawn visitors from as far afield as Australia, Japan, Dubai and the USA.
The course, designed by young Scottish architect David McLay Kidd, has attracted widespread praise from the national and international golf and travel media and has already won a prestigious award for its outstanding conditioning.
With a large number of bookings already received for the remainder of its first season until October 31, the course has exceeded the expectations of St Andrews Links Trust, which manages and maintains The Castle Course and the six existing public courses in the town,including the famous Old Course.
Alan McGregor, general manager, said, “It has been an excellent first month of operation for The Castle Course and it has been pleasing to see so many local and visiting golfers enjoying the new addition to golf in St Andrews. Given the changeable weather it is even more remarkable that so many days have been fully booked.
“We have received much positive feedback from both local and visiting golfers which suggests that people have welcomed the opportunity to play golf on an exciting new course which offers some stunning vistas of St Andrews and out to the North Sea.”
The Castle Course has been named 2008 Turf Professional Project of the Year for the quality of the greenkeeping work which has gone into preparing the course for play. The award is decided by a panel which includes representatives from the Institute of Groundsmanship, the British Golf Greenkeepers’ Association and leading turfcare journalists.
Previous winners in this category include Ascot Racecourse and Lord's Crickect Ground. It has also been praised for its “truly exceptional” turf quality by the Sports Turf Research Institute.
The Castle Course has five tees on every hole to make it suitable for golfers of most abilities and features wide fairways and generous landing areas. The large undulating greens are pure fescue and are receptive to a variety of approach shots.
As well as adding to the golf offering in St Andrews, The Castle Course has brought economic benefits to the town, creating jobs for 40 people across the greenkeeping, reception, retail and food and beverage departments and helping to encourage visitors to stay longer and play more golf.
The Castle Course’s first season runs until October 31. Tee times can be booked by contacting Reservations on 0044 (0)1334 466666, by emailing reservations@standrews.org.uk or online at www.standrews.org.uk.

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Monday, July 30, 2007

PAUL LAWRIE TO DESIGN NEW COURSE
AT BLAIRS COLLEGE

The Herald newspaper has revealed that Paul Lawrie is the "top professional golfer" who will design an 18-hole golf course as part of a £115m redevelopment of the Catholic seminary at Blairs College on the South Deeside Road, only a few miles from the Bridge of Dee, Aberdeen.
Lawrie lives at Bieldside which is across the River Dee on the North Deeside Road.
Developers the Muir Group are planning to turn the site into a hotel, conference and leisure centre.
Lawrie said: "I can see the Blairs Estates from my house and have long thought this would be the perfect site for my first signature golf course development.
"The golf course at Blairs has the potential to provide a wonderful asset for the north east as well as attracting visitors to the area.
"Having played on so many fabulous courses around the world, I have lots of ideas and am itching to get started on my first course design project."
The scheme to convert the former Catholic college will be funded by the construction of 280 new homes on the site.
About £5m will be spent on the course and clubhouse, which it is hoped will be open in five years.
Up to 1000 jobs are expected to be created.
Lawrie will be working with European Golf Design, a firm which upgraded Royal Lytham and St Annes for the Open in 2001.

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