SCOTLAND’S NEWEST COURSE UNVEILED
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AT MAR HALL ON BANKS OF THE CLYDE

NEWS RELEASE
Following a £3.5 million investment, Scotland’s newest championship golf course opened for play today at the five-star Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort, near Bishopton, just off junction 30 of the M8 in Glasgow.
The Earl of Mar course, which was designed by PGA Professional and golf course architect Dave Thomas, is built on a raised shingle beach spanning 240 acres of the historic Mar Estate on the banks of the River Clyde. Construction of the par 70 course, which extends to over 6,500 yards, began in 2007 and was completed in autumn 2009.
Neil Ellis, General Manager of Mar all Golf & Spa Resort, explained:
“We had intended to open the course in September last year, but the owners took the decision to let the course mature a little longer and we’re delighted with the results. Course Manager, Gordon Kerr, and his team have been integral to the development and, such is his passion for the place, Gordon even hand-watered greens overnight on several occasions during the grow-in phase to prevent the grass seed from being blown away.”
Ellis continued: “The owners’ brief to Dave Thomas was to design a course that would appeal to golfers of all levels, and we feel confident he’s achieved that. We are keen for the Earl of Mar to become a course that people enjoy coming back to play time and again, and so we have developed a range of introductory pay & play and stay & play packages from as little as £40 to encourage golfers to come along and experience it.
“Our proximity to Glasgow Airport also makes us an attractive option for overseas visitors and the corporate market, and we have developed a flexible corporate golf membership which takes advantage of all the facilities at Mar Hall, from the luxury guest suites to the meeting & dining facilities and the Aveda Spa.”
There are two par 5’s, 12 par 4’s and four par 3’s which incorporate the challenge of mature trees and strategically placed bunkers. During the construction phase, a total of 13,500 kilos of grass seed was planted and a 90 cubic metre reservoir was created adjacent to the 18th tee to support the irrigation system. The greens, which have been built to USGA specification, drain at 50mm per hour and have been designed to withstand up to 2 inches of rain per hour.
Notes
1. Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort is set in a secluded woodland estate near Bishopton on the banks of the River Clyde, only 10 minutes from Glasgow Airport and 20 minutes from Glasgow City Centre.
2. In addition to its 18 hole golf course, Mar Hall Golf & Spa Resort has 53 bedrooms, Cristal fine dining restaurant, Tattinger Bar, 118ft long Grand Hall, extensive conference & meeting facilities and dedicated wedding & special events facilities for up to 450 people, a leisure club including 20 metre pool, saunas and steam rooms, a gymnasium and aerobics/yoga studio, plus the only Aveda Destination Spa in the UK, featuring 11 treatment rooms including a Rasul Mud Chamber, Vichy shower and Aroma Steam.
3. Former Ryder Cup player and now golf course architect, Dave Thomas is best known for his design of The Belfry in England and San Roque and La Manga in Spain. He became one of Britain's foremost professional golfers in the 1950's and 1960's, winning over a dozen tournaments in Britain and Europe including twice finishing second in The Open Championship, most notably to Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield in 1966.