REFURBISHED BARASSIE CLUBHOUSE IS A BIG HIT WITH MEMBERS

NEWS RELEASE 

By completing an extensive two-year refurbishment of its clubhouse, one of Scotland’s most charismatic Ayrshire golf clubs has successfully created a contemporary facility that celebrates the heritage and traditions of the game in a modern setting. 

Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club, which celebrated its 125^th anniversary in 2012, completed the project soon after the start of the season with the development receiving warm praise from the members.

The tasteful renovation, which also included a thermal survey, was designed to bring the facilities up to date while maintaining the character of the club. 

“The focus for the design takes into account the great heritage of the club as well as the natural beauty of the golf course and surrounding areas,” explained Bob McKnight, captain of Barassie. “It has been designed so that members, visitors and guests will be drawn to the beautiful views from the windows and not be distracted by bright or garish furnishings.”

The emphasis on the course is well founded. Barassie Links is considered by many as one of the most challenging lay-outs in Scotland. 

It has been a venue for Final Qualifying for the Open Championship and the Seniors’ Open Championship has also been played over the testing layout in recent years as has the British women's open amateur stroke-play championship and the British boys championship, the last named no fewer than six times.

The project was managed by the Glasgow-based building firm Nest which worked closely with the club’s committee to create the appropriate look and feel. 

“The club sits next to the beautiful Ayrshire coastline with views across to Arran ,” explained Dene Happell, founder of Nest. “We wanted to bring the outside in and used a muted palette of greens, blues and whites, reflecting what you could see on a clear day across the course.”

Incorporating Scottish tweeds and a muted tartan carpet alongside contemporary stainless steel and oiled oak, the new clubhouse sports a distinctly contemporary feel underpinned by the undisputable character for which Barassie is famed. But the project wasn’t merely an exercise in interior design.

The current clubhouse was built in 1903 by Architect Mr James Hay at a cost of £1,428. Despite subsequent improvements, the clubhouse needed to be upgraded and a significant part of the project was to reduce the ever increasing costs of energy. To this end, a thermal insulation performance assessment was also undertaken in July 2011 by Alba Building Sciences Ltd.

This approach included an infrared thermography survey and the installation of two Vaillant EcoTec wall-hung gas-fired condensing boilers. Elsewhere, the heart of the club – the Ossington Lounge - was stripped back to its original brickwork. The out-of-date ceiling and air conditioners were removed and the original ceiling reinstated.  

The entire room was then refurbished and additional insulation fitted to the inner face of the exterior walls as indicated by the thermal survey.

“It’s a total transformation,” said one of the members. “The clubhouse was always a very welcoming place, but now it looks the part. We’ve brought it into the 21^st century, and we’re very proud of it.”

  NOTES

1) Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club is located on the outskirts of Troon on Scotland ’s West Coast.

2) Established in 1887, the club celebrated its 125^th year with a series of events culminating in a special dinner in September compared by BBC sports commentator Andrew Cotter and featuring professional golfer Ronan Rafferty.

3) Although founded in 1887, the links were actually opened on 20^th October 1894 with an exhibition match between Willie Auchterlonie of St Andrews and Mr Willie Fernie of Troon.

4) The club extended the course to 27 holes in 1997 and has undertaken a major investment programme to improve drainage across the entire site.

5) For more information about Kilmarnock (Barassie) Golf Club, please visit http://www.kbgc.co.uk/