COUL LINKS PLANS PASSED BY COUNCILLORS:

 

'It's now time to build a golf course'

 

NEWS RELEASE

Plans for a world-class golf course which will give a major economic stimulus to the north of Scotland have been given the go-ahead after councillors reiterated their overwhelming support for the project.

The Coul Links development, proposed for a site near Embo in Sutherland, was passed at a special meeting of Highland Council’s North Planning Applications Committee.

At a previous hearing on June 5, councillors spoke in favour of the project but deferred a final decision to allow the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to comment on a last-minute objection.

However, SEPA maintained its previous position not to object to the application. Scottish Natural Heritage had previously indicated it had withdrawn all but one narrow objection to the plan.

In making their decision, the committee recognised the significant economic benefits the course will bring to east Sutherland and that extensive mitigation measures will be put in place to protect the environment.

Links developer Todd Warnock said after the meeting: “After more than three years of thorough consideration of the project, we are excited to win such overwhelming support from the committee.

“The development has been comprehensively and fairly assessed by the two statutory bodies as well as the competent planning authority and we now look forward to bringing to Scotland the economic benefits of such a prestigious golf course.

“This major investment in a relatively remote part of the country has the significant support of local people and we thank them again for their help and encouragement.

“I would also encourage opponents of the golf course to now work with us to make the project a huge success. The evidence is compelling that Coul Links will improve the site ecologically, particularly with regard to bird life, and we will continue to strive to ensure the development progresses with environmental integrity at its heart.

“In summary, its seems there are four conclusions that are undeniable. First, a world class links course near Dornoch would prove economically transformational, perhaps creating the Highlands as the third major golf destination in Scotland.

“Second, Coul Links is an extraordinary site ecologically and our plans will improve it. We will disturb 13.4 hectares of dune habitat, but we will improve 20 hectares and provide a site management plan in perpetuity.

“The people in the community of Embo have spoken confidently with their outstanding support. We are humbled and thankful to be their neighbours and partners.

“Third, after three exhaustive years, virtually everyone in the Highlands wants this project completed. Yes, there are objectors with legitimate concerns, and we respect them but make no doubt the voice of the people has been heard.

“Finally, there is a process by which these decisions are made in a democracy. Statutory bodies with unbiased expertise are empowered to protect our collective interest. Other than a single narrow objection from SNH, they are not opposed.

“The elected competent authority, Highland Council’s planning committee, represent the people. We are humbled, thankful and honoured by their thoughtful deliberation and considered approval today.

“It’s now time to build a golf course.”

 

NEW SIGNATURE HOLE FOR BRUNTSFIELD

Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society clubhouse and 18th green., Edinburgh

By GORDON BANNERMAN

A MAJOR makeover at one of Scotland’s oldest golf clubs is celebrating a milestone in the two-year project.

The first phase in a £1 million project at Bruntsfield Links Golfing Society will be unveiled to members and guests today in a members’ nine-hole captain v vice-captain team competition.

The Edinburgh club, which traces its roots back to 1761 and has been a regional qualifying course for The Open, commissioned top golf course architects Mackenzie and Ebert to redesign several holes and refresh the bunkering around the course.

Despite a harsh winter, the new-look 11th, 16th and 17th holes are ready for play.

Club captain Mike Smith revealed the ambitious makeover is on track to be completed next year.

The most striking feature of work completed so far will test the mettle of golfers off the tee at a new signature par 3 created on the home stretch.

“The introduction of a significant water feature at the 16th hole sees golfers face a daunting 170-yard tee shot over a pond to an undulating green,” he said. “This has been created on part of the old practice area.

“The new par 4 17th hole, at 445 yards, will also present a real challenge, particularly when the wind blows in from the east.”

Mike said the 1 st Golf construction team will press on with the project over the summer in the count down to a formal opening scheduled for spring next year.

“Their main focus now will be on remodelling the 9th, 10th and 18th holes.

“Following a long winter the new areas of the course have settled remarkably quickly.

“It is a credit to our green staff that they have got the new holes, and the course generally, playing consistently well.

“We never imagined that we’d have the new holes in play by May as we feared the grim winter weather had put paid to that.

“The new holes will be open in time for the club championships’ qualifying and match play events which all take place in June. It’s all very exciting for the membership.

“It is truly remarkable the difference that the redesign has made already and while not yet  fully complete, the changes already elevate the course quite considerably after 40 years since the last significant project.”

Bruntsfield, which is the fourth oldest club in world golf, bears the stamp of legends Willie Park junior, Dr Alister Mackenzie of Augusta National and Cypress Point fame, and James Braid.

Bruntsfield's new par-3 16th hole.

Scots-born David McLay Kidd is at the top of 

the golf course designing tree

Just off the 18th green at Mammoth Dunes, David McLay Kidd (foreground) captured his playing partners (clockwise): Tory Wulf of Gamble Sands, the author, Casey Krahenbuhl of DMK Golf Design and Chip Caswell of Gamble Sands.

 By MARTIN KAUFFMAN

Golfweek

If you want to eat well, hang out with David McLay Kidd. In September, I crashed at the rental home the Scots-born golf architect and his team maintained near Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, where they were running through a checklist of the final nips and tucks on Mammoth Dunes.

Kidd, as usual, was manning the grill and serving steaks to me and guests from Gamble Sands, his 2014 design in Brewster, Washington, before settling in to watch “Monday Night Football.” 

For all the time I’ve spent with Kidd visiting his various projects in the Northwest, Fiji, Nicaragua and elsewhere, I never realised the native Scot, now a U.S. citizen, had developed a fondness for American football. (I got the sense his efforts to impart this new-found sporting passion on his father, Jimmy, were still a work in progress.)

Kidd, of course, does more than just cook and watch football. He operates one of the game’s top boutique golf design firms. I use the term “boutique” with purpose. What you notice with architects such as Kidd, Gil Hanse and Mike DeVries is the personal investment of time in each of their projects – and that usually includes living onsite for extended periods of construction.

They might only open one new course per year, two at the most, but you’ll know they sweated the smallest details.

That was evident as Kidd and I walked around the nearly completed Mammoth Dunes. He and sidekick Casey Krahenbuhl were still grinding over the most minute details, not unlike a book editor making a final pass through a manuscript and agonising over subtle changes in verbiage.

Preview play this past fall on a nine-hole loop was enthusiastic, to put it mildly. By the time Mammoth Dunes opens all 18 holes to the public in late spring, I would anticipate the response will be so strong that Sand Valley will move forward with plans for a third course.

The Machrie Links, Isle of Islay, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. (Phil Inglis)

If you want to drink well, go to Islay. This island off the west coast of Scotland, at the southernmost end of the Inner Hebrides chain, is the country’s greatest scotch destination.

There are eight – soon to be 10 – active distilleries on an island of slightly more than 3,000 people, and they are some of the genre’s greatest brands: Lagavulin, Laphroaig, Ardbeg and Bowmore, among others. The smoky, peaty character of these whiskies sparked my love for scotch and, by extension, Scotland.

Truth is, my stated reason for visiting Islay was to see the recently renovated Machrie course, a links that dates to 1891. The fact that my trip corresponded with the annual Islay Festival – a week-long celebration of scotch and music – was less than a coincidence.

I’m a big fan of D.J. Russell’s renovations to The Machrie – I’ll have more on this in early 2018 – and hope to get back later this year to see the new hotel that is nearing completion behind the 18th green.

This is a real sleeper destination, particularly for those who are well travelled. If you’ve been everywhere on the Scottish mainland and are looking for something different, take a ferry or flight from Glasgow to Islay.

Trump Turnberry underwent a major refurbishment. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Trump Turnberry is fabulous. Over the previous decade, I had visited the resort on two occasions prior to the Trump Organisation’s ownership and renovations. The hotel was pleasant enough, though everyone knew it needed extensive renovations. The Ailsa Course was lovely, but the second course (then called Kintyre) usually was deemed not worthy of an extra day’s stay.

On this visit, I was blown away by the hotel, which had all of the Five Star comforts a leisure traveler would want, while also addressing all of the business traveler’s needs. 

The Ailsa Course, following Martin Ebert’s renovations, suddenly leapfrogged into the conversation with my Scottish favourite, Royal Dornoch. The middle of the round on Ailsa is defined by some of the most thrilling shots you’ll ever experience, and the decision to turn the lighthouse into a suite on the upper level and halfway house on the ground floor was inspired. 

And while the renovated second course, now called King Robert the Bruce, didn’t reopen until after I left, I’ve heard comments from tour operators suggesting that it’s definitely worth that extra day’s stay.

A note: I write all of this, fully aware that praising anything that carries the Trump name is verboten in some circles these days. Frankly, I don’t care. All I care about is that new ownership took over an iconic, but troubled, property, poured a lot of money into it, and put it on par with the world’s greatest golf resorts.

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Invergordon Golf Club's dynamic 

development plan for 125th 

anniversary year

FROM THE SCOTTISHGOLF WEBSITE
It’s celebration time for Invergordon Golf Club in 2018 when they toast their 125th anniversary – and they are a hoping a dynamic development plan will help sustain them for many years to come.
Offering a scenic parkland course in Ross-shire, Invergordon have undergone a complete review of their workings as they prepare for their special year. Ultimately, they are looking to reward the community for 125 years of support.
The club has already assisted local charities this year to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds by allowing events to be hosted without a fee – and they’ve now decided to further show their commitment to the area by supplying completely affordable golf.

Scenic Invergordon golf course

Several new joining categories have been introduced to help boost membership, including a cheaper Country membership and a Highland membership – packages designed to get people back into the sport, aligned to Scottish Golf’s Get into Golf programme.

The club are also seeking to boost their junior numbers, with a special offer to the children of Invergordon in the 125th anniversary year. The club is offering a free junior membership for Under-17s and, after signing up, the juniors will be taught etiquette, rules and the basics of golf from volunteer coaches.

“We are giving back to the community and golf has to be accessible to all,” said new Club Captain Bryan Ronald, a former club junior who has returned to the area. “In this special year ahead, we have made it affordable and are keen to promote family and junior golf.

“Invergordon has the perfect set-up for all ages and abilities and we want to introduce those who may otherwise not have the chance to play. The social benefits are there for all to see. Golf encourages mental focus, teaches us to follow rules, be polite and socially interact. By looking after our community we can look after our sport.

“If you have a son or daughter who wishes to play, or you too want to get involved, then do not hesitate to contact us.  A set of golf clubs for Christmas may be a good idea this year!”

The club has already been working as part of the ClubGolf junior programme and now Fraser Crawford, Scottish Golf School and Community Officer, has linked up with Jake Williams, High Life Highland Active School Coordinator, to help develop the School to Club links. Invergordon are also recruiting more volunteers who will qualify as PGA Level 1 coaches in March, ready for the golf season teeing off in April.

Willie MacKay, Scottish Golf’s Regional Club Development Officer for the Highlands & Islands, has also made contact with PGA Professionals who will visit Invergordon GC and deliver over 20 hours of professional coaching with Roving Pro funding reducing costs to a minimum.

Ryder Cup Development Funding can also be accessed for beginner adults that take up golf through the Get into Golf scheme.

MacKay said: “The committee at Invergordon Golf Club have to be congratulated on their vision for the future of their club. Their membership and visitor numbers both grew in 2017, but they clearly want to raise the bar further.

“They have consulted with their members and used the feedback from a members’ survey to deliver an ambitious development plan. They have established the foundations with a stable committee and course improvements, while their clubhouse has also enjoyed a makeover.

“With the ethos of added value to membership they have a focus that will retain members. With a well-planned junior coaching structure they will produce future committee members and quite likely Captains for their 150th year celebrations. But for 2018 and their 125 years as a golf club they will leave significant legacy by the end of the year.”

The final word from Captain Ronald, who said: “Invergordon is a community organisation run by volunteers to improve the lives and provide enjoyment for everyone in the area. We don’t pay to play golf, we pay to be part of a great club where golf is a bonus.

“Let’s enjoy our special year and those who wish to join our celebrations should contact us on invergordon@tiscali.co.uk For those who can’t, keep an eye on www.invergordon.co.uk and more fun on our Facebook page.”

Is this USA public course with three, six, nine and 18-hole loops the way that golf must go?

      Arlington Lakes, an innovative public golf course in Illinois

By COLIN FARQUHARSON
Scotland is, quite  rightly, proud of its status of being the "Home of Golf" but, as a golfing nation, are we too set in our ways?
I think that if golf were "invented" in 2017-2018 it would be a nine-hole game because 18 holes can take so long to play and, unless you are retired, people don't have the spare time they might have in days gone by for a sporting pursuit.
The R and A, in the last year or two, have been pushing the idea of nine-hole golf and organising such an annual event.
To get to the point, I stumbled this week upon a very interesting article on the American Society of Golf Course Architects' website.
It highlighted the fact that in the state of Illinois at Arlington Heights there is a trail-blazing club/course that is perhaps the way that golf must go to retain its popularity with the public.
I quote from the website:

Arlington Lakes Golf Club, is a 5,400-yard public course designed for a niche market of juniors, seniors and newer players ... providing golfers with the option of playing three-hole, six-hole, nine-hole and 18-hole loops.

In the post-World War II era the R and A encouraged more and more golf courses - the 18-hole variety - to be built.
Fast forward to 2017 going into 2018 and perhaps the R and A should be using its influence to persuade developers to build courses such as they have at Arlington Lakes.

What do you think?

Email Colin@scottishgolfview.com with your view ... if you have the time!

International tour in China to offer players path to Web.com Tour and US PGA Tour

NEWS RELEASE

SHANGHAI, China —The US PGA Tour, the world’s premier membership organisation for touring professional golfers, is once again partnering with the China Golf Association and is announcing it will operate PGA Tour-China in 2018.

The PGA Tour-China schedule will consist of a full schedule of tournaments and will begin in spring 2018, with each event offering a prize purse of at least 1.5 million RMB, up from 1.2 million RMB in 2016. 

As is the case with all three PGA Tour international developmental Tours, PGA Tour-China will provide players a path to the US PGA Tour through the Web.com Tour, with the top-five money-winners at season’s end earning 2019 Web.com Tour membership. 

In addition, there will be at least 15 additional players who will have access to the latter stages of the Web.com Tour Qualifying Tournament.

Perthshire golf owes huge debt to the Butcharts for promotion and encouragement of juniors
  
By BILL HOGG
Who played for GB and Ireland boys team
against Continent of Europe many moons ago
The efforts of Iain Butchart and his wife Dawn in all that they have done to promote and encourage junior golf in Perthshire from Iain’s position as Junior Convener at Strathmore Golf Club for the past 10 years or so stems from the well documented membership decline of most golf clubs in Scotland.

To a large extent, the drop in numbers can be attributed to the lack of youngsters taking up the game which, in turn, has caused the average age of some club memberships to have risen considerably, in some cases to the late 60s which is clearly unsustainable if club golf is going to survive as we have always known it.
We are all aware of the competing interests of youngsters these days and that to many  golf can be seen as too time- consuming and even still a bit elitist which is a barrier to getting new blood into the game if it is going to prosper at it has done in all my near 60 years' involvement in golf. 
While the R and A and other like organisations can do their best to stimulate interest, at the end of the day it is with the efforts at ground level of individual clubs through their junior sections that effective action can be taken to promote the game we all love.   
This is where I feel the likes of Iain Butchart deserve wider recognition of all that he and his wife Dawn have achieved at Strathmore, particularly with it being a relatively new club (the course there was only opened in 1996) and without being unfair, could be described as an unfashionable club compared with the many more established and wealthier clubs elsewhere.
The hire of golf clubs scheme was Iain’s brainchild as a first-class practical measure to introduce youngsters to the game .
The dedicated and enthusiastic work carried out by Iain and Dawn, with the help of others, over the last decade, has arrested the decline of interest in the game by youngsters
Thanks to Butcharts' efforts, top quality talent has already been produced in the likes of Alex Simpson, Kirsty Brodie, Megan Ashley and others.
There have been a number of talented young golfers produced by Strathmore GC in recent years who have gone on to receive national recognition and according to their long standing Junior Convenor, Iain Butchart, the reason is a simple one.
Strathmore has and continues to be very supportive of junior golf as they see it as their future and even pay for an external PGA professional in Gareth Couzens to give free lessons to their juniors.
They also have a certificate system set up on their nine-hole course and fun handicaps before Iain decides when they are ready for the 18 hole course and a CONGU handicap.
This has already produced two assistant professionals in Rory Tinker (Piperdam) and Hannah Robb (Elie), and Emily Aird and Michael Brodie are on college golf scholarships in America.   Megan Aird is looking to work in golf hospitality and Tod Bannerman has started a greenkeepers' course at Gleneagles, having first attended Elmwood College in Fife.
Currently, Strathmore have Kirsty Brodie, Amy Mitchell and Alex Simpson all in the Scottish Academy programme – the only club in Scotland to have three.
Butchart reckons that this success will continue and Strathmore will keep on producing good young players because of the structured set-up he has put in place.   He sees his role as convener is to give all juniors the opportunity to reach their potential and encourages them with much help as possible to achieve their goals.
Iain is expecting big things from the likes of Alex, Kirsty, Amy and also Megan Ashley. Strathmore continues to buck the trend in attracting new members this year, six of whom are girls, bringing their total number of girls to 15.

Sergio Garcia, TaylorMade end sponsorship deal

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  Darren RovellESPN Senior Writer

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One of the longest-running sponsorships in golf came to an end Monday, as TaylorMade announced it had parted ways with Sergio Garcia.

The two had been linked for 15 years, but Adidas' recent $425 million sale of the business to a private equity firm made it less important for Garcia, also an Adidas spokesperson, to continue to promote the brand.

A TaylorMade spokesman said in a statement that the breakup was "mutually agreed on."

"It has been an honour to play a role in his performance throughout his career," the statement said.

Garcia's biggest win came earlier this year at the Masters, his first major victory in his 74th major start.

Without Sergio, TaylorMade still has plenty of big names on its roster, including Dustin Johnson and Jason Day. The brand also picked up Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods as a result of Nike getting out of the equipment business last fall.

Just last month, TaylorMade competitor Callaway announced it has re-signed Phil Mickelson, who has been with its brand since 2004, in a deal that will last through the end of his career.

Gary Player saddened by Old Course being reduced to 61 shots

Gary Player spoke out Sunday about technological advances to the golf ball and equipment after Ross Fisher torched The Old Course at St. Andrews to the tune of a new course record.

Fisher shot 11-under 61 in the final round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – and that included a three-putt from the Valley of Sin at the par-4 18th. Soon after, Player took to Twitter to express his sadness for what he believes is modern equipment making courses like The Old Course defenceless.

“Whilst delighted for all the players, it’s quite sad to see The Old Course of St. Andrews brought to her knees by today’s ball and equipment,” Player wrote.

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The nine-time major champion and Hall of Famer also watched Sunday as Victor Dubuisson shot 63 (with a late bogey) and winner Tyrrell Hatton wrapped up a 24-under performance over two rounds at St. Andrews and a round each on Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

The Old Course has already been significantly lengthened once, prior to the 2010 Open. That year, Rory McIlroy shot 63 at the Open, and in the next five editions of the Dunhill Links six players carded rounds of 62.

Golfweek‘s Geoff Shackelford addressed Player’s comments on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive on Monday morning, and said he thinks that we could see equipment being regulated by governing bodies at some point.

“I think that those kinds of rounds get the attention of a lot of people and make them wonder if something’s out of balance and if the skill factor has changed,” Shackelford said.

 “And I think when you look at the numbers this year, where we are with distance spikes, and then you combined things like this, it certainly gives them something more to point maybe to the person who’s kind of wondering if this is a good thing or not.

“And they’ve been very quiet lately, so my suspicions are up that I think the discussions are going on.”