Devlin Course re-named Kittocks
at Fairmont St Andrews

PRESS RELEASE
It has just been announced today that from October 1st the former Devlin course at Fairmont St Andrews, will be re-named as Kittocks.
Fairmont St Andrews is a five-star cliff top hotel, with two championship golf courses that enjoys panoramic views over the golden beaches and medieval sky line of St Andrews, the Home of Golf.
Speaking today, Gary Slatter, Director of Golf for Fairmont St Andrews, said,
‘We are very excited about the re-naming of our former Devlin course to Kittocks. The new name change reflects not only the millions of pounds worth of changes being made to both the Kittocks course and the Torrance, our Open qualifying course for 2010 Open championship, but also reflects an essential strand of Fairmont properties worldwide, that they all have an authentically local feel. The recent decision to also improve Kittocks, will create one of the best golfing resorts in the world.’
Kittocks name is taken from the SSSI area of land on the course that is inhabited by a family of deer. This protected area comes into view on several holes and provides abundant wildlife to be seen during a round on Kittocks, including pheasants, rabbits and hares, deer, grouse and badgers.
The coastal land the course is built on reminded the legendary golfer Gene Sarazen of Pebble Beach when he first visited the site, as one of the course’s original architects. The Kittocks course will also feature heavily in a new production of the new JJB Slazenger golf advert with Tony Jacklin, Andrew Murray and Gary Wolstenholme. The 30 minute show will be broadcast on Sky Sports Extra and Setanta Golf.
Talking today about the new design features on the Kittocks course, Slatter said. ‘We have worked with architect Gary Stephenson to improve both layouts and to accentuate the strengths of both courses. Kittocks will have two holes from the original Torrance lay-out.
With the re-positioning of several tees and three new greens, plus the addition of state of the art drainage systems both courses will be even better than before and worthy of their accolades including being named 18th best Golf Resort in the World by Conde Naste Traveler.’
The re-design of the two courses is part of an overall £13 million upgrade for the hotel including refurbished rooms, a new sports bar with large lcd televisions and pool table plus a sensational signature Spa, featuring Kerstin Florian products that are usually only found in Oscar night goody bags!
With all the improvements on both Fairmont St Andrews courses, it is expected that with events such as the Torrance Cup with Sam Torrance next week, that the fine reputation of both Kittocks and the Torrance courses will grow and grow.
What's changed to make the Devlin the Kittocks
(1) The lake on the second hole has been reshaped and will appear larger.
(2) The former 3rd and 4th holes of the Devlin are now on the Torrance.
(3) The par 3 third (formerly the 5th) has new tees and a different angle to the green for the front decks.
(4) The bunker on the left on hole 6 (now the 4th) has been removed.
(5) The mounding to the right of the par five 5th (former 7) has been lowered so a golfer can now see the green and surrounding bunkers.
(6) A new tee has been built on 6 giving it more length and a slightly different angle.
(7) The 7th hole has lost a bunker in the narrow alley between the wall and the other bunkers. This encourages the golfer to try to drive through the narrow area between the sea and the other bunkers. The area to the right is now growing in and will no longer be fairway.
(8) The double fairway on the 9th will still be there but the grass will be longer on the right side, and the rough will be lowered on the left side.
(9) On the short par four 10th the middle bunker (at 192 from the tee) has been removed and the golfer now has another alley where they can run their ball towards the green.
(10) The par five 11th has gained four mounds on the right side so a golfer can better visualize the hole (and know which mound their ball is near).
(11) The 12th has lost a bunker on the left and one on the right from the tee.
(12) A new front tee is being built on 14 (former 16th).
(13) One bunker has been removed from the 15th (the hidden one on the hill).
(14) The superb par three 16th remains, the one bunker near the forward tees is gone.
(15) The big news on Kittocks is the finish, the former 17th of the Torrance is now the 17th of Kittocks, still a great par four with a new rear tee giving other options. The left side (in the rough) has been reshaped to now include large retainer ponds areas that are in play on 17 and 18.
(16) The 18th hole is the former 16th on Torrance and is a long par-4 dog leg left. One bunker has been removed short right of the green. There are many new shadows from the new mounding to the right side of the second half of the fairway.
Additional Information
Formerly The St Andrews Bay Hotel, the hotel was bought by the luxury hotel collection, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, in 2006. Fairmont hotels are one-of-a-kind properties where sophisticated travellers can discover culturally rich experiences that are authentic to the destination.
Fairmont's portfolio includes over 50 distinctive hotels, with plans to develop over 20 new properties in the coming years in destinations as diverse as Beijing, Abu Dhabi, and South Africa. Situated in some of the most exclusive and pristine areas in the world, Fairmont is committed to responsible tourism and is an industry leader in sustainable hotel management with its award-winning Green Partnership programme.
Fairmont is owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotels International, a leading global hotel company with over 80 hotels worldwide under the Raffles, Fairmont and Swissôtel brands. The company also owns Fairmont and Raffles branded Residences, Estates and luxury private residence club properties.
Fairmont, St Andrews has 209 bedrooms, seven suites and two four-bedroom Manor Homes. The Manor Homes, each sleeping up to eight people in four bedrooms, offer guests privacy and seclusion.