Kohler Co is revealed as the successful bidder for Hamilton Hall in St.Andrews. Kohler Co also own the Old Course Hotel in St. Andrews and this is surely good news for the town of St Andrews and Tourism in Scotland. Hamilton Hall is an iconic building in the world of golf and has been left untouched and in a worrying state of repair since the previous owners plans for seasonal ownership failed to get off the ground. We will watch with interest over the coming months what plans are revealed. For further reading click here.
Author: Cameron Reid
Torrance Course revamped at St. Andrews
The Torrance Course at the Fairmont St.Andrews re-opened mid summer after being closed for extensive refurbishment. Improvements were made to all tees, fairways and all 63 bunkers were completely rebuilt in a revetted style. Now the bunkers are a real hazard to be avoided. The European Seniors Tour visited in August for the Scottish Seniors Open and in 2010 it is one of the venues for Local Final Qualifying for the Open Championship.
What was a pleasant course is now a really good one, the greens were always in great shape and that has not changed, it also has great views down towards the town of St.Andrews and over the Estuary towards Carnoustie. We highly recommend adding to your schedule, especially if staying in the resort it can easily be added on our arrival day or as an additional round during your stay.
Ballyliffin Glashedy Links Winter Bunkering
Ballyliffin is a great spot in the most northerly tip of Ireland, about 50mins north of the City of Derry. The club has two great links courses that many PerryGolf clients have travelled to play without knowing too much about. Trusting our judgement for the experience awaiting them but once played never forgotten. We have predominately concentrated play over the Glashedy Links, which opened in 1995 to a design by Pat Ruddy and Tom Craddock. A modern links to cope with the demands of new technology and greenkeeping methods. As with many courses it is maturing with time, but not content to stand still the club has began a new bunkering program to provide better bunker visibility and provide a greater challenge to the more accomplished player (I thought it was pretty tough before the changes!!) as well as improving the aesthetic element of each hole. We wish them well.
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The King’s Course Gleneagles – Great Scottish Golf
Often overlooked in favor of the many great links courses Scotland has to offer, a recent round over the King’s Course at Gleneagles on a crisp fall day was a gentle reminder that not all the best courses in Scotland are to be found by the ocean. The King’s was the first course to open at the hotel in the 1920’s and was laid out by Scotland’s legendary James Braid. There are a few blind shots to handle which make it a standout from modern design but I strongly believe they add to the overall experience. Hiring a caddie is a wise move, with very large greens that have deceptive contours and some lines from the tee offering the chance to “steal a few yards” their local knowledge is well worth the caddie fee. Playing in a 3 ball under competition conditions the round was completed comfortably under 4 hours, the caddies certainly help with pace of play, if only all rounds could be completed in that time the game would be more enjoyable for all. While the PGA Course will host the Ryder Cup in 2014 (it is longer and designed to cope with the world’s best) the King’s provides a unique challenge for all, in truly magnificent surroundings. One more point single figure players should play from the white tees, a greater challenge on the par 3’s and some of the longer 4’s become two good hits to get home.
Dukes Course, St. Andrews by Keith Baird, Golf Travel Specialist
We were invited by the Old Course Hotel to play the Dukes Course last week. Quite a few of our fellow tour operators were in attendance for their annual invitation day. Breakfast was waiting for us when we arrived before we were shown to our golf carts and the driving range. We picked to tee off from the white tees which are the middle of the five positions they have on each hole, making it a very playable course for golfers of all levels. It was only the second time I’d played it, but the first since the extensive refurbishments were completed. The work they’d done, especially on the many bunkers, has turned it from a decent inland course to a very good one, and arguably the best in the St Andrews area. The greens were also in great shape, which in October, was a bonus. Unfortunately, my putting wasn’t up to scratch and I had more than my fair share of 3 putts! After golf, we enjoyed a couple of beers with lunch, which was followed by the presentation, held by Golf Director David Scott, where unfortunately we weren’t amongst the prizes (as a result of my putting), however that didn’t detract from what was a fantastic day out.
