EIGCA Releases Results of Old Course Poll

This week we welcome Kyle Cruickshank to the Top 100 Clubhouse. Kyle's a fascinating individual who's worked all over the world from Royal Melbourne to Muirfield, and is now the course manager at the fantastic North Berwick. We discuss his career journey so far, the current renovations taking place at North Berwick, and his Top 5 Favourite Courses. Previous Episode - Don't Miss Out! In the previous episode of The Clubhouse, our CEO (Simon Holt) is in New Zealand for a golf trip. He checks in with Jim Rohrstaff, the managing director at Te Arai links, to chat about the incredible visitor experience, their favourite holes and much more. What Are The Top 100 Clubhouse Podcasts About? Top 100 Clubhouse is the ultimate podcast for golf enthusiasts! Join us as we delve deep into the minds of fascinating individuals from every corner of the golfing world. From players to course designers, caddies to golf historians, we'll leave no stone unturned in our quest to share unique insights and experiences with the Top100 Community. Together we'll explore the stunning courses and breathtaking landscapes, enjoying the unforgettable stories that bring the game of golf to life. How Do I Listen To The Latest Top 100 Clubhouse Podcast? You can download and listen on the following links. Listen now, wherever you download your podcast! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcast  Podtail We Need Your Feedback? The Next Podcast Interview? Top 100 members can share their views on who should join the next Top 100 Clubhouse podcast show? If you have an idea who you would like to hear, why not drop our Top 100 Clubhouse host James Henderson an email on james@top100golfcourses.com Happy Listening!

The Links course upgrade at La Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resort nears completion It’s not often we get a chance to closely inspect a course that’s closed during serious renovation work – indeed the last time was probably with architect Martin Ebert when the Ailsa at Turnberry underwent a total makeover in 2015 – so we were pleased to be invited a few weeks ago to have a look at a nearly completed major refurbishment project overseen by American architect Kurtis Bowman atLa Hacienda Alcaidesa Links Golf Resortin San Roque. Before branching out on his own in 2016, Kurtis was twenty years with Nicklaus Design, where he worked mainly with senior architect Jim Lipe in the United States of America and Mexico on courses such as Mayacama in California, May River in South Carolina and Cabol del Sol on the Baja California peninsula. All told, he was involved in almost 50 courses while with the Golden Bear’s design company. In 2020, when Kurtis was on site in the Dominican Republic, he was introduced to Javier Illán, president of Millennium Hospitality, which owns La Hacienda Links Golf Resort, and they hit it off immediately. Javier’s company specializes in the luxury hotel sector in Spain and Portugal and its aim is to put the San Roque property on the map with a multi-million euro investment which will hopefully propel the resort into the realms of the top 36-hole destinations in southern Europe. Already, a new contemporary clubhouse and driving range have opened as part of the initial transformation. Plans are also in place to revitalise the Heathland course but for now the focus is on the Links, with local contractor Acttua given the task of translating Kurtis’s plans into reality on the ground. The firm has worked on similar major golf infrastructure projects in recent times at places like nearby Las Brisas, Real Sotogrande and Real Valderrama so it’s a company that’s well experienced in top-end golf construction. You just know the finished product is going to be something special – especially when there’s a substantial budget in place! We saw just how well Paco, Acttua’s man on the ground, interacted with Kurt as they showed us around the property and it’s obvious the success of the new Links layout is largely down to the close collaboration of designer and construction manager. The course is an early 1990s Peter Alliss/Clive Clarke co-design which originally started and finished alongside the beach but the initial opening and closing holes are now the 10th and 11th, with the first four holes now playing down to the coast and the last four holes rising back up to the clubhouse – that means holes 5 to 14 occupy a prime location overlooking the Playa Alcaidesa, next to the Punta Carbonera lighthouse. The main ground works were carried out between April and October last year, but there are still lots of little things to be done like lining water features and building small bridges. The grow in period has gone well generally but it’ll take a few months of continual summer heat to allow the fairway grasses to flourish. The TifEagle Bermuda greens – most of which allow a running approach – looked in great shape at the end of April and quite a number of bunkers were in the process of having new sand added following a Better Billy Bunker upgrade. The par five 5th hole (pictured above) is the “signature hole” on the layout, played from a high vantage point looking along the beach towards the Rock of Gibraltar, twelve kilometres away. On a clear day, you’ll also see the coast of Morocco in the distance. Quite a bit of earth was moved to soften the downhill slope of the fairway which then crosses a creek before turning slightly left to a new putting surface that’s been pushed back towards the coastline, forming a double green with the par four 13th. As Kurtis says, “this green is now incredibly dramatic and will be sure to get people talking and burn a hole in golfers’ memories.” Hole 7 (pictured above), hole 8 and hole 9 (pictured below) cross back and forwards over another intimidating barranca, with the last of these holes improved immeasurably from its previous incarnation. It was the architect’s least favourite and perhaps weakest hole on the layout so he shifted a lot of soil to drastically improve it, cutting on the right and filling on the left, along with moving the green further to the left in the process. Now, when compared to a photograph taken before the work was carried out, it’s an infinitely better hole visually. The par three 12th also plays across the same water course, forming an impressive cluster of adjacent holes which get maximum value from this aquatic feature. There are plenty of other interesting putting surface-related features to note on the new layout, including the really funky, wildly contoured green on the short par four 4th; the lovely benched green on the right doglegging, uphill par four 14th; and the enormous boomerang-shaped green on the home hole, with a huge bunker at the front separating alternative pin placement areas. It’s certainly a talking point as you head for the clubhouse but it might not be the only thing you’ll want to discuss over a refreshment or two – such as the World War II concrete pillbox located close to the clubhouse behind the 1st tee! The last words belong to architect Kurt Bowman as he pretty much sums up how we felt after visiting the reimagined Links course at La Hacienda Links Golf Resort : “There are lots of great golf courses in the Costa del Sol. One thing it was missing was a great oceanfront links golf course. Now this has been added to the mix – along with the five-star hotel, real estate, clubhouse, practice facilities, beach club and halfway house – and elevated the entire development. As great as the other venues nearby are, none of them are set in a location even close to La Hacienda… the Alcaidesa Links will definitely be in the conversation for one of the best courses in Spain and added to the list of must-plays for players touring the Costa del Sol.” Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Finca Cortesin – 18 new greens and a new green initiative It’s more than ten years ago since my first visit to Finca Cortesin as I was there just after the course first opened for play in 2006. My initial impressions were strong then and I knew that it would become a serious player, not just in Spanish golf, but as a big hitter in Continental Europe. Around that time, there were some remarkable new high-end courses opening across Europe and Finca Cortesin was certainly one of them. After looking back at the historical ranking positions, it’s clear that Finca Cortesin continues to improve and is loved by all who play there as the player reviews on the Top 100 Golf Courses website tell us. The course attained a #25 position in Spain back in 2008, rising to #19 in 2010 then #10 in 2012. Currently, it’s ranked as the 5th best course in the country which shows steady, continuous improvement every time we’ve updated our national listings. My recent visit – arranged by our good friends at The Azalea Group – was to see the course after the latest round of upgrades, constituting the biggest tranche of work carried out to date. During 2017, all eighteen greens (and the practice putting green) were relayed with Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass which was grown at a Caceres nursery in the centre of Spain. Amazingly, despite all the disturbance to normal operations, the course re-opened only after only one month of disruption and much credit for that must go to Ignacio Soto, the resort’s head greenkeeper who supervised the project and tested the different possible grass varieties for more than two years in advance of the renovation. Some world class venues – including Sawgrass, Quail Hollow and East Lake Golf Club – have been hugely successful converting to Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass greens and industry expert Ken Mangum believes the new investment will help propel the five-star golfing experience at Finca Cortesin to another level. Mangum, ex-director of golf courses and grounds at Atlanta Athletic Golf Club and head consultant on the project after being recommended by Soto, said: “Many great courses around the world have used the Ultra Dwarf greens system for several years. Overall, they are more environmentally-friendly, cost effective and sustainable. “Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass provides a more consistent daily playing surface. The greens remain fast and firm with the changes in weather and moisture, (whereas) Bentgrass becomes soft and slow with humidity, irrigation and rainfall. “The new greens will offer more great days of play, especially during warmer times of the year. Less pitchmarks will be visible. The dark green colour and surface uniformity will provide good speed and firmness throughout the season.” As I mentioned already, I’ve been coming here for more than ten years and I’ve certainly noticed improvements every time as the course has matured. The trees, bushes and shrubs all around the course have grown to a point now where many holes are isolated from others and are framed in a magical way. My favourites holes include the great 3rd and 4th – a risk/reward par five then a potentially driveable par four from an elevated tee – and, on the back nine, the 15th and the 18th. The par four 15th requires a big carry off the tee then a 90 degree left turn uphill to the green and the par five home hole (with the great Casares Mountains as a backdrop that appears to have been Photoshopped into real life) is all about position from the tee to set up the approach to the green. For those who have yet to visit Finca Cortesin, then do put the course on your ‘must play’ list; you will definitely not be disappointed as this course is the newest member of the European Tour Properties network and was also home to the Volvo World Matchplay event in 2009, 2011 and 2012. My recent visit was made extra special as I stayed onsite at the luxury Hotel Cortesin, a truly exceptional 5-star experience with service and standards of the highest quality. Without a doubt, it’s one of the very best golf resorts that I’ve been luckily enough to stay at during my Top 100 travels. The location is perfect too – between Marbella and Sotogrande on the Costa del Sol – and it’s served very well from the airports at Malaga and a little nearer in Gibraltar. Finca Cortesin’s relatively brief history has been a success story with a course and resort that steps up a level with every returning visit. Andy Newmarch Top 100 Golf Courses