Prince Andrew opens St.Andrews new Castle Course

The Castle Course - Article courtesy of St Andrews Links Trust St Andrews Links Trust is creating a seventh 18-hole course to join its portfolio of six courses. It will be a public course, open all year round and is hoped to be ready for play in 2008. David McLay Kidd is designing the course. It is overseen by Project Manager Peter Mason and Links Trust General Manager Alan McGregor. A history of the site The site of the Castle Course is one that has been intimately connected with St Andrews for many hundreds of years. Earliest records indicate that the land was part of a hunting ground for Pictish kings who adopted St Andrew as their patron saint in the mid eighth century. At that time the district was called Muckross, from muic meaning a boar and ross, a promontory. From around 1100 AD the land was called the Cursus Apri, or Boar’s Chase. A boar still features as part of the town crest of St Andrews and a nearby village is called Boarhills. St Andrews town is linked to the site of the golf course by a stretch of coast called Kinkell Braes, which is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest. (Kinkell comes from ceann coille, or head of the wood. Brae is a Scottish word for a hillside or steep slope.) The Braes is an area of wildflowers which has long been a favourite haunt of St Andreans walking along the clifftops and taking in spectacular views of the town and of St Andrews Bay. The Braes are not included in the golf course land, but mark its northern boundary. Public access to all the clifftop area has of course been maintained. The site of the course is made up of land purchased from Kinkell Farm and Brownhills Farm. The focal point of the course will be the headland named Kinkell Ness, or Kinkell Point, which is where the double green that serves holes 9 and 18 is situated and where the clubhouse will be built. On this headland there was once a fortification known as Kinkell Castle, which included a dovecot. Below the castle, there was a Kinkell Harbour. St Andrews Bay has long been notorious for shipwrecks and the small natural harbour was a welcome sight to many a sailor in distress. Closer to the shore, down on The Braes, there is a Kinkell Cave. This is thought to have been used by a hermit and may also have played a part in the smuggling trade of bygone times. Below the western edge of the course is Maiden Rock, a large isolated formation on the pebble-strewn shore, while the most prominent feature of the rest of the foreshore is an unusual sea-stack called the Rock and Spindle. In former times it was called Spindle Rock, a name which refers to a circular volvanic feature at its base which resembles a spindle, a device that played a part in the weaving industry which was a mainstay of the local economy up to the nineteenth century. The central part of the golf course was surveyed in 1837 when it was part of an area known as Spinkston. Other details on the map include names such as Kinkellfield, West Kinkell, Lower Briery Hill, Lower Twentys, Upper Rigs, Longlands, Collier Shod, Middle Shod and Craigendaff – this was also spelt Craigduff in the mid-nineteenth century. When the land at Kinkell was farmed in the middle part of the last century it was split up into a number of fields, all of which bore a name. The area where the clubhouse is to be situated was known as Castle Park. The others along the cliff top were called Cove and Craigduff. Further inland, there was Highland, east and west, and Spindle. Two of the southern fields were named Quarry Park and Milestone, with Centre Park making up the rest of the middle section. This information was kindly supplied to us by Henry Wilson who worked on the land in the 1940s. The requirement for a seventh public course at St Andrews was first recognised in 1998 and much of the early planning took place as the Millennium unfolded and passed. The right land was eventually found and purchased in 2002 and then the detailed planning was able to take place – including the selection of David McLay Kidd as the course architect. This period coincided with the four year study period at the University of St Andrews of Prince William, the heir to the throne.

St Andrews Links achieves prestigious GEO Certified™ ecolabel St Andrews Links has become the first Open Championship venue to achieve the prestigious GEO Certified ecolabel in recognition of its sustainability commitment and achievements. St Andrews Links Trust, which manages the seven courses at the Home of Golf including the Old Course and The Castle Course, has operated a sustainability programme for many years and this approach was described by Mike Wood, the accredited verifier, as being “close to defining an ideal model for sustainable management.” A special plaque was presented to Euan Loudon, Chief Executive of St Andrews Links Trust, by Jonathan Smith, Chief Executive of the Golf Environment Organisation, with George O’Grady, the Chief Executive of The European Tour, and Peter Dawson, the Chief Executive of The R&A, in attendance. The Golf Environment Organisation (GEO) is an international non-profit organisation, supported by stakeholders across the golf community to help build awareness and understanding, provide practical programmes and reward achievements with the GEO Certified ecolabel. In the GEO verification report the assessor praised the Trust’s commitment to social responsibility and community engagement as well as the eco-friendly manner in which the clubhouses, retail outlets and other facilities are operated. They said that not only was the Trust nurturing a 600 year heritage as the birthplace of the game, it was a “standard bearer for 21st Century good practice in golf management.” A number of sustainability measures at the Links were highlighted by the assessor, including: • The high quality of the golf courses’ playing surfaces which are maintained with minimal fertiliser, chemical and irrigation inputs. • The restoration of the distinctive dune landscape between the New and Jubilee courses, recreating a natural habitat area. • Managing the courses in such a way as to contribute to the management of the neighbouring SSSI at the Eden Estuary. • The comprehensive range of energy efficiency measures in operation in the clubhouses and facilities. • The re-use of organic materials and other recycling activities. • Working in close partnership and co-operation with the local community. • The transformation of intensively managed mixed farmland, into a new golf course (The Castle Course) with an extensive matrix of grassland habitats. Euan Loudon said, “We take our duty to manage St Andrews Links sustainably as a golfing resource for future generations extremely seriously. Over the years we have won awards for the measures we have implemented and developed but this is certainly the most rigorous certification process we have gone through. We are delighted to achieve the GEO Certified ecolabel and we are focused on continuing to introduce new sustainable methods and practices across the breadth of operations at the Links in the years ahead.” George O’Grady said, “We congratulate St Andrews Links Trust on their commitment and achievement. This is the kind of leadership that The European Tour are encouraging across all our venues as part of our own commitment to sustainability in golf, which was further reinforced by last year’s comprehensive Ryder Cup Green Drive. As founding partners of GEO, we are delighted to see their customised guidance, programmes and ecolabel gaining this kind of momentum.” GEO has been dedicated to supporting and promoting sustainability in golf since 2006. In the space of two years, more than 250 golf clubs in 34 countries have started the GEO OnCourse programme to achieve the GEO Certified ecolabel. St Andrews Links becomes the 50th golf facility to achieve the distinction. Jonathan Smith said, “For centuries the Home of Golf has been synonymous with low input, community integrated and ecologically rich golf. This stewardship of the historic Links of St Andrews, and more recently The Castle Course, has occurred through good decision-making that blends financial, golfing and common good interests relating to local people and the environment. We are delighted that our OnCourse programme has helped the staff of such an iconic golfing destination to broaden and deepen their actions enabling them to combine traditional values with a clear appreciation of modern day corporate and environmental responsibility.” Dr Christian Deuringer, Head of Global Brand Management, Allianz SE, the global partner of St Andrews Links, said, “We congratulate St Andrews Links Trust on having achieved the GEO Certified ecolabel. As a leading global Insurance and Asset Management company, sustainability is part of the Allianz DNA and we have therefore decided together with the Trust, that a significant part of our partnership contribution goes to maintaining the courses and preserving the historic coastline. We are therefore especially pleased that St Andrews Links Trust’s superior efforts are rewarded and highlighted as examples for other venues around the world.” Working closely with local advisors, consultants and the Scottish Golf Environment Group, the Links Trust has received widespread recognition for its environmental work in recent years. In 2003, it won the Scottish final of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association’s environmental competition. The following year it received the Scottish Golf Environment Group’s Environmental Excellence Award. In 2009, the Trust received the Golf Course Environment Award from the Sports Turf Research Institute for protecting the ecology of the Links landscape. The Castle Course Clubhouse was also recognised by St Andrews Preservation Trust for its outstanding design which complements the clifftop landscape.

In this episode of 'The Clubhouse' James is joined by a Scottish golf architecture legend; David McLay Kidd. The Glasgow-born Kidd founded DMK Golf Design in 2000, and ultimately went on to design incredible (but sometimes divisive) courses such as Bandon Dunes, St. Andrews (Castle) & Gamble Sands in Washington State. In this interview James talks to him about his life in golf, and how he approaches/thinks about course design. Previous Episode - Don't Miss Out! In the previous episode, we welcome golf journalist Matt Ward to the Clubhouse. Matt is the top reviewer on top100golfcourses.com, he's played over 2000 golf courses, and written 831 reviews! As a journalist, Matt has attended 100 majors and 12 Ryder Cup's, and has interviewed countless high profile golfers. In this wide-ranging interview Matt discusses his prestigious career and sheds light on what makes a top golf course. 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!