Trump Turnberry Opens New 12-Hole Course Priced at £120

The impressive new 18-hole course takes shape on the Isle of Jura’s Ardfin estate Top 100 Golf Courses previews Scotland’s latest golf course development in the western isles The Inner Hebrides archipelago off the west coast of Scotland consists of thirty-five inhabited and dozens of other uninhabited islands and their combined land mass amounts to around 1,600 square miles. The mountainous, rather bleak and barren Isle of Jura is the fourth largest of these islands, supporting a small population of around two hundred people. Access to the mainland is by a couple of vehicle ferry crossings via Islay or by taking the summer season passenger ferry that runs to Tayvallich, near Lochgilphead, a two-hour car journey from Glasgow. With vast tracts of the island covered in blanket bog, Jura is divided into seven estates. One of these, Ardfin, is located in the south of the island, within one of forty designated National Scenic Areas in Scotland. The estate was acquired in 2010 from the Riley-Smith family, brewers from Tadcaster in Yorkshire, by retired Australian hedge fund manager Greg Coffey and the London-based owner has embarked on a long term redevelopment project to restore the semi-derelict C-listed Jura House to its former glory and construct a top class 18-hole golf course. At the invitation of architect Bob Harrison, I had a look around the course recently in the company of both the designer and estate manager Willie MacDonald who, like his father and grandfather before him, has worked on the Ardfin estate all of his life. Bob is a former lead architect for Greg Norman’s design company and eight of his courses are currently listed within the Top 100 ranking chart for his native Australia, including the ultra-private Ellerston in New South Wales which he built for Kerry Packer at the start of the new millennium. Rather than travel to Jura by boat or plane via Islay, I decided to take the small passenger ferry from the mainland, taking 45 minutes to get to the small port of Craighouse, where the Jura Hotel and Jura Distillery are located within yards of each other. The Irish construction company SOL GOLF is building the new Ardfin course and I got the chance to have a chat on the journey over with greenkeeper Sam Leach, who was heading back to the job after flying into Glasgow from Dublin, having had a few days at home on leave. Within minutes of arriving on the island, I was striding down the 1st fairway with Bob and Willie, who both endorsed Sam’s assertion that building a course on such difficult terrain – much of it peatland that had to be dug out and replaced with soil from elsewhere – hadn’t been easy. As an example, the fescue and bent grass turf for the greens had been specially shipped in from Yorkshire, along with a whole range of other building materials that couldn’t be sourced locally, so organising the transportation logistics had been a major consideration from day one of the project. The course is laid out along the cliffs that line the southern shores of the island, with holes routed down to the water’s edge on the back nine before climbing back up to Jura House at the end of the round. The views across the Sound of Jura towards the Isle of Gigha and the Kintyre peninsula are simply sensational and some might say it’s all too easy to succumb to the seduction of the spectacular surroundings. But what of the course itself and rumours that, just like that other private golfing playground at Ellerston, Ardfin will be something of a tough track? The 1st hole gives a fair indication of what lies ahead, playing gently uphill, with rocky outcrops to the left, a severe drop off down the cliffs on the right and a ditch scything through the fairway in front of the green. There’s little margin for error with either the tee shot or the approach as anything slightly offline will be lost in the dense vegetation skirting the fairway and the green. It’s obvious right from the start that precision, not power, is what’s required here because many of the playing corridors are frighteningly narrow, placing an absolute premium on accurate shot making. The long par three 2nd calls for a heroic tee shot across a bracken-filled chasm to a seemingly distant green but the hole normally plays downwind – unlike the short 10th, which requires a similar all-or-nothing tee shot across the edge of the cliffs, but this time into the prevailing wind. Bob told me more work is still to be carried out to the left side of the 3rd hole, opening up the stream that runs along the edge of the fairway before it cuts behind a really striking, right to left sloping green. After such a demanding start, it’s time to relax a little during the next few comparatively placid holes. The 4th plays uphill then kinks right across a road to a fairway split by a nest of bunkers, so width is not an issue here. The breadth of the fairway isn’t a problem at the next two holes either, played side by side, first uphill then back downhill towards the water. Beautifully reconstructed stone dykes line the perimeter of the large playing field that houses both the 5th and 6th, and they offer a bit of a breather before the rigours of the back nine. The 7th hole lies along the hillside and its fairway had just been seeded so it was the only hole I didn’t get a close look at. The 8th drops down a level towards the shoreline and the architect told me it was one of the most difficult holes to fashion on the course. Part of the hillside had been removed to create a semblance of a driving line from the tee boxes but it’s still a really tight path for tee shots to reach the fairway landing area. From here, a stone wall fronts a gully that runs across the fairway before the hole then veers left and down towards the green – it’s a simply stunning par four that begins a brilliant sequence of holes around the turn. The 9th doglegs left and down, bringing us towards the water’s edge, where the 10th plays as a semi blind “reverse Calamity” short hole and it seems to be all carry to the putting surface – only when you walk towards the green do you discover there’s actually a big bail out area along the edge of the cliff, which is handy for when a strong wind’s blowing directly in your face on the tee. The 11th continues the slow descent towards the restored boathouse down at the Sound and there’s a huge wetland area to carry with the approach shot to a raised green that might, depending upon a high seasonal tide or stormy weather, end up almost entirely surrounded by water. The par three 12th skirts a little sandy beach, moving inland to a wonderfully rippled green nestled at the foot of the rocky escarpment. It’s a hole that looks great from the tee but even better from the cliff top at the back of the green, next to the putting surface on the 16th hole. The 13th continues along the coastline, past an old sheep shearing building that’s still to be restored, to a challengingly shallow, two-tiered green. This hole’s then followed by a terrific Cape hole which hugs the shore as it swings left to another green that’s protected by a really intimidating wetland area in front of the putting surface, just like the 11th. The 15th turns for home and it starts a slow, inexorable climb along the cliffs to the 18th green. Thankfully, there’s a fair degree of width on the closing holes which is probably just as well because the fairways all slope a fair amount from left to right as they head along what appears to be a little ledge cut into the hillside, above the cliff tops. With par fives at both the 16th and 18th, there’s always the chance of bagging a propitious birdie at the end of the round. On the other hand, should a bogey or two prevail, there’s always the consolation of the magnificent vistas to soften the blow of a somewhat disappointing finish. There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that Ardfin is destined to become a high flying entrant in a future Scottish Top 100 chart, possibly even making an impression on the Great Britain & Ireland Top 100 chart. I had the same feeling about Castle Stuart, Renaissance Club and Machrihanish Dunes when I visited each of them before they officially opened for business and I won’t be in the least surprised to see this course make its mark in a similar fashion. In fact, looking at the way some remotely located new build courses within the English-speaking golf world are being touted for inclusion in forthcoming golf magazine World Top 100 charts, don’t discount Ardfin from making a global impact in the ranking stakes either. Jim McCann Editor Top 100 Golf Courses

Trump International Golf Links finally arrives After a seven-year gestation period, Trump International Golf Links finally arrives 10th July 2012 The skirl of the bagpipes announced the impending arrival of the owner at the 1st tee for the opening ceremony at the new Trump International Golf Links. Sure enough, looking back down the grass path towards the clubhouse, Donald Trump and architect Martin Hawtree could be seen leading a throng of family, friends and invited guests towards the tee box on hole number one where, amongst the many press members, the Top 100 team were in attendance. Martin Hawtree, whose company celebrate 100 years of golf course design this year, was introduced and he spoke of the privilege it had been to work on such a wonderful piece of property, providing as he put it, the final five per cent of effort to finish a project that Nature had all but completed. Three heavyweights from the professional world of golf were next up to speak at the microphone, led by Colin Montgomerie. Monty called the course a masterpiece that would only mature and get better as the years progress, adding that it made him very proud to be Scottish. Sandy Jones, chief executive of the PGA, followed the former Ryder Cup captain. His opening words of “I love this place” pretty much established the tone for the remainder of his speech. Sandy thinks the Trump course will end up as one of the top three courses in the world… though he’s not sure which courses will fill the number 2 and number 3 slots. George O’Grady, European Tour CEO, then gave the clearest of signals that the Trump course is destined for bigger things by saying the Tour will work with the owner in the future “to bring the right event to the course” – who knows how short lived the Scottish Open’s tenure at Castle Stuart might be? Finally, Donald Trump took time to thank all the people who had been involved in the seven-year process of building the course on the Menie Estate and everyone from architects to construction teams, from Trump employees to Trump family members was given a mention. After the red ribbon was cut to mark the opening of the course, it was time for a snap of the participants in the opening four-ball: (left to right) George O’Grady, Donald Trump, Colin Montgomerie and Sandy Jones. Donald Trump led the way with the first tee shot, followed by Monty then Sandy, before George O’Grady ducked out to allow European Tour commercial director James Finnigan to take his place. As Mr Trump and company set off down the first fairway, we got a chance to have a quick word with Martin Hawtree and Michael O’Leary, managing director of SOL golf construction, who built the course. Both men were obviously very proud of what had been achieved on the Menie site but we wanted to find out what they were up to elsewhere. One of the subjects we raised was related to possible improvements at Ballybunion’s Cashen course, where the architect has been consulting, and Mr Hawtree indicated some work was about to be carried out by SOL at several of the holes. Michael O’Leary also mentioned his company were embarking on an exciting new project in Liege, where the course would take two years to complete. We will, of course, keep a watchful eye on both these new developments. Click the link to view details of Trump International Golf Links Jim McCann Editor www.top100golfcourses.com

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.