Posts Tagged ‘luxury’

2009 Dunhill Links Championship

Monday, September 21st, 2009

The ninth annual Dunhill Links Championship, the UK’s premier pro-am golf tournament will take place from October 1 – 4. As usual, the tournament will be played on three of Scotland’s top links courses, The Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, with the final round being played on the Old Course. In 2001 the inaugural Dunhill Links Championship was played as a celebration of links golf and this is still the essence of the tournament to this day. The combination of The Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns surely incorporates all the splendid qualities of links golf. With the rich history of The Old Course and Carnoustie along with the splendid views at the newer links at Kingsbarns, it is hard to imagine a stronger mix of links golf in the entire world. The magnificent trio will once again stand to be a true and fair test of golf.

Past Open Champions Padraig Harrington (2007 Carnoustie, 2008 Royal Birkdale) and Ernie Els (2002 Muirfield) head a talented list of professionals who will be competing for the five million dollar purse. Other professionals in the strong international field will include past Dunhill Links Champions Lee Westwood and Colin Montgomerie along with rising star Rory Mcllroy and tour veterans Darren Clarke and Jose Maria Olazabal.

Along with the individual professional tournament, there is also a team competition in which the tour pros are paired with some of the world’s most celebrated amateurs. In 2001 and 2006 Padraig Harrington won both competitions! Celebrity amateurs entered into this year’s tournament include actors Samuel L Jackson and Hugh Grant, professional athletes Wladimir Klitschko and Marcus Allen, and musicians Huey Lewis and Tico Torres. With free entrance for the first three rounds, this rare combination of pro golfers and celebrities provides local fans with a unique opportunity to walk alongside and interact with their idols.

The economy is not holding back Trump

Monday, February 23rd, 2009

According to The Herald, Scotland’s leading quality daily newspaper, Donald Trump is moving full steam ahead on his Aberdeenshire golfing project.  Although Donald Trump is working through some bankruptcy issues and since resigned as chairman of his former company, Trump Entertainment Resorts, he is not stopping his work on the Scotland development.  This new project, called Balmedie Golf Resort, will consist of two 18-hole championship courses, 450-bedroom five-star hotel, along with numerous holiday apartments, villas, and private homes.  Trump feels confident that his new Scotland project will someday host the Open Championship; a bold & aggressive statement in our opinion, when Great Britain has numerous and historic golfing venues ripe for their first Open.

Trump’s spokesman’s on the project, George Sorial, advises that given the strong US Dollar (as compared to the Pound Sterling), now is the time to move ahead.  As stated by Sorial, “Contracts that were costing us a million dollars a year ago are now costing us $650,000. So we are taking advantage of the exchange rate and the availability of labour. For us it is full speed ahead.”

Adventures In Golf will be certain to update our readers on this project as more information is released.

St. Andrews’ Newest Course – The Castle Course

Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
Castle Course

Castle Course

St Andrews will have its seventh course available for a full season from 1st April 2009.  The Castle Course is the first tournament quality course to be added to the St Andrews stable in 100 years.  It stretches to 7200 yards from the back tees, but architect David MacLay Kidd (of Bandon Dunes fame) has endeavored to provide playability for golfers of all levels by providing five tees on each hole.

Initial feedback on the layout compliments the panoramic views to the town and sea, while the course’s routing and unusual clubhouse has also attracted plaudits.  But, the use of rough mounding to add character to fairways has not met with universal approval and some will be cut back and reduced over this winter, while a few approaches to greens will also be altered to make them more playable.  Nothing a little tinkering can’t fix … we would hope!

Castle Stuart Golf Links to open in 2009

Thursday, December 11th, 2008
11th Hole

11th Hole

Castle Stuart
You have played Kingsbarns Golf Links near St Andrews, or heard about it?  We’re pretty sure most avid golfers know about the course either way!  Despite opening only in 2000, it rapidly was included in many “Must Play” lists and has been a role model in terms of savvy marketing, but certainly allied to a strong product.
Not content with this success story, one of the co-developers has moved on with new partners to another project near Inverness, the principal city of the Scottish Highlands.  The Castle Stuart Golf Links is scheduled to open in July 2009, with a boutique hotel, spa, lodges and second course in the plans for 2010 and beyond.
A preview round by the author suggests a fair but still demanding layout, with a sea-dominant visual feast looking over the Moray Firth towards the Black Isle, west to Inverness and the Kessock Bridge or east to Chanonry Point and Fort George.  At current exchange rates green fees are expected around $250 – will be interesting to see if golfers consider this a fair cost or if it influences rates at surrounding courses such as Royal Dornoch and Nairn.