The legendary Turnberry resort on the South Ayrshire coast is to be renamed Trump Turnberry following its acquisition by American property tycoon Donald Trump.
Following the deal to buy the five-AA-red-star resort from Leisurecorp, a subsidiary of the Dubai government, Trump has revealed that he will spend at least £100m on developing and improving his new investment, which includes a 157-bedroom hotel, self-catering lodges, three golf courses, Colin Montgomerie Golf Academy, spa and outdoor activity centre.
The only detail revealed about the development plans is the retention of golf architect Martin Ebert, who is expected to make changes to the golf courses, including possibly the Ailsa course, which has hosted the Open Championship on four occasions.
Trump and Ebert will attend a press conference on 2 July to announce plans for the resort.
Trump Turnberry will be managed by the Trump Organisation as part of a franchise agreement under the Luxury Collection brand with Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Trump said: “I am honoured to own and manage this magnificent property, perhaps the most exciting property there is, We will be spending a great deal of time, effort and money to make Trump Turnberry the finest resort of its kind anywhere in the world.”
Trump Turnberry is the 17th golf course to be acquired by Trump globally, including the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire.
However, plans for the development of a luxury 140-bedroom hotel alongside the links course on Scotland’s east coast has been delayed because of Trump’s opposition to the Scottish government’s approval of a wind farm nearby, which he believes will blight the site.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Nairn Dunbar Golf Club change of management
Nairn Dunbar Golf Club recently has appointed a new club
manager to take charge of their championship links nestling on the shores of
the Moray Firth in the Scottish Highlands.
Dr Rob Macpherson, who hails from the area and whose family
lives in the town, was a member of the club from 1977-2008 and learned his golf
over the impressive seaside links. Previously Director of Golf Studies at the
University of the Highlands and Islands in Dornoch, Rob also is involved in the
management of Scottish, British and European University golf (and will manage
the Great Britain team in the World University Championships at Crans-Montana,
Switzerland June 2014).
Rob, who is keen to take the club forward into the new
season, said: “Managing Nairn Dunbar is a life-long dream. As a junior member,
I spent hours during the long summer holidays practicing my golf and generally
being a nuisance in and around the clubhouse and the putting green. Returning
to Nairn Dunbar, and greeting members old and new, has been great fun. The club
does a magnificent job for its members, and the town, and I look forward to the
challenges that lie ahead”.
Nairn Dunbar’s 6,800 yard course has an enviable reputation,
having hosted the Senior Home Internationals (2002), the Scottish Boys Strokeplay
(1999 & 2011), the Scottish Ladies Strokeplay (2009) and the British
Amateur (1994). Founded in 1899 for the artisans of the town, the club
celebrates its 115th birthday on 24th May 2014.
For further details, contact: Rob Macpherson, Manager, Nairn
Dunbar Golf Club
Tel: 01667 452741 e: manager@nairndunbar.com
Nairn Dunbar Golf Club recovers the earliest piece of its history
24th May 2014 was a celebratory date for Nairn Dunbar Golf
Club. Although not many clubs recognise their 115th birthday as something particularly
special, it is for the championship links nestling on the shores of the Moray
Firth in the Highlands of Scotland. This is because the club has recently
recovered a piece of its earliest history – its Opening Day Medal from May 1899
which was presented by Town Provost William Dallas to the winner of the first
ever competition on the course: Peter Robertson.
Although originally just a name on the silver medal, the
story revealed by research into Peter Robertson charts a signal contribution to
Scottish golf – and one that has largely been forgotten. Robertson was born and
raised on the Lethen Estate on the outskirts of Nairn. The son of a farmer, he
spent his boyhood and youth as an apprentice gardener and spent his spare time
caddying (and probably playing) at Nairn Golf Club. Aged seventeen in May 1899,
he already was an accomplished golfer, but after winning the Dallas Medal, he
would continue to “learn his game” over the new Dunbar course (as well as serve
on its first committee).
Early in the twentieth century, Robertson moved away from
Nairn to take up a new job in Lanark, where he also married. In 1908, he left
to take up a role as head greenkeeper and professional golfer at the Edinburgh
City Council run facility at Braid Hills. He remained in that post for 35
years, dying in 1943 in the clubhouse that was his place of work and his home,
in the company of his wife and three daughters.
Robertson served in the Royal Scots during World War I
(being wounded twice and being mentioned in dispatches for his bravery and
courage) and in the Home Guard during World War II. The golfer frequently
returned to Nairn, and maintained strong friendships with a number of Dunbar
members, most notably Club Captain (1922-49) A A MacGillivray. It was
MacGillivray who invited Robertson to review George Smith of Lossiemouth’s
layout for the back nine holes at Nairn Dunbar, and implement revisions which
extended the course (and can still be seen and played today). In return for
this freely-provided service, Robertson was made an Honorary Life Member of the
club.
The improvements Robertson made to the course were highly
valued – he was a course designer of considerable repute (in Scotland, England,
Singapore and Malaysia) as well as a highly respected professional. His career
included regular appearances in the Open Championship, the Northern Open and a
wide range of other events of the time; notable victories in the Scottish
Professional Golf Championship (1921 and 1924); the role of captaining Scotland
in competitive matches throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s; and, in 1932,
the honour of being the first ever Scottish Captain of the Professional
Golfers’ Association (PGA).
Club Captain, Brian Ford, said “It is fantastic to rediscover
such a rich and full life-story of one of Nairn Dunbar’s foremost players.
Winning the Dallas Medal was an early step onto a spectacular golfing career
that took in greenkeeping, course design, professional play and representative
honours at the highest level. We are proud that the winner of Nairn Dunbar’s
first ever competition maintained links with the town and helped shape our
course, as we play it today; but also we are humble to have played a small part
in the career of someone whose legacy is still felt in different corners of
Scotland and the world”.
For further details, contact: Rob Macpherson, Manager, Nairn
Dunbar Golf Club
Tel: 01667 452741 e: manager@nairndunbar.com
Pro Golf Tours Scotland working with wounded troops
Speaking of the partnership, Sean Bissett from Pro Golf Tours said:
"This is a great cause and something we are proud to be a part of. We look forward to offering a helping hand to raise as much money as possible for these fantastic charities"
If anyone would like any more information on what they do, please visit www.woundedinserviceevents.co.uk
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