Tag: Scotland

Cabot buys Castle Stuart Golf Links in Scotland with plans for a new name and a new course by Tom Doak

Canadian-based developer Cabot plans to expand Castle Stuart with a new Tom Doak-designed layout.

Cabot, the developer that leaped into the world of golf with Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia and has expanded beyond the Canadian border with projects in Florida and St. Lucia, has added to its portfolio, this time in the Scottish Highlands.

Cabot will announce this week that it has acquired Castle Stuart Golf Links and its accompanying resort amenities near Inverness, Scotland. The property will be rebranded Cabot Highlands.

Opened in 2009 with a design by Gil Hanse and the late Mark Parsinen, with holes that feature Moray Firth on one side of several fairways and bluffs to the other side, Castle Stuart Golf Links ranks No. 4 on Golfweek’s Best list of modern courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

In 2024 that course will be joined by a second 18, Cabot said, this one to be built by Tom Doak. The property also is home to a new short course that is open now for preview play and officially will open in 2023.

Castle Stuart Cabot Highlands
Castle Stuart Golf Links in Scotland will be renamed Cabot Highlands. (Courtesy of Cabot)

“Castle Stuart has been considered a benchmark of exceptional Scottish golf since it first opened thirteen years ago,” Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot, said in a media release set for Tuesday that will announce the acquisition.  “We are honored to be a steward of the land and carry the original vision for the property forward. Our goal is to create unforgettable memories in magical places, and there are few places in the world more awe-inspiring than the Scottish Highlands.”

The property will feature boutique accommodations, and Cabot said real estate will be a major part of the expansion with sales expected to begin in 2023. The property will feature upscale cabins that homeowners can rent to resort guests when the owners are not in residence. Featured activities for guests and property owners will include hiking, cycling, fishing, falconry, horseback riding and more. The property’s features include views of Kessock Bridge and Chanonry Lighthouse

“I couldn’t think of a better partner than Cabot to lead our next chapter,” said Stuart McColm, general manager of Castle Stuart and the forthcoming Cabot Highlands. “The work that’s been done at Cabot Cape Breton on the courses and within the community speaks for itself, and I know our beloved founder, Mark Parsinen, would be proud of the plans ahead to fulfill his original vision for the destination. Not only is this significant golf news, it is also a major boost for the regional economy of the Highlands.”

Cabot has been busy announcing expansions in the past couple years. The company took off in 2012 in Nova Scotia with Cabot Links, a Rod Whitman design that ranks No. 2 on Golfweek’s Best list of modern Canadian courses. That course was joined in 2015 by Cabot Cliffs, a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design that ranks No. 1 on that modern Canadian list.

In the Caribbean, the Coore and Crenshaw design at Cabot St. Lucia is slated to open in early 2023. In Canada, the company announced last year the development of Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia, which will feature a course designed by Whitman that is scheduled to open in 2024. And in Florida, Cabot has purchased the former World Woods, rebranded it Citrus Farms and is having its two courses renovated by Kyle Franz and the team of Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns with a planned reopening in 2023.

Castle Stuart Cabot Highlands
The namesake castle at Castle Stuart, around which Tom Doak will build a new course slated to open in 2024 as past of the property’s rebranding as Cabot Highlands (Courtesy of Cabot)

The new layout at Cabot Highlands will be the first by Doak for the company. That course will play around the property’s namesake 400-year-old castle and across expansive land with several holes along the water, Cabot said. Doak plans to start construction in 2023.

“I’m thrilled to partner with Ben Cowan-Dewar and the Cabot team,” said Doak, who has built courses around the world, including The Renaissance Club in Scotland. “We have been searching for the perfect destination for years. Our goal is to create a distinctly Scottish golf experience that appeals to players at all levels with an authentic links-style course that puts the golf holes front and center.”

Ukraine is one step from the World Cup after emotional win at Scotland

It was an incredible display from a team which hadn’t played in six months

Ukraine is just one step away from the World Cup after an emotional 3-1 win over Scotland in a playoff, as the war-torn nation returned to the field for the first time since Russia’s invasion in February.

Ukraine and Scotland were scheduled to face off in March in the UEFA playoff semifinal, but the match was pushed back to Wednesday after Russia invaded Ukraine.

With emotions high and the war still ongoing, Ukraine produced an heroic performance at Hampden Park in Glasgow, advancing to Sunday’s playoff final against Wales with a berth at the World Cup on the line.

The winner of that match in Cardiff will go into World Cup Group B alongside England, Iran and the United States.

Before the game, there were emotional scenes as Ukraine’s players entered the field draped in the flag of their country. Scotland fans were handed out cards with the words of Ukraine’s anthem so they could sing along in a show of support.

On 33 minutes, Ukraine took the lead after Andriy Yarmolenko brilliantly took down a ball over the top and lobbed the ball over Craig Gordon in Scotland’s goal.

After the break the Ukrainians doubled their lead after a patient bit of build-up play culminated in a textbook headed goal by Roman Yaremchuk.

As the game went on Ukraine began to understandably tire, with its domestic-based players well short of match fitness following the Ukrainian Premier League shutting down in February.

John McGinn missed an easy header for Scotland before Callum McGregor got a goal back with 10 minutes remaining as Ukraine looked to be in danger of conceding an equalizer.

But Ukraine held off a late Scottish charge and sealed the game deep into stoppage time when Artem Dovbyk finished off a breakaway.

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Ukraine scored a brilliant goal against Scotland in first competitive match since Russian invasion

What a moment.

Emotions were understandably high for Wednesday’s UEFA World Cup qualifying play-off semifinal in Glasgow, and Ukraine couldn’t have asked for a better start.

Playing in their first match since Russia launched an invasion on the sovereign nation, Ukraine jumped ahead in the first half with a phenomenal goal against Scotland. The winner of the match will face Wales on Sunday for a spot in the World Cup.

The goal was set up by a long-range pass from Ruslan Malinovskyi that Andriy Yarmolenko expertly controlled to chip over the Scotland goalkeeper Craig Gordon. It was one of the moments that truly transcended sports given all what Ukraine has been through as a nation.

Seriously, what a goal.

The soccer world had plenty of thoughts on the amazing scene in Scotland.

Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain and Ireland

From links layouts to parkland courses, these are the best courses built before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland.

Welcome to Golfweek’s Best rankings of the Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain and Ireland – built before 1960 – as determined by Golfweek’s Best Raters for 2021 (pictured atop this story: Royal Dornoch in Scotland).

The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Then each course is ranked against other courses in Great Britain and Ireland to produce the final rankings.

Golfweek also ranks Modern Courses in Great Britain and Ireland. For more on top courses outside the U.S., check out the following lists:

Listed with each course below is its average ranking, location, designers and year opened.

Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 50 Classic International Courses

From Royal County Down to Royal Melbourne, the top International Modern Courses built outside the U.S. before 1960.

Welcome to the initial Golfweek’s Best Classic International Courses list with the highest-rated courses outside the United States that were built before 1960. (Pictured atop this story: The Old Course at St. Andrews, with photo by Steve Flynn/USA TODAY Sports)

Each year we publish many lists, with the U.S.-based Top 200 Modern Courses and the accompanying Top 200 Classic Courses lists being the premium offerings. Also extremely popular and significant are the Best Courses You Can Play State by State and Best Private Courses State by State.

This is the first year for this International Classic list, and it is comprised of thousands of individual ratings of courses around the world. We also recently published the Modern Courses version, shining a spotlight on the best international courses built in or after 1960.

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The 800-plus members of our ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course, which is then ranked against other courses to produce the final lists.

Each course is listed with its average rating next to the name, the location, the year it opened and the designers. After the designers are several designations that note what type of facility it is.

Key

r: resort course
d: daily fee
p: private course
t: tour course
m: municipal
re: real estate
* Many international private courses allow limited outside play. Contact the courses indicated for more information on their guest policies.

Golfweek’s Best 2021: Top 50 Modern International Courses

From Cabot Cliffs to Tara Iti, Casa de Campo to Old Head, these are the top International Modern Courses built outside the U.S. since 1960.

Welcome to the initial Golfweek’s Best Modern International Courses list with the highest-rated courses outside the United States that were built in or after 1960. (Tara Iti in New Zealand is pictured atop this story.)

This is the first year for this International Modern list, and it is comprised of thousands of individual ratings of courses around the world. Next week we will publish the Classic Courses version, shining a spotlight on the best international courses built before 1960.

Each year we publish many lists, with the U.S.-based Top 200 Modern Courses and the accompanying Top 200 Classic Courses lists being the premium offerings. Also extremely popular and significant are the Best Courses You Can Play State by State and Best Private Courses State by State.

The 800-plus members of our ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course, which is then ranked against other courses to produce the final lists.

Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Each course is listed with its average rating next to the name, the location, the year it opened and the designers. After the designers are several designations that note what type of facility it is.

There are a few wonderful courses that don’t appear on this list because they haven’t received enough votes from raters. This most often happens at hard-to-reach private courses that don’t allow much guest play. One such example would be Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic, a stunning Robert Trent Jones Sr. layout that has been renovated by Rees Jones but that hasn’t received enough votes to make this international list. Given time and more votes, it’s entirely possible this seaside layout will make a strong climb into the various course rankings.

Key

r: resort course
d: daily fee
p: private course
t: tour course
re: real estate
* Some international private courses allow limited outside play. Contact the courses indicated for more information on their guest policies.

European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship offers the best one-week rota of courses of any tour

The Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns make this a special week for the European Tour and for links lovers.

The European Tour takes a few knocks from golf course aficionados about the layouts the tour frequently plays as it takes events to new coordinates – and sponsors – around the world. Some criticism is fair, some less so.

But it’s all moot this week. Just kick back, turn on the tube and enjoy some of the best golf courses in the world for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

St. Andrews Old Course. Carnoustie. Kingsbarns. They make up an incredible Scottish links triumvirate around St. Andrews, the best one-week professional rota in golf.

The Old Course is, of course, the Old Course. This is golf. Old Tom. Young Tom. All the way to Tiger Woods. This is the home of golf, the marketing says – and it’s right. And always exciting to watch.

Carnoustie is no slouch, itself. Home to eight past British Opens – ahem, Open Championships – Carnoustie’s Championship Course presents one of the most challenging and thrilling conclusions in golf. Just ask Jean van de Velde about the dreaded Barry Burn, where his chance at the 1999 British Open title was ingloriously drowned.

Kingsbarns (Golfweek files)

And to people who don’t follow modern golf architecture closely, Kingsbarns might seem like a third wheel in this rota. Trust us, it’s not. The Kyle Phillips design that opened in 2000 has climbed all the various course rankings – including Golfweek’s Best – to become one of the most desirable tee times in Europe.

The only thing that comes close to this rota on the PGA Tour is the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill and Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course hosting celebrities and pros alike each year. Pebble Beach ranks No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best Classic Courses list for the U.S., and Spyglass is No. 31 among all Modern U.S. courses. Not bad at all. It’s hard to beat the vibe on this section of California coastline.

But when it comes to elite course rankings, no rota compares to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. And like the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the Dunhill Links also serves up a celebrity field in a pro-am format to make things a bit more interesting. Each team will play the three courses over the first three days, with teams and individuals that make the cut playing the Old Course on Sunday.

Keep scrolling for more on each of the courses in this week’s rota.

American Ryann O’Toole wins first LPGA title at Women’s Scottish Open in 228th career start

Ryann O’Toole closes in 64 to clinch her first LPGA victory in here 228th career start at Dumbarnie Links.

Ryann O’Toole looked like she’d done this sort of thing – win – a thousand times as she made her way down the stretch at Dumbarnie Links. But this was a first for the veteran American, who captured her maiden LPGA title in her 228th career start.

O’Toole, 34, joined the LPGA in 2011 and in her 11th season on the LPGA clinched the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open with a magnificent 8-under 64 to win by three.

“I can’t even describe it,” said O’Toole. “I have obviously been working my whole life for this. I’ve been dreaming about it since I was a kid.”

O’Toole came into the final round tied for the lead at 9 under with former No. 1 and 2018 Scottish Open winner Ariya Jutanugarn and England’s Charley Hull. Atthaya Thitikul, 18, and Lydia Ko put pressure on O’Toole, who never flinched and ultimately pulled away with three birdies on the last six holes and a bogey-free scorecard.

Ko carded a course record-tying 9-under 63 to finish tied for second with Thitikul, who posted a 66 to join her at 14 under. Thitikul, a member of the Ladies European Tour who also finished runner-up on the LPGA earlier this year in Thailand, needed to win to earn her LPGA card.

“So unbelievable to me,” said Thitikul. “I’m not a big fan of links, but I can shoot under par every day.”

O’Toole, a ULCA grad with more than $2 million in career earnings, had never held a share of the lead going into the final round of an LPGA event. She felt nervous about that fact Saturday evening and tried to keep her cell phone time to a minimum.

There was no sweeter call, however, than the FaceTime with her mom after the round when she was drenched in champagne. O’Toole’s fiancé, Gina Marra, happened to be in Scotland to celebrate. The couple plans to wed in December.

There were times when O’Toole wondered if she’d ever win on the LPGA. In fact, she’d been wondering lately if 2021 might be her last season on tour. She wants to start a family with Marra, and playing the tour as a mom never had appealed to O’Toole. The idea of stepping away from the LPGA sometime in the future, perhaps at the end of this year even, helped her to let go of the pressure of trying to make something happen. There’s more to life, she decided.

“I’m Ryann in a lot of different ways rather than just Ryann the golfer,” she said.

Even so, walking away without a title would’ve eaten at her.

“I definitely feel like it would have been unfinished business and something I never would have known what the feeling is,” she said. “Now that I’ve had a taste, I feel like that’s going to be a hard one to give up.”

O’Toole hit 13 fairways and 18 greens in her final round. She clicked well with her new caddie, Michael Curry, who stepped in after her previous caddie, Reid Martin, retired last week. O’Toole said Martin informed her of the decision Sunday at the Amundi Evian Championship, saying he’d grown weary of life on the road.

O’Toole liked the looks of the brand new Dumbarnie Links from the start and got a kick out her mom saying it looked like she was playing on the moon. In her first try at links golf in 2012, O’Toole admittedly had her “butt kicked” at Royal Liverpool Golf Club. She has since learned how to maximize her creativity, hit a low tee shot and play the contours of the greens.

Last year O’Toole had to skip the Scottish Open and AIG Women’s British Open after testing positive for COVID-19. One year later, so much has changed.

“I still think I’m in shock,” said O’Toole. “The hours spent, the grind, the heartache that the sport brings, the constant travel. … For this moment, I hope that it only happens again and again.”

Soccer fans had a field day after Scotland drew England to a 0-0 tie to keep their Euro 2020 hopes alive

Scotland’s surprise draw against England prompted intense reaction from fans.

Friday’s Euro 2020 match between rivals England and Scotland was one of the most anticipated games of the group stages. Unfortunately for soccer fans, the match fell flat, as England and Scotland played to a 0-0 draw after 92 minutes of game time.

The result was a surprise, as England was slated as the favorites for this match, with Scotland nabbing their first point of the Euro 2020 group stages thanks to the draw. England, meanwhile, bungled a great chance to secure the group stage lead after their 1-0 win over Croatia last weekend.

The 0-0 draw for Scotland somehow keeps their Euro 2020 hopes alive, as that one single point means the team is still in position to nab the third place spot in Group D — and possibly advance — if they can manage to win against Croatia on Tuesday. As such, Twitter had an absolute ball clowning on England for the suboptimal result, bringing the jokes in the wake of the draw.

R&A has plans for new-look golf facility at former Glasgow municipal course

Plans are that the family-focused facility will open summer of 2022 and will introduce the game to newcomers from a variety of backgrounds.

Plans for a new community golf complex at one of five municipal courses under threat of closure in Glasgow, Scotland, have been put forward by game governing body The R&A.

It is hoped that the family-focused facility will open in the summer of 2022, providing a route into the game for newcomers from a wide variety of backgrounds. It will include a nine-hole course, a Par-3 course, putting greens, short-game area, adventure golf and a 25-bay floodlit driving range.

Additional features including a café, fitness studio, indoor simulator and movie theatre, education room and retail area are also being planned as part of a “central hub” offering views north over nearby Hogganfield Loch to the Campsie Fells and south to the City of Glasgow.

The news comes a year after Lethamhill and four other municipal courses in Glasgow were left facing the prospect of closure amid budget cuts by the city council. The R&A, which is responsible for governing the rules of golf and staging The Open competition, acquired Lethamhill in September in a deal reportedly worth about $276,000.

“We want to make golf more welcoming and inclusive for people of all ages and backgrounds and so we need to appeal to them by offering a variety of fun and affordable activities that entice more families and young people into the sport,” R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said.

New golf facility in Glasgow
The R&A is submitting a planning application for a new golf facility in Glasgow. (Rendering by The R&A)

“We are excited by the prospect of establishing a facility in the very heart of the local community in northeast Glasgow that provides an accessible pathway into golf and inspires people to get out, have fun and experience the many health benefits that playing golf with family and friends can provide.”

Lethamhill and the other affected courses – Linn Park, Littlehill, Alexandra Park and Ruchill – were operated by Glasgow Life, the cultural and sporting arm of Glasgow City Council. In collaboration with Glasgow Life, the views of local stakeholders including current golfers, community groups and elected representatives are being considered to assist in shaping the development of the facility.

Work is also being carried out with the Golf Foundation and Scottish Golf to devise future participation and education programs that use Glasgow Life’s existing Active Schools network to connect local schools with the new facility.

Councillor David McDonald, chair of Glasgow Life and deputy leader of the council, said: “The prospect of creating such a fantastic venue in what is already a well-used hub is something everyone can be very enthusiastic about, and we’re looking forward to working with The R&A and engaging with groups and clubs in the local area to develop a facility which is the first of its kind in Glasgow.”

The R&A has been working closely with the Seven Lochs Partnership and leading sustainability professionals to delivering positive environmental, health and social benefits to the local community and ensure best practice in sustainability throughout the facility.

A new network of public nature trails that link into existing walking routes of the Seven Lochs Wetland Park is being planned for use by visitors to the urban heritage and nature park, which seeks to promote health and well-being and enhance biodiversity.

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