One of Scotland’s oldest golf clubs is going back to the future by returning its famous layout to the original specifications in preparation for the 200th anniversary of its founding next year.
Scotscraig Golf Club at Tayport in Fife opened in 1817, which makes it the world’s 13th oldest golf club. It boasts an 18-hole championship course originally laid out by renowned golf course architect James Braid.
Its ambitious restoration programme will see all of the course’s green-side and fairway bunkers returned to their original size, and many being substantially expanded.
With additional on-course alterations being completed in tandem with extensive gorse removal, this is the biggest such project undertaken by the club which is situated in between the two famous courses at St Andrews and Carnoustie.
George Anderson, Scotscraig’s vice captain, said “The amount of work carried out in the last 15 months has been substantial. The conclusion of the current programme will be later this year when all the remaining fairway bunkers will be returned to their original dimensions. We’re bringing Scotscraig back to what it used to be. We are re-establishing the course.”
The first phase of the project involved rebuilding 21 green-side bunkers and a comprehensive redesign, rebuild and expansion of the fourth green and its associated sand trap which are both now open for play.
Stage two will see 26 fairway and approach bunkers rebuilt in time for the club’s double centenary celebrations next year.
Mr Anderson said the far-reaching restoration project was as much to do with reviving James Braid’s ingenious design as it was about future-proofing a much-loved course and one of Scotland’s true hidden gems.
He continued “Although the work is extensive, we are also mindful of the club’s history and what the course looked like in years gone by. At the same time, we are undertaking a modern development to maintain the challenge of the layout. Scotscraig is a championship course with an extraordinary history and an exciting future. These changes are designed to celebrate the past and prepare the club for what lies ahead.”
At the centre of the alterations is Chris Barnard, Scotscraig’s course manager who took up the post in March 2015. He returned to his native Fife after completing stints at Kingsbarns Golf Links outside St Andrews, Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club (New Zealand) and Royal Cinque Ports in Kent.
He said “It was exciting to be back in Fife and especially to such a prestigious club where there are so many possibilities. The objective was to move Scotscraig forward, so this year we’ve concentrated on reinstating all the green-side bunkers in advance of the bicentenary year, and then we’ll move on to the fairway bunkers. These are big changes and the members are desperate to get on and play them.”
He said as well as the new-look bunkers, Scotscraig’s fairways had has also been cut so longer hitters would find narrower landing areas the closer they get to the green.
He said: “We’re trying to mould the course into something that is playable for both members and visitors and is fair, yet is still a good test for tournaments and low handicappers.”
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