St Andrews - The times, they are a'changin'

[Marty Bonnar]

I don't think I can recall a more active time in the development of St A. The Auld Toun is fair rushin' into the 21st Century!

With No.7 fast approaching completion, there are devs on many other fronts happening too. Driving into town from Kingsbarns, there appears to be things happening everywhere!

Firstly, I noticed that the 'St Andrews Bay Hotel' now goes by the name of 'Fairmont St Andrews'. Another day, another owner. It's still a VERY expensive hotel with two fairly mediocre golf courses attached.

You then pass No. 7. Getting greener by the day, the ground modelling looks promising - if, in this reporters eyes at least - a little repetitive. I'll hold back on full discussion at least until grow-in is complete and I've had an opportunity to see/play it properly. Maybe a Fife GCA Chapter outing is required.

Down into town now and the biggest dev is right beside TOC. The creation of 'St Andrews Grand':

http://www.standrewsgrand.com/

This is the conversion of the old Hamilton Hall, and is about to commence. If you'd like to be next-door neighbour to Phil Mick, then this is the place for you. $3.5m should secure you a week or two...
Alternatively, No. 9, The Links (nicely sandwiched between The new Links Trust Shop and The St Andrews Club) is back on the market and could be yours for £2.5m. What a bargain.

...and all because of a daft wee white ball!

FBD.

[ForkaB]

Martin

Pray tell, what are those ubiquitous small grey mounds at #7?  Looks like what Richard Dreyfus was trying to do with his mashed potatoes in "Close Encounters...."

[Marty Bonnar]

R,
're-mi-do-do-so'!

They are indeed what also took my eye. I'd suggest that they are probably prototypical mini-dunes. My guess would be that they'll let them decay and erode a little with this years wintering effects and by next spring they'll look more, well, 'natural'.
This was certainly a technique explored to terrific effect at Kingsbarns. A winter's battering of wind, rain, sleet and snow could easily create very natural (looking) landforms.

FBD.

[ForkaB]

F

Was Robert Price involved at #7 too?

R

[BCrosby]

Robert Price - the author? - is doing work at St. A?

Bob

[Marty Bonnar]

Bob,
Mr Price was an extremely valuable member of the original consulting team for Kingsbarns. His - beyond - encyclopaedic knowledge of geography, geology, climatology and how they are inter-linked was crucial in how the shaping was done on what was the f-l-a-t-t-e-s-t links site in the western hemisphere.
I have not heard if he's been involved at #7 (a similar site in many ways). They certainly couldn't have done any better than to have his input. Maybe one of the Kidd-men (I like that!) might chip in.

FBD.

[BCrosby]

FBD -

That's good news. Price's book is magnificent. He's one of the few people in the world of golf that I would pay just to hear talk.

Bob

[Ally Mcintosh]

i'll ask a question i asked before and nobody answered... can you really call kingsbarns a links site? was it not farmland? am i being pedantic?

(that's not to take anything away from the golf course which i'm sure is fantastic)

[Chris Kane]

There are some nasty rumours circulating that the St Andrews Grand project has gone bust - front page denials in the local newspaper this week.  

[BCrosby]

What is the St Andrews Grand project?

[ForkaB]

Bob

Take another look at Martin's initial post and then report back.  Think "Chariots of Fire".......

[Allan Hutton]

Well, now I can say I've stayed in an elite hotel...

How long until Macintosh/Sallies are turned into townhomes...?

[BCrosby]

Got it. Thanks.

[Marty Bonnar]

Ally,
I'll take a stab at answering your Q.

While I would agree that at first sight KB doesn't necessarily possess all of the expected pre-requisites for 'Proper Linkshood', I believe it more than makes up for those lackings in effort, look and playability. It really is a 'Links'!

During construction, the shallow layer of agricultural loam was scraped off to reveal (cue Indiana Jones Ark-opening music) cubic meters, cubic metres and more cubic metres of wonderful, glorious, large-grained, free-draining 'Golfin' Gold' - SAND!

What basically happened next was genius. Some bright spark - probably Robert Price or maybe one of the Elmwood College guys - had a thought: "Why don't we just turn this lot over? Let's bury the rubbish UNDER the SAND!"

Which is precisely what they did...man-made links in ALL meanings of the term. Voila!

Chris,
good to see you're being well 'Borg-ed' by the St Andrews collective! You'll be turning all gentrified soon! Yah! Yah!

Here's the story:

http://www.fifenow.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1022&ArticleID=1808856

Allan,
take a look. Maybe you'll find your old fleapit will soon be somebody's executive acomms!!

http://www.starwass.com/portfolio/hamiltonhall/index.html

Pity anyone who buys below the fourth floor though. That Stand behind the 18th will be a right bugger to see through...

FBD.

[Chris Kane]

Chris,
good to see you're being well 'Borg-ed' by the St Andrews collective! You'll be turning all gentrified soon! Yah! Yah!

Martin, after being accused of having "some Yah blood" by a work collegue last week, I'm truly offended!  I might have to spend some time in the Whey Pat to correct the balance!

Count me in for a Fife GCA Chapter (do I quality as a member?) outing to #7

[Ally Mcintosh]

thanks martin... that almost answers me

...maybe i'm just prejudice against the course because it's so new and a lot of earth was moved to provide the dunes and it doesn't seem like it was links land in the true meaning of the word...

...but i'm being ridiculous because i've never played it...

[Evan_Green]

Is #7 going to be the final name for the course, or is it just a temporary name while under construction?

[Brian_Ewen]

Evan
No.7 is a temporary name , and I remember reading somewhere that the Links trust were to run a competition to name it .

Has the competition started yet ? .

If entering it should be remembered the other Links Trust courses are named :

Balgove
.
Jubilee
Old
New
Eden
Strathtyrum

[Brad Tufts]

We could have fun with this I imagine.....Playfair, The Morris, Robertson Links....Chariots of Fire Golf Links...something starting in T for B. Jones' middle name.

And then the worst candidates....St. Andrews National....something generic like Dune Hill....The Prestige at St. Andrews Fairways Golf and Country Club (Kidd Links course) presented by the Links Trust.....

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I was hesitant to bring this up before, but the mounding and earthwork on #7 did not wow me this summer. I went by 6 or 7 times. The land is almost the same as Kingsbarns so I expect more of that look. I did not walk onto the property though, so all this is from the road.

[Marty Bonnar]

JB,
I think I'd tend to agree (caveat: on the basis that my views were as the driver of a very fast-moving sports car at the time!)

Co-incidentally, there's also the latest aerials from #7 just been posted on the Links Trust site:

http://www.standrews.org.uk/golf/the_courses/course_no7_toSep06.html

'Pimply'?

FBD.

[Ally Mcintosh]

are they cart paths or just temporary construction access?...

...they're cart paths, aren't they?  

[Brian_Ewen]

CLAIM A GOLF TITLE
GOLF fans around the globe have been given the chance to name a new course at the home of the game.

The multi-million-pound development - set to be one of the top courses in the world - is being laid out on a 220-acre clifftop site at St Andrews.

Whoever comes up with the name will join VIPs at the opening ceremony next year and play one of the first rounds.

Alan McGregor, of the St Andrews Links Trust, who run the town's courses, said: "We know that many golfers feel an emotional attachment to the birthplace of the game.

"We really wanted them to have the opportunity to become a part of the process of naming this new course."

The competition will run through the trust's website at www.standrews.org.uk.

Ideas can be emailed to namecomp@standrews.org.uk from November 1 to December 1. The title of the new course will be announced in January.

[Mark_Fine]

Guys,
Those three dimensional wave forms/irregular ragged mounds have been named  "Spilloffs".  We added the name/definition in the next printing of our Hazards book.  Here is a photo of one of them still growing in.  



The site was essentially an open field with not much going on.  Except along the coast line which has some cool twists and turns, everything there was built.  I spent quite a bit of time walking the site with Paul Kimber (the lead architect on site) and what they are doing/have done is pretty impressive.  I can't wait to see the finished product.  I have permission to post more photos if anyone wants to see them.  

[wsmorrison]

Let's hope whatever the name is that they don't follow the US stadium model of using a corporate name to raise earnings.  Can you imagine British Telecom Links at St. Andrews?

I've always wondered why the town is called St. Andrews.  Why isn't it St. Andrew or St. Andrew's or even Saints Andrew (sort of like Attorneys General)  The name isn't referring to more than one Andrew, is it?