//www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2105493.0.Fourth_major_golf_development_in_northeast_steps_up_to_tee.phpFourth major golf development in north-east steps up to tee GRAEME SMITH March 10 2008Plans for yet another major golf development in the north-east have taken a significant step forward.
A £1bn resort by Donald Trump is now with the Scottish Government for planning approval, signature courses by Jack Nicklaus and Paul Lawrie are in the pipeline and now another golfing legend, Tom Watson, is backing a project at council-owned Hazlehead in Aberdeen.
The main course at Hazlehead was originally designed by Alister MacKenzie, the internationally renowned architect of Augusta National in the US.
The MacKenzie Club consortium, headed by Aberdeen businessman Brian Hendry, hope they will be successful in taking it over later this year.
However, Ben Allen, of property specialists HLL Humberts Leisure, has revealed the course is attracting considerable interest.
On offer is a 90-year lease over the present two 18-hole courses, a nine-hole course, and a pitch and putt course with practice facilities and greenkeepers' accommodation. Mr Allen said he expected expressions of interest to range from schemes involving the golf courses and a new clubhouse, to major developments that would include hotels.
Mr Hendry said the total capital investment in his project could be as high as £100m. The courses, clubhouse and golf academy would cost £10m and in addition there would be a five-star hotel with 200 bedrooms and a conference centre costing £40m with additional facilities, including fishing, football pitches and an observatory.
‘We want Aberdeen to be on the tour so every year a PGA event comes’
Aberdeen City Council wants to ensure Hazlehead Golf Course remains open to the public, with pay-and-play golf available. The council also wants the development to encourage participation in golf with particular emphasis on the local community and identified groups of interest.
All the expressions of interest must be submitted by April 21 and a decision is expected during the summer. Mr Hendry said the MacKenzie Club proposal would be submitted by then.
"We hope we will be successful and take it over after the summer - the quicker the better," he said. "Tom Watson has visited the course and walked it with me and what we are trying to do is reinstate MacKenzie and that is important. We want Aberdeen to be scheduled on the tour so every year a PGA event comes to Aberdeen, all the hotels are booked and we bring in a massive amount to the economy at that time.
"The Trump development will be brilliant but what we have and the others don't is the golf course. We have a recognised jewel, we have a 1927 Alister MacKenzie course. We don't need to worry about creating a good golf course - we have that already."
He said they planned to make the course the first air-conditioned in Europe by installing a system which can remove moisture from the grass and control the soil temperature to create optimum conditions.
"As well as a great golf course, we will have a clubhouse at the top of the hill looking over Aberdeen - it will be a fantastic course five minutes from the centre of the city, playable for eight months of the year," he said.
"We love it that there is going to be Trump, Lawrie and Nicklaus courses which will complement each other. Donald Trump with advertising and marketing which is second to none will bring people in to Aberdeen who would not norm-ally come here.
"With the Hazlehead, Trump, Lawrie and Nicklaus courses, they could come to Aberdeen for a week and not be bored.
"We may not become Scotland's golfing Mecca - that will always be St Andrews - but if we put in four classics it could be a brilliant hub."