Gil Hanse to work with Kingsbarns owner in Inverness, Scotland

[Robert Thompson]

Hey all,

Came from meeting with some Scottish tourism types this morning and they mentioned that Mark Parsinen, the co-owner and developer behind Kingsbarns, is in the midst of moving ahead with his course near Inverness and will use Gil Hanse as his architect.
Interesting, considering the take on Hanse's work at Crail is mixed.

The course is to be called Castle Stuart and will play 6,900 from the tips.

I was handed a page on Parsinen's aims for the course:

Among them:

- Emphasize dynamic holes, ones likely to yield a broad versus narrow distribution of scores; let short par fives, short par fours and short par threes be a major course aspect.

- Use topography to its fullest; let the play twist and turn, flowing over, around, through, into and atop an array of landforms.

- let the issues be visually dominating

- Bring the Moray Firth into the active shotmaking frame as much as possible; let it be a real shotmaking issue or an intriguing aspect of the line-of-play visual context; as far as possible, focus visual awareness through the course to vistaas of the firth and prominent landmarks beyond.

Sounds interesting to me.... Kingsbarns 2, anyone?

Robert

[Jeff_Mingay]

Rob,

I recall that the property Gil had to work with at Crail was somewhat restrictive - small in particular, and not true linksland.

This Inverness project sounds very interesting. I'm happy for Gil. He's a good guy, and a talented architect in my view.

[David_Tepper]

Robert -

There has been some discussion of this project here before, most recently in late September.  I believe the site for the course is west of the Inverness Dalcross airport. The Moray Firth coastline is pretty tame along there, much of it is farmland. There is certainly little, if any linksland.

Whatever 'landform's' Hanse uses will have to either be enhanced or created ala Kingsbarns.

DT

[Bill_McBride]

There's nothing particularly exciting about the land where Gil's Craighead course is laid out at Crail (unlike the land occupied by the Balcomie which is great cliffhanger stuff!); the front nine plays across a broad plateau without much happening, then goes over a ridge down toward the sea without much movement.  But I really enjoyed his greens and bunkering complexes, which required accurate placement off the tee, and there were some quirky holes down at the Balcomie end of the property.  I also enjoyed having to deal with a couple of walls which had to be carried or laid up in front of.  I'm looking forward to playing there again in July.

[Robert Thompson]

David -- seems to me that Mark and Kyle Phillips did a pretty great job of pushing dirt around at Kingsbarns, so maybe a second course of that quality is in the offing.
Gil is certainly a talented guy -- though when I was at Kingsbarns in the spring there was talk that Gil might not get the opportunity to do the work at Inverness because his work at Crail had received such mixed comments.
I have only seen the periphery of his course at Crail -- we played the original course in a day of 36 combined with Kingsbarns. But clearly there are some fans of his work on this site.
Will this be his biggest project to date?

Robert

[David_Tepper]

Robert-

I have not seen either Kingsbarns or Gil Hanse's course at Crail. The only golf I have played in Scotland has been in the Highlands.

Kingsbarns seems to get mixed reviews on this board. Some like it, others find it a little too manufactured (which it was of course).

My guess is Mark Parsinen, the developer of both this project and Kingsbarns (and Granite Bay near Sacramento, CA), has a pretty good idea of what he is looking for. I imagine he will have some input regarding Gil Hanse's output here.  I have heard (from a fellow involved with promoting golf tourism in the Highlands) that Parsinen will build a high-end hotel as part of this project and expects this property to become a "home base" for golfers visiting the Highlands to play Nairn (10 miles east), Royal Dornoch (50 miles north) and this new course.

I have not heard when they expect to break ground. Maybe they will be able to start next summer.

DT  



     

[Bob_Huntley]

I find it hard to believe that anyone would carp at Kingsbarns. I find it to be a wonderful layout and a fine test of ones game. Anyone that cannot discern the beauty of that part of the coast is jaded in the extreme.

Count me in as a booster of Kingsbarns.

[Robert Thompson]

Bob -- I'm with you. Count me as one of Kingsbarns' fans. Sure it was manufactured, but what a manufacturing job! A great, fun place to play golf and a magnificant setting. If Mark can do something even close in Inverness, it should be a home run.

Robert

[Sean Walsh]

I played the balcomie course at Crail last year but unfortunately did not have time to double up with Craighead.  

One thing I do know is that the two Crail members thought the new course as good or better than the old.  This is high enough praise for me to think Mr Hanse has some idea what he is doing.  

Not a bad idea the Hotel at the Nairn course.  I hope they also encourage people to go the extra 15miles (or so) to Brora.  

I wasn't such a fan of Nairn but this group plus Tain or Golspie would hold one's interest for at least a week.

By the way place me firmly in the Pro Kingsbarns camp.  Now only if I could scrape together the coin to actually play it again  

[Philip Gawith]

david - just so i understand you correctly: is the envisaged site between inverness airport and the town (in other words east of the town, west of the airport?). if so, i agree that it certainly is not natural links-land.

[Brian_Ewen]

I thought we were talking of the land that used to house McDermotts Oil Platfrom construction yard ? .

But thats east of the airport nearer Nairn .

Brian

[David_Tepper]

philip-

Yes, you understood me correctly. I distinctly remember driving by Castle Stuart when leaving the Inverness Airport heading west to Inverness. Sitting here looking at my Michelin Touring Atlas of GB&I map confirms that location.

By the way, have you ever played Fortrose & Rosemarkie, on the north side of the Moray Firth across from Fort George? What a VERY fun golf course!

DT  

[ForkaB]

I've heard (from an archie who has seen the land) that it is a very good site.  Probably won't need all the earthmoving that they did at Kingsbarns, but maybe Parsinen has D9 fever after creating links out of farmland at Kingbarns, all by himself!

PS--turned down a chance to play KB this morning, and am I glad!  It's pissing down with rain in sunny Fife today......

[Robert Thompson]

David: Apparently Mark has renovated a cottage on the property and will do what he did at Kingsbarns -- manage the construction of the course. I've spoken with Mark at length on a couple of occasions and find him to be a very focused individual who knows exactly what he wants out of his golf course.
Given that, I'd be surprised if he isn't successful with this site, which incidently, he says is much better than Kingsbarns.

Robert

[David_Tepper]

Robert-

The amount of Mr. Parsinen's investment in this project (golf course & hotel) will be sizeable. I am sure he will be keeping a VERY close eye on things.

DT  

[TEPaul]

I just spoke to Gil Hanse about some other things but I asked him how the trip to Scotland was (he just got back) and he said they're all excited that the site is as sand based as it is.