Monifieth Golf Links in Angus, Scotland, has appointed design firm Clayton, DeVries & Pont to advise on renovation work for its Medal and Ashludie courses.
The club’s first nine holes were designed in 1845 by Allan Robertson and Alexander Pirie on land leased from the Earl of Panmure. It was extended to 18 holes in 1880, and is now played as the Medal course. Nine holes of the Ashludie layout were built in 1912, with a further nine completed in 1930.
Frank Pont will lead the project for CDP, assisted by Mike Clayton and Sam Cooper.
“The start to the round [on the Medal course] is especially good and we think a few changes just before and around the turn can make it even better, putting it high up on the list of east coast courses to play,” said Clayton. “More importantly, it should be an even better course for the members.
“Nor should the Ashludie course be under appreciated. It’s short and fun, and too much of today’s golf is too long for many. When I visited recently, I saw several groups of shorter hitters having great fun on what is a course ideally suited to their games.”
Sam Cooper, an associate at CDP, said: “Over the last couple of years, I have had the good fortune to play almost all of Scotland’s links courses. From the grand dunes of Cruden Bay to the subtle rolling ground of Southerness, they come in many forms. Monifieth fits right into the classic style – firm and choppy land where your ball skips along, making you think and not simply reach for your driver.
“The club’s links committee has a clear ambition to bring back some of the strategy that has been lost on both courses. Frank, Mike and I are very excited to begin work and help both courses to reach their full potential.”
Jamie Watt, course convenor at Monifieth, said: “We are absolutely delighted to commence this partnership with CDP as we plan for the future of our two courses. Throughout our discussions to date, the firm’s ethos, imagination and enthusiasm for what we are trying to achieve was clear. CDP’s passion for what we already have here at Monifieth and how we can improve it made this an easy choice. We can’t want to get started.”