LATEST
NEWS

New Dumbarnie Links course on Scottish coast gets green light
Sean Dudley
/ Categories: News

New Dumbarnie Links course on Scottish coast gets green light

A new golf course is set to be built at Dumbarnie Links near Lower Largo, Scotland, after plans were approved by Fife Council.

The course’s original design was drawn up by architect Clive Clark. These plans have been altered subtly to help mitigate environmental concerns that have been raised, with protection for neighbouring sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) a key priority. With Fife Council has approving the development plans however, work is set to get underway very soon.

GCA spoke to Paul Kimber, a principal at Kimber & Glen Golf Course Architects who has worked with Clark on the project since 2013, to find out more.

“Clive Clark is the instigator behind the project – it’s his original design,” said Kimber. “Clive did most of the original layout work. It’s been tweaked since, which I’ve had an input on.”

Kimber says the layout includes a lot of variety, with a number of shorter holes set to be created.

“This means no matter where the wind is blowing from, there should be opportunities to score reasonably well,” he explained. “There’s a chance to do this at the third hole, which plays downhill towards the coast, as well as on the eleventh and seventeenth holes, which are quite interesting and quirky.”

The short par three eighth will have a stunning backdrop, according to Kimber.

“You can’t buy your backdrop, so it’s really making the most of what we have,” he said. “The area around the fourth and ninth holes could also end up being quite interesting, and is likely to be one of many stimulating areas of the course, which I’m sure golfers will enjoy.”

While those involved in the course’s development will ensure the neighbouring SSSI areas are protected, Kimber believes golfers will have the chance to get up close and personal with the site’s sandy features.

“Nearly all the site is sand-based, so it’s perfect for links golf,” he said. “We’ve got one existing main dune ridge, and the idea is to take that look and recreate it inland. We’ve got four holes that sit on the raised beach, with views across towards Muirfield and Gullane and the golf coast on the other side of the Firth of Forth. It’s also quite protected in terms of its location, so you’re not exposed to the rawest east winds when they blow.”

The prospect of a course at Dumbarnie Links has been discussed for a number of years, but the introduction of new investors has really got the ball rolling. As such, and following Fife Council’s approval of the plans, work could get underway as quickly as next month.

“We are hoping to start early in May 2018, and the ambition is to get it all seeded this year,” said Kimber. “We know that’s tight, but that’s the ambition. That’s with a view to opening potentially at the end of 2019, possibly just for investors and selected guests at that stage, with a full opening in spring 2020.”

Previous Article Course renovation project reaches completion at Verde River
Next Article Greens renovation to begin this June at PGA National’s Champion course
Print
14171 Rate this article:
No rating
Sean Dudley

Sean DudleySean Dudley

Other posts by Sean Dudley
Contact author

Contact author

x
The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
Magazine, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

The April 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!

Includes reports from Maggie Hathaway and Apogee, interviews with Martin Ebert and Dave Axland and a feature on golf art

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
Magazine, News | Fri 14 Mar, 2025

Spring 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now

New issue asks whether the golf boom has led to an increase in municipal golf investment

FEATURE
ARTICLES

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act
Toby Ingleton
On site | Toby Ingleton

South course at Apogee Club: New scenery for second act

Toby Ingleton reports on a design debut for the partnership of Mike Davis and Tom Fazio II, in the new course hotspot of south Florida

The art of golf
theberkshire.co.uk, The R&A World Golf Museum and National Galleries of Scotland
Feature | Adam Lawrence

The art of golf

Adam Lawrence profiles some of the best illustrators of golf courses in the game’s history – both full-time artists and architects who draw or paint

A masterplan of masters’ plans
Cohasse CC
Report | Mark Wagner

A masterplan of masters’ plans

Mark Wagner writes about the Tim Lewis-led renovation of Cohasse, a course that includes the work of Donald Ross and the sons of Frederick Law Olmsted

Quail Hollow: An interview with Tom Fazio
PGA of America/ Gary W. Kellner
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Quail Hollow: An interview with Tom Fazio

The architect talks about how this year’s PGA Championship venue has evolved over the past 30 years

Bringing golf to Benin
Afrikafun Production Stephane Brabant
Report | Richard Humphreys

Bringing golf to Benin

Jeremy Pern and Gregori International are creating the first 18-hole course in the West African country, on an ‘almost perfect’ site that also includes a sacred grove and voodoo shrines

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt
Lukas Michel/CDP
Opinion | Mike Clayton

The future of vegetation management on Melbourne’s Sandbelt

Mike Clayton discusses Alister MacKenzie’s transformative impact on Australian golf and how clubs can avoid repeating previous mistakes by establishing a long-term plan focused on indigenous plants

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good
Stephen Barton – Second Collective
On site | Adam Lawrence

Maggie Hathaway: A force for good

The reconstruction of the nine-hole course in Los Angeles is the golf industry at its best, says Adam Lawrence

Designs for the big screen
Pizá Golf
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Designs for the big screen

Chad Goetz and Agustin Piza discuss their design decisions for the virtual holes that featured in the first season of TGL

The ties that bind
Crooked Stick
Opinion | Justin Olmstead

The ties that bind

Justin Olmstead of Profile Products talks about the relationships behind the renovation of Crooked Stick in Indiana

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz
Konrad Borkowski
Interview | Adam Lawrence

Bob Harrison: Wizard of Oz

The Australian designer has had a long career and, like many of his countrymen, has spent much of it away from home. Adam Lawrence listened to his tales from the road

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build
Kinsale Golf Club
Interview | Richard Humphreys

Jim Wagner and Rusty Mercer discuss Kinsale design and build

Florida course is a tribute to the Golden Age designs of Raynor and Macdonald

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025
Gopher Watch, News | Wed 16 Apr, 2025

Gopher Watch Competition – April 2025

Which course has Sandy the gopher visited this month?

MOST
POPULAR

FEATURED
BUSINESSES