Leading golf construction company, 360 Golf has started work on the world’s first purpose-built ‘PowerPlay Golf’ course, which will be a main feature of the new £16m Playgolf East Kilbride centre in Scotland.
The 100-acre site – a joint venture between property developers Kilmartin and golf operators Playgolf (Holdings) Plc – will be home to a 9-hole Peter McEvoy-designed course featuring replicas of famous British Open links golf holes.
360 Golf has started earthworks at the Kingsgate West location, stripping topsoil and preparing for a major ‘cut and fill’ operation which will begin to create the course’s contours.
Mel Thomas, of 360 Golf, said, “Playgolf East Kilbride is a groundbreaking development in every respect and we are delighted to be part of this innovative project. The site is on a hill, so we have to cut out to a depth of 4 metres in places to create a terracing effect. We expected the stripping and cut and fill operation to take around 10 weeks and work is progressing well.”
The new course forms an integral part of Playgolf Holdings Plc’s mammoth new public sports complex in East Kilbride. Each of the new course’s nine holes will be a replica of some of the UK’s finest and most famous links holes.
The course is also the first in the world to be designed and built specifically to accommodate PowerPlay Golf. Billed as golf’s answer to Twenty20 cricket, the new format is a simple, shortened, yet highly competitive and strategic version of the game. Played over 9 holes, each green houses two flags, one white in a relatively ‘easy’ position and one black skull ‘n’ crossbones or ‘PowerPlay’ flag in a much trickier position on the putting surface.
David Piggins, CEO of Playgolf, said, “Playgolf East Kilbride will be a landmark golf, sports and leisure facility – and it’s fitting that Scotland, the home of golf, will be the first country in the world to have a true, purpose-built 21st century golf complex.”
Playgolf East Kilbride, at Kingsgate West, Stewartfield Way, East Kilbride, will feature the golf course, 60-bay driving range, 250,000 sq ft indoor sports area, retailing centre, restaurant and conference facilities, 10 outdoor 5-a-side football pitches and automated baseball and softball cages.
360 Golf www.360golf.co.uk