Ground has been broken at Dundonald Links Golf Course, as work begins on a new clubhouse and lodge accommodation at the Ayrshire venue.
Set alongside the championship Kyle Phillips-designed course, the new clubhouse will be created from natural materials and is being designed to blend in with the rugged Scottish landscape. The new two-storey building will be finished with local Whinstone, with a sloping dune grass roof, designed by NBDA Architects to be sympathetic to the surroundings and the environment.
When finished, the new building will offer panoramic views from its first-floor balconies all the way to the Isle of Arran, while planting around the clubhouse will include an array of pollen and nectar-bearing plants that will contribute to the Irvine to Girvan Nectar Network, a project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
Around £1m of improvements will also be made to the golf course, host of the 2017 Scottish Open, in order to enhance the playing experience, which will be led by Kyle Phillips and his team.
The new clubhouse is part of a £25m luxury golf lodge development, delivered over two phases. Phase one will see 18 six-, four- and two-bedroom lodges developed, with three private practice putting greens on their doorstep. In addition, there will be 22 private rooms situated beside the clubhouse for ease of access to the restaurant and clubhouse facilities. Phase two will see further expansion of the lodge accommodation, with permission to build a further 79 lodges.
Ashley Pheasant, Head of Golf at Darwin Escapes, which owns Dundonald Links, said: “To see ground broken on the new clubhouse is very exciting, and is just the start of a major investment plan at Dundonald Links. The clubhouse is only one of a number of developments we have planned, in order to deliver a first-class experience for our golfers and guests.”
With construction work now underway, Dundonald Links will re-open to golfers from May 2021, with clubhouse and accommodation expected to be completed in the early autumn next year.