Get set for a few changes this year at Dundonald Links
Heading up to Dundonald Links this summer? Haven’t been in a while? You might notice things are just a little bit different.
The Ayrshire course is winding its way through the type of transformation a truly championship golf facility deserves – a £25 million development: comprising of a new clubhouse and 18 luxury lodges.
Architect Kyle Phillips has returned to look at the golf course with fresh eyes and the aim of owners Darwin Escapes is to mould Dundonald Links into a luxury resort to rival the very best in the game.
Of course, it has already been a playground for the world’s best golfers as a former host of both the men’s and women’s Scottish Opens.
But as it unveils its new look over the coming weeks and months – the lodges come on stream in mid-July and August and the clubhouse, along with 22 additional rooms, is set to open its doors for the first time at the end of October – there’s palpable excitement about what is to come.
We discussed the massive project and what it’s going to mean for golfers, going from the putting greens personally designed by Phillips outside the lodges to the new whiskey room, with Dundonald Links general manager Ian Ferguson in the latest episode of NCG’s From the Clubhouse podcast.
The NCG Top 100s podcast with Dundonald Links general manager Ian Ferguson
In our podcast, Ferguson talks in detail about the huge development at Dundonald Links, what architect Kyle Phillips has been doing with the golf course over the winter, and the resort’s exciting future plans.
Listen to the full episode below, or search ‘The NCG Podcast’ in your preferred podcast platform.
- RELATED: The £25 million makeover that’s transforming Dundonald into one of the UK’s finest resorts
- RELATED: Where does Dundonald rank in our list of Scotland’s Top 100 courses?
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Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
