Golf T
he £50 million Fairmont St Andrews resort opened in June 2001. Originally known as the St Andrews Bay Golf Resort & Spa, a change in ownership in 2006 saw the resort
renamed and rebranded. In 2012, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators (IAGTO) awarded European Golf Resort of the Year to the Fairmont whilst, just last year, it received the Best Large Hotel of the Year in the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards. Occupying a stunning 520 acre site on
Scotland’s golf rich coast, the imposing 209 room hotel services guests coming to sample two championship courses; the Torrance and Kittocks, as well as the numerous other world class courses in the area. The Torrance Course is a Par 72, 7,230, originally designed by golfer Gene Sarazen,
former European Ryder Cup Captain Sam Torrance and American architect Denis Griffiths. In 2009, the course was redesigned by architect Gary Stephenson to include eight new holes, in preparation for the 2009 Scottish Seniors Open, and was also the Final Qualifying Venue for the 2010 Open Golf Championship. That same year, the World Deaf Golf Championships and the Scottish Seniors Open were held on the Torrance. The course features classic Scottish revetted bunkering throughout and is of a Scottish style Links design. The Kittocks Course is 7,192 yards long and is a Par 72. Its original architects were Gene Sarazen, Bruce Devlin and Denis Griffiths, and was formerly known as the Devlin Course. The name Kittocks is taken from the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) area of land on and around the course.
The environment is a high priority for
Course Superintendent Neil Ballingall. “As we are bordered by an SSSI, we are constantly monitored so, if any activity we do on the golf course affects that area, we are liable to fines. We have environmental policies for our inputs to the golf courses and also for our roughlands that allows wildlife to flourish, but also enables us to provide the best playing surfaces.” “We have areas designated for wildflower
planting and are part of Syngenta’s Operation Pollinator. We also have numerous owl boxes around the property.” “We work closely with Scottish Natural
Heritage, Scottish Golf Environmental Group, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Wildlife Trust. One of my greenstaff, Neil Blanco, is very enthusiastic about all things to do with nature and is my appointed
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