Work Underway on New Course at St. Andrews


Construction has begun on a new private course near the "Home of Golf." St. Andrews International Golf Club, a Tom Weiskopf design, is being built on a hillside in Feddinch, above the famed town.

The course is being developed by Scotia Investments, a Scottish firm, and will be high-end private club, with memberships to start in excess of £50,000 ($78,000).

The project took a long time to come to fruition and involved a decade-long battle to receive final approval from local authorities. Permission for the course itself was granted by Fife Council several years ago, but the plans for the clubhouse were later amended to include a spa facility. That addition required a new planning application, which was submitted in 2011.

The developer claimed that the Fife Council was dragging its feet on final approval and filed an appeal. Reporter Douglas Hope heard the appeal, and issued a decision in February that denied the spa but granted approval for the massive clubhouse, which will contain 41 suites for overnight stays as well as bar and food-service spaces, locker rooms and other member areas.

Work on the clubhouse can't start until all engineering work on the course - including bulk earthworks, fairway, green- and tee-shaping is complete, which could be completed by this summer.

Construction on the course - to be named "The Feddinch" - is being handled by Ireland's Sol Golf Construction, which also did work at Lough Erne, Lahinch, Tralee, Ballybunion, Royal Portrush, Muirfield, Portmarnock, Royal Birkdale and Trump International.

If all goes well with construction, the new course will debut in spring of 2015.

For more information about the course, visit http://www.standrewsigc.com.