Kingsbarns Golf Links invites golfers to inaugural Belhaven Best Spring Cup
Golfers are being invited to take part in a new season-opening tournament being staged by Kingsbarns Golf Links and the Old Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa in St Andrews.
The inaugural Belhaven Best Spring Cup will get the 2012 season off to a flying start when it takes place from Thursday March 29 to Saturday March 31 2012. The event is supported by Scotland´s premium beer producer The Belhaven Brewery.
There are still places left for the 54-hole tournament which comprises two rounds on Kingsbarns, recently ranked number one in a best modern courses poll by Golfweek magazine in the US, coupled with the beautiful Duke’s Course near St Andrews, ranked in the Golf Monthly top 100. Competitors will also enjoy three nights’ luxury dining and accommodation at the five red star Old Course Hotel.
Competing in teams of four in a better ball stableford format the tournament’s first and final rounds will be at the modern links of Kingsbarns with the middle round at the heathland layout of the Duke’s.
As well as outstanding golf, the Belhaven Best Spring Cup will be as much about socialising and a wonderful culinary experience. The competitors will enjoy some of the finest cuisine that St Andrews has to offer. The lunches will be served in the welcoming clubhouses at Kingsbarns and the Duke’s. In the evenings they will have the opportunity to sample dinner in the relaxed and cosy atmosphere of the Jigger Inn, the stylish Sands Grill at the Old Course Hotel and then an awards dinner at the 3 AA Rosette Road Hole Restaurant on the top floor of the hotel overlooking the world famous Old Course.
The dining experience offering will be complemented by a wide selection of ales from the Belhaven Brewery including its unique Jigger Ale brewed especially for the Jigger Inn.
Alan Hogg, the Chief Executive of Kingsbarns Golf Links, said, “Kingsbarns is entering its 12th season this year and the Belhaven Spring Cup will be a wonderful way to celebrate this milestone. We are delighted to be working with the Old Course Hotel to offer golfers a combination of world class golfing and dining. This is an excellent way for golfers to start their season off in style here in St Andrews and I would urge them to take the opportunity to play in the first ever staging of this event.”
To reserve a place in the Belhaven Spring Cup please call +44 (0)1334 474 371 or e-mail reservations@oldcoursehotel.co.uk. The price of the package is £725 per person based on team of four with total team cost of £2900. Rates are based on two people sharing an Eden Room for twin/double occupancy.
For further information please also visit http://www.kingsbarns.com/news-a-events/2012-events.
Kingsbarns Golf Links voted No. 1 Modern Course by GolfWeek
Kingsbarns Golf Links has gotten off to a flying start in 2012 by adding another accolade to its already extensive collection by being ranked the No. 1 Modern Course (built after 1960) in Great Britain and Ireland by the prestigious American magazine GolfWeek.
The stunning links course near St Andrews in Scotland managed to hold onto its first position in the rankings. It pipped two other top Scottish courses to the post: Castle Stuart and Loch Lomond took second and third place respectively.
The rankings are compiled by a board of GolfWeek´s raters who consider numerous aspects while assessing the course. The criteria includes ease and intimacy of routing, quality of feature shaping, natural setting and overall land plan, interest of greens and surrounding contours, variety and memorability of par 3s, 4s and 5s and the conditioning.
Late last year Golf Digest Magazine in America also ranked Kingsbarns as No. 12 in their authoritative Top 50 Links in Great Britain & Ireland rankings and Golf Magazine placed Kingsbarns in 54th position in its latest biennial top 100 rankings a rise of seven places from the 2009 rankings.
Kingsbarns Chief Executive Alan Hogg said: “We could not have wished for a better start to 2012 than by achieving more recognition from the golf industry. We are delighted that three leading golf publications in the USA rate Kingsbarns so highly and agree that it is such a special place to play golf. This is a fantastic achievement when you consider how strong the competition is here in Scotland alone and it is a real boost for the golf tourism industry. We are currently very busy preparing for the 2012 golf season and look forward to giving a warm welcome to the thousands of golfers playing at Kingsbarns this year.”
The impressive results are fitting recognition for the hard work the Kingsbarns´ team put in to ensuring the course is presented in top quality condition throughout the season and of the quality of the clubhouse facilities and service.
Kingsbarns has consistently performed well in international rankings including:
GolfWeek, USA – No. 1 modern course (built after 1960) in Great Britain and Ireland
GOLF Magazine, USA – The Top 100 Courses in the World – Ranked no.54
GOLF Magazine, USA – The 50 Greatest Courses of the last 50 Years – Ranked no.11, Ranked no.1 in Europe
Golf Digest, USA – Top 100 Best Courses outside the United States – Ranked no.18
Golf Monthly, UK – UK and Ireland Top 100 Courses – Ranked no.11
Golf World, UK – Top 100 Courses You Must Play – Ranked no.5
Golf World, UK – Top 100 Courses in the World – Ranked no. 34, ranked no. 15 in Europe
For more information please go to www.kingsbarns.com.
Phenomenal success for Kingsbarns Golf Links in 2011
Kingsbarns Golf Links has started its second decade in operation with a flourish as the 2011 season has seen it reach a significant milestone, win a prestigious award and achieve an impressive rise in the golf course rankings.
Following last year’s tenth anniversary celebrations Kingsbarns has refused to rest on its laurels and has continued the momentum this year with some notable achievements.
First off, the magnificent links in the East Neuk of Fife surged past 300,000 rounds of golf played since it opened in 2000. It has continued to attract substantial numbers of golfers from traditional overseas markets such as North America but increasingly from continental Europe with Scandinavia and Spain proving particularly strong markets.
Kingsbarns cemented its place among the top links courses around the world after being ranked No. 54 in the latest biennial rankings published by Golf Magazine in America, a rise of seven places on the 2009 rankings. Golf Digest Magazine in the USA has also ranked Kingsbarns as No. 12 in their authoritative Top 50 Links in Great Britain & Ireland list.
The Scottish golf industry acknowledged Kingsbarns´ achievements at its annual awards earlier this month by voting it the Golf Course of the Year for the fourth time in its history. The Golf Tourism Scotland awards are recognised as the Home of Golf’s industry Oscars.
As well as these outstanding achievements a number of other improvements have been made this year. The new Kingsbarns website, with an online booking system which enables golfers to book tee times at the last minute, was launched in April. The system is designed to accommodate golfers who arrive in the St Andrews area without advance bookings and those who have been unable to secure tee times at other courses nearby.
In July Kingsbarns became only the second venue in Europe to join IMG Prestige, a high end reciprocal programme involving a network of premier golf courses and partners from across the globe.
Alan Hogg, who took over as Chief Executive of Kingsbarns Golf Links this season, said, “It has been an eventful year at Kingsbarns but a great deal of progress has been made in a number of areas. The improvements in the course rankings and the award from Golf Tourism Scotland are testimony to the skill, dedication and hard work of the team here. We will be working hard to keep this momentum going in the 2012 season and to ensuring we provide an outstanding experience for our golfing customers.”
As one of the host venues for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, Kingsbarns has continued to attract praise from some of the top players in the game. The 2010 US Open Champion Graeme McDowell said: “It is one of the most beautiful courses in the world for sure. Having won the US Open at Pebble Beach this is probably something that compares to that kind of view and experience. It is a great course to play and it has gone from strength to strength every year. It has really grown on me. I enjoy it more and more every time I come back.”
Kingsbarns will be closed for the winter from November 13 until the beginning of April 2012. For advanced bookings for the 2012 season please call +44(0)1334 460860 or e-mail info@kingsbarns.com.
For more information please go to www.kingsbarns.com.
Kingsbarns Golf Links Awarded Golf Course of the Year
Kingsbarns Golf Links was voted the Golf Course of the Year at last night´s Golf Tourism Scotland (GTS) Gold Standard Awards held at the Fairmont, St Andrews Resort. The Awards are recognised as the industry Oscars and celebrate the greatest achievements throughout the industry from courses to hotels and resorts, tour operators, golf secretariats, caddie masters and transport companies.
Kingsbarns was named Course of the Year for the 4 time ahead of some of the leading courses in Scotland including Balcomie Links (Crail), the Carnoustie Championship Course, Castle Stuart Golf Links, Gullane No 2, Machrihanish Dunes, the New Course, St Andrews, North Berwick West Links, Pitlochry, the Old Course St Andrews, the Torrance Course (Fairmont St Andrews), the Ailsa Course at Turnberry and Western Gailes.
The GTS Gold Standard Awards are the only Scottish golf industry honours to be nominated by, and voted for by the industry itself. GTS members cast their votes online in the various categories.
Alan Hogg, the Chief Executive of Kingsbarns Golf Links, said, “We are delighted to receive such a prestigious award from the Scottish golf industry. We have had excellent customer feedback throughout the season but it is fantastic to learn that the industry rates Kingsbarns so highly as well.”
“To win the Golf Course of the Year Award is a great tribute to the Kingsbarns´ team of staff who have been working really hard all year to deliver the course in top class condition and to provide excellent customer service. The natural beauty and outstanding quality of the golf course make Kingsbarns a special place but it is the people who add the extra dimension to the whole Kingsbarns experience,” added Alan Hogg.
Kingsbarns has consistently performed well in international rankings including:
Golfweek, USA – No. 1 modern course (built after 1960) in Great Britain and Ireland
GOLF Magazine, USA – The Top 100 Courses in the World – Ranked no.54
GOLF Magazine, USA – The 50 Greatest Courses of the last 50 Years – Ranked no.11, Ranked no.1 in Europe
Golf Digest, USA – Top 100 Best Courses outside the United States – Ranked no.18
Golf Monthly, UK – UK and Ireland Top 100 Courses – Ranked no.11
Golf World, UK – Top 100 Courses You Must Play – Ranked no.5
Golf World, UK – Top 100 Courses in the World – Ranked no. 34, ranked no. 15 in Europe
For more information please go to www.kingsbarns.com.
