Golf hotel set for £12m makeover

William Lyons, The Scotsman, 1 February 2005

One of the world’s most famous hotels is set for an ambitious £12 million investment programme that aims to transform it into Scotland’s premier golf destination.

Over the next two years, the Old Course Hotel and the Duke’s Course at St Andrews will undergo a massive refurbishment which hotel manager Jonathan Stapleton says will make it "one of the great resort hotels in the world".

Plans include the construction of what will be Scotland’s most sophisticated spa, a modernisation of the hotel’s interior by internationally renowned designer Jacques Garcia and a significant upgrading of the Duke’s course.

The last four holes of the course, designed by five-times Open Champion, the Australian Peter Thomson, will be redesigned and replaced.

The Duke’s Course was opened in July 1995 by Prince Andrew, who played an inaugural round with present club captain Gavin Hastings. It was seen at the time as a key addition to St Andrews’ range of courses.

But despite hosting such events as the Scottish Amateur Championship there has been criticism of the layout, particularly the final hole which many golfers say is not up to international standard.

Mr Stapleton says the investment will help the Duke’s Course to be recognised as one of the UK’s very best parkland courses.

He said: "We want our facilities to match anything anywhere in the world. Being in the home of golf it deserves one of the best courses."

The investment follows last year’s acquisition of the hotel and Duke’s Course by American multimillionaire Herb Kohler.

Mr Kohler, a frequent visitor to the Old Course Hotel for many years, made his money in plumbing. His company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of kitchen and bathroom products and among the largest privately owned companies in the United States.

In October he bought the hotel for an estimated £35 million after describing it as "the perfect fit" for his growing portfolio of golf resorts.

At the time Mr Kohler said: "I love this place, and when the opportunity came along I jumped at it. I’ve been a great fan of the Old Course Hotel."

As well as the Old Course Hotel, the firm has two hotels and spas, ten restaurants and four championship golf courses, including Whistling Straits which recently hosted the USPGA championship.

Part of Mr Kohler’s strategy is to attract a significant number of non-golfing tourists to the hotel. He plans to do this by building what will be Scotland’s most modern spa.

By next year a new thermal suite and a spa garden overlooking the 17th hole of the Old Course will have been completed which will offer a range of heat treatments.

Future plans also include the expansion of the fourth floor of the hotel to include an additional restaurant and jazz club, as well as the refurbishment of the Craigtoun Mansion on the Duke’s course which could follow the model at Gleneagles and offer "seasonal ownership".

Mr Stapleton said: "For me St Andrews should be more than just the home of golf. The spa will become a destination spa in its own right. We will also develop Craigtoun. We are not sure whether that will be in 2006 or 2007 at this stage.

"At the moment we are investigating options to turn the house into timeshare accommodation/fractional share or some kind of other ownership programme."

A spokesman for VisitScotland said: "These changes are sure to make what is an excellent hotel and golf course even better. Improving quality in this way can only add to the overall visitor experience, and in a strategic sense, demonstrate the widespread desire to improve Scotland’s award-winning golf product, as well as the overall tourism offering."