- Dundonald Links opens brand-new clubhouse, hotel rooms and luxury lodges after significant investment to transform club into luxury resort.
Dundonald Links announced last night it will host the 2022 Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, while unveiling its brand-new clubhouse as part of their multi-million pound development project. The tournament was previously held at Dundonald in 2015, 2016 and 2017 with Rebecca Artis, Isabelle Boineau and Lee Mi-hyang as respective winners.
Situated on the Ayrshire coastline, Dundonald Links offers a traditional links golf experience. It sits among well-established courses Kilmarnock Barassie, Glasgow Gailes and Western Gailes.
After significant investment from new owners Darwin Escapes, Dundonald Links underwent a £25 million makeover to transform the club into one of the UK’s finest golf resorts. Its brand-new clubhouse features state of the art leisure facilities and panoramic views to the Isle of Arran. The clubhouse was built from sustainable and locally sourced natural materials. Located next to the clubhouse are 22 new contemporary hotel rooms with an exclusive outdoor terrace and easy access to clubhouse facilities.
As part of the development to turn Dundonald Links into a premium resort, there are a further 18 luxury lodges designed and built with golfers in mind to include golf bag storage, drying areas, fully equipped kitchens, and all-purpose putting greens situated among the lodges. Moreover, £1 million was spent fine-tuning the par 72 course with Kyle Phillips help.
Thai-based technology company, Trust Golf took over as title sponsor of the Women’s Scottish Open in 2021. Their founder Dr. Prin Singhanart commented: “As we continue our partnership with the LPGA, Ladies European Tour, VisitScotland and IMG, I am delighted that the Tournament will be played at Dundonald Links – it’s a world class venue, which clearly shares our collective vision and passion for the game of golf. Our partnership is all about creating more opportunities for women’s golf and we believe Dundonald Links will help take this event to the next level. We are very excited to grow our presence in Scotland, and after a fantastic first year as title sponsor, we look forward to another amazing event at Dundonald Links next year.”
The Scottish Government and VisitScotland have long supported women’s golf, and last year announced a five-year commitment to the Women’s Scottish Open with investment of up to £6m through to 2025.
Paul Bush OBE, Director of Events with VisitScotland, said: “Dundonald Links already has a great reputation as a championship venue, and having previously hosted the Women’s Scottish Open, I’m delighted the event is returning to North Ayrshire, with Trust Golf as title partner. The investment from Darwin Escapes, with a new accommodation offering and an outstanding Clubhouse, not only adds world-class event facilities, but further enhances the tourism offering in the region and will hopefully encourage golfers and visitors to explore the great Ayrshire coastline in 2022 when Scotland plays host to arguably its greatest ever year of golf.”
Ian Ferguson, club manager at Dundonald links commented: “We are thrilled to be hosting the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open next year, and to be partnering with Trust Golf, VisitScotland, the LPGA, LET and IMG to deliver this prestigious event. Since the event was last here in 2017, the course has undergone vast improvements and we can’t wait to showcase these to golf fans around the world. With all the improvements made to the course, we believe it will be the perfect place to showcase the top women golfers and give them a true links test.”
Ross Hallett, SVP, Golf Events at IMG added: “We are delighted to be able to return to Dundonald Links in 2022. It’s a fantastic venue, and the investment in the golf course, clubhouse and accommodation positions the Club as one of the premier venues in the UK. The team at Dundonald Links has created something very special and share our vision to deliver a world class tournament for the best players in the world.”
Lindsey Esse, Managing Director of Darwin escapes said: “When we acquired Dundonald Links in 2019, we knew it had great potential to become one of the UK’s finest golf resorts and it is amazing to see our plans come to fruition. With the brand-new clubhouse and luxury accommodation, we believe it will be the perfect host to the world’s best women golfers.”
