Kingsbarns Golf Links will “easily” handle 10,000 fans a day when it becomes the first new major championship venue in Scotland for 40 years this summer.
The acclaimed course to the south of St Andrews, just 17 years old, will be the venue for the RICOH Women’s British Open in August, the first new course to stage a major in Scotland since Turnberry made its historic and spectacular debut in the Open in 1977.
And while it’s a considerable step up from the course’s annual slot as a venue for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, chief executive Alan Hogg is confident that with detailed logistical planning that will include a partial rerouting of the course.
“We’re humbled, privileged, all of those words,” he said. “The course is only 17 years old and it’s still a young facility.
“We’ve had the Dunhill 16 times already, and the popularity (of the course) is already there. But to get a championship of this stature will show how we can cope with even larger events.”
IMG, the management group who organise the Dunhill, also run the Women’s Open and will be putting past experience to work, he added.
“IMG are so good at this and with the Dunhill they have experience,” continued Alan. “We work closely with the councils and while there’s only one road into and out of Kingsbarns village there’s been a plan in place for a year and a half.
“We own a lot of the land around the course because Art Dunkley the owner has been very shrewd in preparing for events like this. I think we can get up to 10,000 spectators a day and we can take care of everything relatively easily.”
The course as well will be changed, not just with getting away from the Dunhill’s pro-am format will allow it to be more of a challenge – the championship’s first hole at Kingsbarns will be the course’s second hole, a par three.
“The course was built with a stadium feel to be great with spectators but the issue we had is that the hospitality that goes with a major might have been difficult,” he explained.
“So to have that spectator/hospitality facility that’s needed at the 18th we’ve chosen what is now our first hole to be the closing hole, because it has that view down the coastline as well as being easier to service.
“We’ll start on the par three, that reminds you a wee bit of Royal Lytham and there’s not many championships start with a par three so it’ll be really interesting.”
Don’t expect the kind of Kingsbarns in August that has nearly surrendered a 59 in the Dunhill, although the team aren’t scared of low scoring on their course.
“We’ve never claimed to be a “championship course” or the hardest, from day one it’s been about enjoyment,” continued Alan. “We’re fortunate the tours like to come here and play top events, but it’s always a pre-requisite with us that the course the public play is the same for tournaments.
“I’ve done six Dunhills here and the weather has been perfect , the boys are really good, so links courses with no wind, no defence, lovely greens set up for a pro-am and you have Branden Grace and Peter Uihlein going for 59s.
“We were the first to be cheering them on because if you are to go low, why not a 59? But this time we do have scope to show the course has a bit more teeth by stretching holes or trickier pin positions than we would do in the Dunhill.”
The course will play to about 6700 yards in August, well short of the maximum 7400 it can be stretched to but longer than the 6200-odd in play at the Women’s Open Woburn last year.
Tournament director Ross Hallett said that temporary facilities will be built for players at the main driving range.
“There are similarities with the Dunhill, but it’s a much, much bigger build in terms of infrastructure, especially for spectators,” he said. “It’s hard to say how many spectators we will get as we are very much weather dependent unlike the Open Championship. I’d like to think we can get between 40-50,000.”
A one-way system through the village and three new access roads into the course would ensure that the venue copes with the expected crowds comfortably, he added.
