Golf drives up value of green homes

Proximity to a noted golf course can double house prices and attract buyers worldwide, says Kirsty McLuckie.

Describing a home as a golf property conjures up the sort of manicured gated communities created round a course in places like Miami or Portugal.

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Both course and property are created together to attract the addict for whom a weekly game of golf isn’t enough, they want to live it.

In Scotland there are few purpose-built golf resorts but there is still plenty of choice for those for whom golf is less a pastime and more a way of life.

High premiums are paid for proximity to a top golf course as potential buyers are drawn not just from Scotland but across the world.

Second home owners, wealthy retirees and investors in holiday lets all fuel the high values of properties in these spots.

Locations such as Gullane with three world-class championship links courses, including Muirfield, generate premiums of more than 60 per cent above the average for East Lothian.

Meanwhile North Berwick, with its West Links course – coupled with benefits such as excellent schools and a sought-after seaside lifestyle – commands prices 92 per cent above the East Lothian average.

Gleneagles in Perthshire is another golfing hotspot. The course was the host of the 2014 Ryder Cup.Courses such as Royal Troon also fuel house prices which are substantially higher than neighbouring towns in Ayrshire.

Picture: Links House, Simpson & Marwick

Simpson & Marwick has launched a property on to the market in Ware Road in North Berwick which has a long association with the game.

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Close to the famous North Berwick West Links, Links House was built and lived in by Ben Sayers, the golf club maker. His father was an early champion who competed with Tom Morris, the pioneer of the professional game,Sayers custom-made a Benny putter for Jack Nicklaus at his shop in North Berwick in 1959 which Nicklaus used to win both of his US amateur titles.

Picture: Links House, Simpson & Marwick

The seller of Links House is the family of the late Hugh Dodd, a well-known golf artist and cartoonist, so the connections to the game have continued and the house has its own putting green in the garden.

Picture: Links House has a putting green in the garden, Simpson & Marwick

Home to the Royal & Ancient, St Andrews in Fife is famed the world over for being the home of golf and properties around the course command headline-grabbing prices when they come on to the market.

Picture: Hamilton Grand, Savills

Dating back to 1754, the Old Course is Scotland’s oldest and most iconic golf course. It’s also the only top-class course in the country where private homes are situated on the edge of the green.

The demand for these properties is strong, particularly among high net worth golf-lovers from Europe, North America and Asia and, not surprisingly, they carry a hefty premium.

Picture: Hamilton Grand, Savills

Currently available is a selection of apartments at Hamilton Grand, overlooking the 18th green. Boasting impressive architecture and craftsmanship, the apartments range in price from £1.3 million to over £7m.

Picture: Pinewood House, Savills

For those who prefer a quieter spot to enjoy their sport, Pinewood House, situated on the edge of Cardrona village just outside Peebles in the Scottish Borders, enjoys spectacular open views over the Macdonald Cardrona Golf Course and the River Tweed.