Dumbarnie Links closes until June in shock move over greens

Dumbarnie Links, which had earned widespread acclaim since opening just under two years ago, has been closed until the beginning of June due to growth issues with the greens.

The shock move, which comes on the back of negative comments from people playing the course this year, was confirmed by David Scott, general manager at the Fife venue.

“Since opening in mid-March we have experienced unseasonably cold weather and with winds coming straight off the North Sea, this has put the young fescue grasses on our greens under extreme pressure,” said Scott.

“The warmer forecasts over the last couple of weeks have not materialised and so resulted in no growth, hence the poor and unacceptable surfaces we presently have.

“As we have been open for under two years, we do not have the luxury of having many years of growth behind us to counter the poor weather conditions.

“After tireless discussions and considerations, it has been decided to close our course until the end of May to allow the greens to fully recover and be ready for the summer months.

“This was a very difficult decision for us to make and one that was not taken lightly. We understand it will cause disappointment to guests who have booked with us or are considering joining us and all we can offer is our sincerest apologies.”

Dumbarnie Links was designed by Ryder Cup player Clive Clark and opened on 29 May 2020 - the day that Scottish courses came out of the initial Covid lockdown

Dumbarnie Links, designed by Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, has received widespread acclaim since it opened just under two years ago

Due to travel restrictions, it was played mostly by Scottish golfers in the first few months and, through word of mouth, it quickly became a bucket-list course.

The course was also given a thumbs up when it hosted the Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open last year, when the field included former world No 1 Lydia Ko.

In the 2021 World Golf Awards, Dumbarnie Links won ‘Best New Golf Course’ while it was also named ‘Golf Development of the Year’ by Golf Inc.

More recently, it landed the top prize at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards by being named Scotland’s ‘Best Golf Experience’.

In addition, it also came out on top in the ‘Best Golf Course’ category for green fees of £151 and over.