Mike Aitken: Renaissance on course to meet iconic ambition

ALREADY considered alongside Kingsbarns and the Castle, both near St Andrews, as one of Scotland's most compelling new courses, the Renaissance club at Archerfield in East Lothian is pursuing a further upgrade which it hopes will elevate Tom Doak's design into a lay-out to compare with iconic seaside venues such as Pebble Beach and Turnberry.

On linksland purchased from Muirfield, the Renaissance aims to create three additional holes, two par 4s and a par 3, in a triangular peninsula which juts out in to the Forth. A planning application for these spectacular holes has already been filed with East Lothian council and the club are hopeful of getting the green light for the project.

According to Jerry Sarvadi, one of the owners of the Renaissance, the introduction of new holes with the 'wow' factor will not only play a big part in turning the course into the kind of venue which can stage a prestigious professional tournament but also promote golf tourism in East Lothian.

Standing on a parcel of attractive land between Muirfield and Archerfield, the Renaissance is already set to become a quality addition to Scotland's golfing resources. Introducing three linksland holes, in Sarvadi's opinion, will push the concept on to a new level.

"Maybe I'm biased, but I honestly believe these three holes are so significant for the entire East Lothian coastline," he remarked after a game at the Renaissance. "What these holes will do for the golf course is going to be great, not just for us, but the whole environment. I know we're a private members' club, but the members and guests come from all over the world. We'll get them to stay here and spend money in East Lothian.

"We were talking about the 13th at the Glen in North Berwick, which is such a dramatic par 3. Our new 12th hole will have that same sense of drama. The overall feel will be something like the 18th at Pebble Beach or the holes around the turn at Turnberry. The 'wow' factor is going to be something special.

"Where we are at the moment is we've registered for planning permission with East Lothian Council and they're going to get back to us in August, unless they request an extension, which is something they normally do. Tom Doak has seen the land and routed the holes. All we're waiting to discover is what's under the brush and the buckthorn."

While his family live near Ponte Vedra, the home of the Players Championship, in Florida, Sarvadi now spends half the year in East Lothian nurturing the growth of the Renaissance, which was built on land owned by the Duke of Hamilton. With a membership bond costing 60,000 as from 1 July, there have been whispers in a global recession the club could struggle.

Since Jerry, who once owned the largest fuel aviation business in America, and his brother Paul, who runs a human resources company, are not exactly short of funds, the Sarvadis were able to finance the Renaissance without borrowings.

"We are very secure financially," explained Jerry. "The location of the property, and the fact we knew the course was already there on a piece of land created for golf, meant that we were able, by comparison, to build it for significantly less money than might otherwise have been the case anywhere else in the world. It was still a lot of money, but these things are relative and established how we got into this.

"We didn't pay for the land, which was acquired on a 99 year lease. That meant we don't have any borrowings, other than a few hire purchase agreements for equipment totalling less than 400,000. Compared to the 12 million we've already spent, that's insignificant. Borrowings are a big factor when banks have hard times. But we don't have a bank calling us on the phone. It's a very good place to be.

"What's fair to say is that our time scale (for attracting 600 members] has extended because of the downturn. We have been operational for almost 14 months and let me say my initial budget included three years of operating losses. Now we're having those losses, but it's not something we didn't plan for, because we were expecting them anyway."

Although the course is still evolving, the level of presentation is already exceptional. A recent independent agronomy report concluded: "Collectively, the greens, surrounds and fairways are some of the best links playing surfaces ever seen." Sarvadi, understandably, is full of praise for the part played by Doak in fashioning such a sympathetic lay-out.

Having once spent nearly a year in Scotland, playing the great links and decoding the intricacies of the Old Course, Doak enjoys a reputation in course design as a minimalist. Even without the proposed addition of three linksland holes, the back nine of the Renaissance more closely echoes the nuances of its neighbours in East Lothian than might have been expected from a project financed and conceived on the other side of the Atlantic.

An admirer of both Muirfield and North Berwick, Doak's enthusiasm for the latter is reflected in the stone walls which adorn a number of holes at the Renaissance. While the front nine, tree-lined with echoes of Sunningdale, has a different flavour, Doak still sees the hybrid as possessing the same virtues and characteristics as a links.

Measuring more than 7,400 yards off the championship tees with devilishly subtle, sloping greens, the Renaissance will test the professionals one day.

"Having a tournament here has always been in the plans," added Sarvadi. "The way the course has been set up, it can handle that. And it's something which may happen sooner rather than later. There are things going on which I can't really talk about yet. One of my younger brothers, Paul, founded a company, Administaff, which is the sponsor of a US Champions Tour event in Houston. We know the guys at the PGA Tour, they've been here and know about our project."

Since George O'Grady, the chief executive of the European Tour, has also visited the Renaissance, it will be intriguing to see exactly what the future holds for a course with the potential to become such an outstanding matchplay venue.