Press Pack for the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Dundonald Links announcement “The facilities are already very good at Dundonald, and after the upgrade they’ll be amongst the best around. I know the course very well as I often practice there, and I’ll definitely be playing even more in the build-up to next year, so that I know the course like the back of my hand and can maybe sneak an advantage. It’s got a great variety of holes, so it should be a very good test.” Marc Warren “Having visited Dundonald Links several times over the past few years, I’m delighted the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open will be played there. Although still a relatively new course, it has the feel of a classic Ayrshire links test. With a combination of strong par fours, tricky par threes and reachable par fives, the course will definitely produce a worthy champion and it will also provide a great warm-up for The Open at Birkdale the following week.” Paul Lawrie “It’s great news that the Scottish Open will be going to Dundonald Links, I’m a big fan of moving the tournament around the country and giving the Scottish people a chance to see some top level golf. The course has been in great condition whenever I’ve played and I’m sure the changes will improve the course and the facilities, so I’m looking forward to seeing them for myself.” Stephen Gallacher “Dundonald Links is another very good course to add to the rota of Scottish Open venues, as it’s a very testing layout set in a great area. The club’s development plans should really add to the event, so it’s all set up to be a great week. Loch Lomond was a great host venue for many years, and I’m sure Dundonald Links will be just as good.” Richie Ramsay “I really enjoyed playing Dundonald Links in last year’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open. The course can be set up to provide a good mixture of longer and shorter holes. I think I hit every club in the bag over the four days, which is always the sign of a good test.” Catriona Matthew “We’re all excited about what lies ahead. Dundonald Links is a blank canvas, and we’ll continue to develop the club in the coming years. There’s a lot of confidence behind the project, and we have an opportunity to create something special.” Bill Donald, General Manager, Dundonald & Loch Lomond “Dundonald Links is a venue we know well through our sponsorship of the Ladies Scottish Open, and with the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open maintaining its regular fixture on the European Tour International Schedule, the week before The Open Championship, we expect a great turnout from both players and fans alike.” Martin Gilbert, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Asset Management “Finding and promoting these fantastic new tournament venues shows the strength in depth of high- quality golf courses throughout Scotland, and we look forward to another successful tournament at Dundonald Links in 2017.” Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland The Course Changes The 15th and 16th greens at Dundonald Links have been levelled and increased in size. “Dundonald Links has always been a very good golf course and a solid test of golf, which is why we took the Qualifying School First stage there from 2008 to 2011, but we found that a few greens compromised our course set-up options due to the severity of the slopes. During a site visit last August, we came to the conclusion that three of the greens would greatly benefit from softening – the fifth, the 15th and the 16th. “Re-designing greens is outside our area of expertise, so the club put our suggestions to Kyle Phillips and he was fully supportive of the project. Kyle oversaw the start of the re-design, and a shaper was also brought in to define the contours. It’s not a radical overhaul by any means, the greens look fairly similar to how they did before, but they are softer and the increased ledges give us greater options for pin positions. “The practice putting green was also not suitable for a European Tour event, so a new one will be built as soon as the clubhouse has finished. Once all the renovation work has been completed, everything will be in place for the club to host a tournament of the stature of the Scottish Open.” Mike Stewart, Tournament Director of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open DUNDONALD LINKS FACT SHEET • Acquired by Loch Lomond Golf Club in February 2003; opened for preview season in July 2003 • Designed by Kyle Phillips, US golf course architect (also creator of Kingsbarns, St Andrews, The Grove, Hertfordshire and Yas Links, Abu Dhabi) • Dundonald means ‘Fort Donald’, so named because fortifications have been located nearby dating back to the period 500 through 200 B.C. In the early 1900s, there was an old golf course named Dundonald on the site of the new course, which was converted to military use during World War II. • Build of a contemporary Clubhouse with 100-seater restaurant commenced in 2016 COURSE DETAILS Course length: 7,100 yards, par 72 Amateur course record: 65, Sam Hutsby, 2006 Duke of York Young Champions Trophy Practice facilities: 330m driving range with manicured turf and capacity for 35 golfers; Short game area with undulating green and links style bunkers Future events: 2017 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open 2016 Ladies’ British Open Amateur Championship 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open Notable events: 2015 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open 2014 The Boys Amateur Championship 2014 The P&H Championship (a new event on Tartan Tour schedule) 2012 Senior Open Championship Qualifying 2012 Senior Open Championship Qualifying 2012 Scottish Mid-Amateur Stroke Play Championship 2012 Optical Express PGA Tour Tournament 2011 European Tour Qualifying School First Stage 2010 European Tour Qualifying School First Stage 2010 BUCS Individual Strokeplay Finals 2009 Glenmuir PGA Professional Championship 2009 European Tour Qualifying School First Stage 2009 Duke of York Young Champions Trophy 2009 Duke of York Young Champions Trophy 2008 Senior Open Championship Qualifier 2008 European Tour Qualifying School First Stage 2008 Scottish Mid-Amateur Championship 2008 Duke of York Young Champions Trophy Notable awards: 2015 Overall Winner in the IAGTO Sustainability Awards 2015 Top 100 Courses UK & Ireland 2014 STRI ‘Environmental Golf Course of the Year’ UK 2013 GEO Certification – a symbol of great golf environments 2012 Best Environmental Performance Award 2012 Achieved 100% Zero Waste to Landfill (first Club in UK) 2012 Success Through Sustainability – Ayrshire Business Awards 2012 Scottish Regional Winner – STRI Golf Environmental Awards Championship Tees: 7,100 yards SS 76 Middle Tees: 6,340 SS 72 Medal Tees: 6,725 yards SS 74 Front Tees: 5,560 yards SS 73 VISITOR GREEN FEES Mon-Fri Sat & Sun 1st May to September, 2016 £105 £105 1st Oct to 31st December, 2016 £40 £50 LOCATION Dundonald Links is located near the legendary town of Troon in Ayrshire, adjacent to Western Gailes and Glasgow Gailes. It is a ten minute drive from Prestwick Airport, and half an hour from Glasgow International Airport. .