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Plans For The Best Course In The World


Sam 45

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Are you actually having a laugh?

This is from the Evening Express:

Aberdeen could become home to the world's top golf course in a new 10 million plan.

The huge project would see Hazlehead's number one course completely redesigned.

And the scheme would include a new club house, complete with indoor swimming pool, holiday villas, a golf academy and other modern facilities.

It would be called The MacKenzie Club in tribute to the man who designed hundreds of international courses; including Augusta, home of the US Masters.

The revamp, which would create 30 jobs, would see the new course soar to the top of the world rankings.

A consortium of North-east and US businessmen are behind the radical proposals.

And they plan to call on golf legend Tom Watson to spearhead the redesign of the course.

s of the Atlantic, lined up to offer advice, the group behind the bid are certain it would make Hazlehead the place golfers from all around the globe will want to visit.

The consortium are also offering to meet all the costs and still allow the revamped course to stay in the hands of Aberdeen City Council.

Brian Hendry, chief executive and spokesman for MacKenzie Club Ltd, which is made up of five affluent Scottish businessmen and five USA-based investors, said: "We want this to be the people's golf course as well as the best one in the world.

"We are the ones taking the risk, it won't cost Aberdeen City Council a penny.

"We are also making a cast iron guarantee that the course will remain open to everyone in Aberdeen.

"I was born in the city and come from a working class background. The last thing I want is Hazlehead to become some sort of private club open only to rich golfers."

The MacKenzie Club will pay the ?10m costs to carry out the revamp, but only if they get a 99 year lease giving them control of the number one course and new club house in return.

Mr Hendry said: "We would install our own experts to make sure it is properly run to get a return on our investment.

"We won't make anything off the green fees on the other courses or from the council season tickets, so we believe that is reasonable."

The club also promises to make 80% of tee times open to ordinary golfers in the city.

Letters outlining their plans were delivered to existing Hazlehead Golf Club members today.

Mr Hendry added: "The other top courses in the world are privately owned, so it is harder for ordinary people to get a game on them.

"Around 90% of the locals in Augusta, USA, for instance, have no chance of ever getting on their local course. We want it to be the other way around in Aberdeen.

"That is why we guarantee that the first 80% of memberships would go to the people in Aberdeen.

"We would still have to let visitors play because that is where we would make our money.

"But we would work closely with the council and existing Hazlehead members to make sure the booking system introduced is as fair as possible."

Mr Hendry has been in talks with council officials for more than a year and has also made a presentation to Scottish Executive officials. in Aberdeen last week.

Golf courses are rated on design, condition, location and facilities. Pine Valley, USA is current number one. The consortium accepts the council is MacKenzie Club accepts the Council are duty bound to put the bid out to tender if they decide to proceed.

"That wouldn't worry us," said Hendry.

I fucking love Golf and play all around Aberdeen - but this is just stupidity.

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Yea, what a pile of shite... although it's a pretty good spot for a course, with all the shelter n'all but they already have tournaments in the Royal Aberdeen course now and again, Plus, the first Hazelhead course is inferior to the second and it's about time they changed it. Probably means the price for a round will rocket.

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sounds like a good deal to me. the course would still be council owned and open to all but would be a lot better and provide more jobs and a boost to the local economy. what's to moan about it?

okay the EE may be going overboard but there's nothing wrong with a bit of hope is there? it's so crazy it just might work.

and what's the point in saying the number 1 course is inferior to the number 2? how is that relevant to what it's going to be like when they've finished redesigning it?

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Guest MerryChristmas

Waste of money. Why not spend it on coming up with a design for cheap, easily built and maintained housing - not fucking high rises

Improve public transport, sanctions against first....

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Well, its actually totally funded by a private consortium so its not gonna cost us anything so where's the problem? If someone wants to put £10m into aberdeen without any need for council money why the negativity. thats the problem with aberdeen, good ideas are ALWAYS complained about by half the population

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I think anything that will help bolster Aberdeen's reputation as a Sporting City can't be of any harm to anyone.. So let them Say it will match Augusta, what possible downside is their to saying that.

I think we are just too biast, because we relate anything to do with Aberdeen as negative normally, so when someone says something positive, we have to draw what they said apart and concentrate on the negatives to this, which I find disheartning.

We need to embrace this news and welcome our fate as the Worlds Greatest Course.:up:

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Cost of Round - They say the cost of a round will be as little as 35 - sounds good, i'll believe that bit when i see it. As they realise they have under-estimated costs this will be increased considerably.

Handicap Limitation - They say they will keep 80% of the tee-times saved for locals. The Aberdeen golfing community will be glad to hear that they will be able to get a round on the 'New Augusta' but this won't be able to happen. They are going to have to put very strict handicap limitations on who is allowed to play the course. They can't have your average pitch and putt player hacking his way around the best course in the world.

Membership Fees - "The organisers want to introduced a scaled pricing system, ranging from ?25 for a basic package to ?25,000 for VIP corporate members." Now there is no chance in hell this 25 membership will get you anywhere near the show course. That might entitle you to become a socail member or something. As for the VIP membership it will be nice to see Aberdeens only VIP member - Stewart Milne

Distance - They are gonna have to buy out a considerable amount of land to make this course long enough to host 'Major Tournaments'. The course will have to be lengthened by about 2000 yards seeing as Augusta is 7,290 yards long and the back 9 on H1 is only 2852 yards.

Drainage - If you have played Hazlehead after a couple of days of the Aberdeen rain you will understand this. It turns into a swamp land, the water sits on top of the grass and takes to days to soak in. A top of the range drainage system would have to be installed for these days costing a hefty amount of money - we need to be able to keep people like Tiger happy.

Weather - Everybody knows what it is like in Scotland. St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns get away with this because they are links courses. Upkeep of an 'Augusta' style golf course in Aberdeen would be near impossible due to the rain/frost/snow and everything else it brings - even if the course is closed for 4 months a year.

10 Million for this whole developement - For 10 million they are apperently going to get:

-The 'New Augusta'

-New club house with swimming pool, spa bath, saunas, guest rooms, bar and dinging area

-Gymnasium

-Tennis courts

-Practice area

-Putting Green

-Junior/Family practice area and putting green

Hazlehead Number 2 Course

-Improved 18-hole course

-Improved 9-Hole course

Additional Facilities

-PGA Approved golf academy

-Driving range

-20 cabins for members, guests and academy students

-Revamp of Hayfield Riding School, making it the best in Scotland

-New changing facilities at Hazlehead council football pitches

-Improvements made to walkways in and around golf course

Now lets not forget about all the other costs (ie) Drainage, villas ect

Fair enough it may sound like im whining about this, im just being realistic. Beng a golf nut i would love for something like this to happen in my hometown - it just seems a bit far fetched at the moment. It is more of a "I'll believe it when i see it' thing.

24271934RuNcytMbVV_ph.jpg

augusta%2013.JPG

Something tells me that Hazlehead can't look like this.

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so what if it doesn't end up being like augusta or the top 5 golf courses in the world? so long as the facilities are improved and the course is still great and of championship quality then what's to complain about? no point pre-emptively accusing them of breaking their promises. i'm sure if this development was to go ahead there'd be some kind of consultation process before it was approved.

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