Welcome to Scott Macpherson Golf Design

Happy Birthday to us….SMGD is 20 this year! 

If you need an award-winning international golf course designer to help you with a redesign, renovation of new golf course development, please make contact. We offer golf consultancy services, and can assist with short game facilities, 9-hole developments, private member’s club and golf resorts. 

Look forward to hearing from you, and in the meantime, here’s what we have been up to lately. 

NEWS HEADLINES

THE R&A RELEASE – GOLF FOR SMALLER SPACES, A GUIDE

October 2024 – The R&A published a new guide which outlines the best ways to use restricted areas of land for golf development. It was a privilege to be commissioned to write this guide and I really learnt a lot in the process. Thanks to all those who contributed to the publication, and here is a link:  Golf for Smaller Spaces 

SCOTT IS A SUSTAINABILITY GOLF CHAMPION

June 2024 – GEO (Golf’s Environmental Organisation) have announced Scott as a Sustainability Golf Champion. The award is for his important role in shaping the future of sustainable golf development. This is international recognition shows SMGD’s hard work and commitment to designing fantastic golf courses that fit into the natural environment for the benefit of our clients, golfers, and the environment.

ROYAL MALTA GOLF CLUB – THE COUSE REDESIGN

The second phase of redesigning the course at the historic Royal Malta Golf Club has been completed, and the new holes are now open for play. The new greens are all USGA-type, and being turfed with cool-season bent grasses to offer the best putting surfaces. The first phase of construction works was completed June – September 2023, and included 9 new greens which opened for play in October. The feedback has been terrific about them, and I am confident the new course will be fun for golfers of all abilities.

BUY NOW: St Andrews – The Evolution of the Old Course – 2nd Edition. 

Shortlisted in the 2023 USGA Book Awards, the new, updated and extended edition of The Evolution of the Old Course is back! After 16 years, 3 Open Championships, 2 Women’s Opens, and some changes to the famous Old Course in 2012 and 2013, it felt time to look again at this iconic course. The book includes fantastic new plans, photos and drone imagery, and be over 50 pages longer.

There are two versions: The Main version, and the special limited Scholars’ edition.

Click here to read about how Scott’s new book has been received.

Click here to BUY THE BOOK.

MIRAMAR GOLF LINKS, NZ

I am excited that the new holes at Miramar Golf Club are now open for play. SMGD was appointed in 2022 to redesign the existing golf course into a 9-hole facility with a driving range, par 3-course and additional attractions for its members and visitors. With the existing 18-hole links due to close its back-9 for the expansion of Wellington International Airport in late 2024, work on the new driving range and par 3 course are the next phases. SMGD is honoured and excited to help the golf club transition into a new golf facility. For Scott, it is a return to the city he was born, has family, and much loves.

BROOMIEKNOWE GOLF CLUB, EDINBURGH

Edinburgh, Scotland: In October 2023 the club’s bunker renovation program started. To be completed in three phases over three winters, Phase one included six holes (1-3 and 16-18). The bunker shaping for Phase Two on holes 10-15 was started and completed in October 2024. Phase Three will be undertaken in 2025. It has been over 30 years since the last changes were made to the course and it is wonderful to place bunkers more into play for the modern golfer, and remove redundant bunkers. Those playing the renovated holes will find the new bunkers make the holes more fun and interesting for golfers of all abilities.

GOLF IT! – THE R&A FACILITY IN GLASGOW

Officially opened on August 5th 2023 – We are very excited to be part of Golf It!, an incredible new attraction now open in Glasgow that is bringing golf to the masses. We wanted to partner with The R&A on their Golf It! project to provide families and non-golfers a pathway to golf, where they previously had no access to the sport.

MILLBROOK WINS:   2023 DEVELOPMENT OF THE YEAR AWARD!!!!!!

BREAKING NEWS – 19 MAY 2023. Golf Inc. has awarded Millbrook Resort the Development of the Year award in the Resort/Daily Fee category. Judges said of the new Coronet Course:

‘Spectacular site and a well conceived routing and vision. Project goals and developer’s commitment are apparent.’ – Kevin Norby

‘Big goals for this facility. Some incredible vistas. Clean modern architecture.’ – Casey Paulson

SCOTTISH GOLF TOURISM AWARDS 2023

Scott was delighted to be a judge for the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards. Congratulations to all the golf courses, hotels and nominees short listed for the final ceremony in February 2023. Scott presented the award to Carnoustie Links as the winner of the Best Course over £150 (Green Fee) category. Good luck everyone for the rest of the year and hope to see you again in 2024.

SCOTT’S TWITTER

If you’d like to follow Scott on Twitter, it’s: @macphersongolf

SMGD PODCAST

Scott has launched a new podcast. It’s called ‘Golf Design Matters – Insights from the Inside’ and is all about what it takes to create, make and maintain golf courses. Listen now. The first episodes feature interviews with the Gordon McKie, Course Manager of the Old Course, discuss environmental sustainability with Sam Thomas from GEO, and chew the design fat with two-time major champion Sandy Lyle.

NEW HOLES IN PLAY AT MILLBROOK GOLF RESORT, NZ

All the holes are now completed and open for play. Scott is very excited by the new holes. As one of the most celebrated golf resorts in Australasia, Millbrook has won many awards, and currently hosts the New Zealand Open. The new 9 holes adjoin onto the Coronet 9 designed by SMGD and Greg Turner in 2008 and Millbrook now have 36 holes of fabulous golf. http://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/turner-and-macpherson-design-nine-new-holes-for-millbrook

TOURNAMENT SUMMARY

BRITISH MASTERS AT CLOSE HOUSE : 2017 & 2020

Co-hosted by the European Tour and Sky Sports, the 2017 championship was the first time the European Tour has come to Close House, and the course provided an enthralling and attractive location for this prestigious championship. Congratulations to Ireland’s Paul Dunne in winning the British Masters at Close House. He held off a great charge from the exciting Rory McIlroy to thrill the crowd and win the title. Played over a new course opened in 2011, the Colt Course was designed by Scott Macpherson to reward accuracy and ball control. Colt Course ranked by Golf Monthly as a Top 100 golf course in the UK and Ireland – it is the only course in the North East of England to receive this honour.

What the pros say: ; “It’s a solid golf course”, Sergio Garcia. “Close House is Beautiful.. it’s a beautiful golf course… if you hit good shots you’re going to be rewarded.” Rory McIlroy.

This is the first time a prestigious European Tour has been scheduled to play on a SMGD course, and it was a delight to see how well the course played, and hosted over 60,000 spectators. So much great work went into the preparation of the golf course by the Head Green Keeper, Brian Clark, for the event, and it looked stunning. The greens ran at 10.6 for the championship. The routing sequence was renumbered for the event this week (due to the TV and hospitality infrastructure) so the 1st hole was the original 5th. On a course where every hole changes direction from the previous hole and which features notable elevation change, the leading golfers were the players who best controlled the spin and flight of their ball, who strategically plotted their way around the course, and who putted the best. Well done to Lee Westwood for hosting a terrific event!

Close House – Colt Course for the British Masters – the architect writes

A PROJECT FOR THE FUTURE

SMGD is still excited about the prospect of designing a new golf facility in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. It is a wonderful piece of property half way between Edinburgh and Glasgow and a considerable amount of effort has gone into finding the best routing for the course. Working with 2-time Major Champion Sandy Lyle to create the course will make the process all the more fun.

A MESSAGE FROM SCOTT

My design ethos is simple – I aim to create attractive golf course that provide fun for golfers of all abilities. I like golf holes to fit naturally into their environment, to look great, and inspire golfers. Golf courses can be great for the environment and I aim to create diverse ecosystems and healthy habitats for wildlife around the golf holes. It is also important that my golf designs suit the business and recreational needs of my clients. It’s a real privilege to design 9-hole, 18-hole or short course facilities for resorts, private golf clubs and residential developments. Every project is a very special opportunity to create an inspired golf experience.

Reach out and contact me. It would be great to help bring your vision to life!

Scott

Golf Course ART-I-TECH (where art and design meet)