Australian architect Bob Harrison "is to build a new golf course on a seafront site on the island of Jura in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland," according to GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE. The course will be built as part of the 14,000 acre Ardfin Estate at the south of the island. Ardfin was sold in '10 to London-based Australian hedge fund manager Greg Coffey. Besides the course, Coffey's plans include "the renovation of a farm steading and other properties on the estate, with the aim of encouraging more shooting tourists." Harrison, a 30-year-veteran of the golf industry, said the site was "the most beautiful I have ever seen. ... Jura has become my favorite place on earth." Plans call for the course to be built on the site of the former Ardfin Farm, which is no longer in use. The development team plans to "use grasses that resemble the current pasture grasses used for farming and, like traditional old Scottish courses, to have no irrigation, even on the greens -- also the case at the nearby Machrie" (GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE, 8/8).
THE GRASS HANDBOOK: GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE reported that British seed supplier Limagrain U.K. "has launched a new Specifiers Handbook, aimed at helping landscape architects choose the right grass mixture for their projects." The handbook "gives technical information and advice on grass species and recommended mixtures for a range of different situations." The 36-page guide includes information on the characteristics of nine key grass species, and suggests appropriate mixtures for landscaping and sports turf, as well as grass/wildflower mixtures for amenity and conservation areas (GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE, 8/10).
GOLF FOR ALL: GULF BUSINESS COMMUNITY reported that Swan Golf Designs "has been appointed as golf course architects" to the My Time Golf group,which now operates 19 centers in the U.K's South, South East and Midlands focusing on the development operation of former public and proprietary golf courses. The group is part of My Time Active, a charitable organization, and "has the stated aim of reinvesting its returns in promoting social equity and advantage to communities in the game of golf" (GOLF BUSINESS COMMUNITY, 8/14).
