Stonehaven Developers announce Jack Nicklaus Signature Course for Ury Estate in Scotland

FM Developments announced today that Ury Estate in Stonehaven is to become home to just the second Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in Scotland.

Jack Nicklaus, nicknamed the Golden Bear, has always harboured an affinity for Scotland--its people, its rich golf traditions, and its beautiful landscape for great golf venues. The latter is among the chief allures of Ury Estate, with its unrivalled views of the breath-taking Mearns countryside and the majestic centrepiece of Ury House, which provides unique opportunities to design a truly spectacular golf course.

The Nicklaus Design team visited Ury, where a €40million vision to breathe new life into the historic estate is planned. The plans include restoring the grand centrepiece, Ury House, to its former glory and converting it into the golf clubhouse, complete with function and conference facilities. Under the investment plans, the picturesque estate is also to be infused with an extensive range of much-wanted outdoor leisure facilities for the local community.

"Ury Estate is a fantastic landscape that commands great views across the surrounding countryside and out to the North Sea, offering us a wonderful opportunity to design a memorable golf experience," said Jack Nicklaus

"Ury Estate is a fantastic landscape that commands great views across the surrounding countryside and out to the North Sea, offering us a wonderful opportunity to design a memorable golf experience," said Jack Nicklaus, whose first design in Scotland was the 1993 opening of Gleneagles (PGA Centenary Course) in Perthshire. "The area is immersed in Scottish history and we are honoured to be a part of its golf future. We look forward to the challenge of blending the golf course design with its surroundings, and hope to create a beautiful course that will highlight the incredible Scottish scenery."

Nicklaus's legacy as a player is equalled only by his reputation as a golf course designer. With 258 courses to his resume, the Golden Bear has built the world's leading golf course design firm. Nicklaus Design has 315 courses open for play in 30 different countries, with 58 courses that have been ranked in various national and international Top-100 lists. The firm also has 83 courses that have hosted close to 600 professional tournaments worldwide or significant national amateur championships in the United States.

The plans include restoring the grand centrepiece, Ury House, to its former glory and converting it into the golf clubhouse, complete with function and conference facilities.

"It is a great honour for someone with such stature as Jack Nicklaus to put his name to Ury Estate," said Richard Milne, director of FM Developments. "It reinforces our faith in the potential of the estate to become a golf resort with an abundance of leisure facilities for the local community and to attract visitors to Stonehaven and surrounding areas."

FM Developments was granted planning approval last year to create the golf course. In May, the company lodged its masterplan to restore Ury House into the golf club and create hotel facilities to blend with the awe-inspiring estate setting. The resort planned will benefit not only golfers but anyone who loves the great outdoors.

Hotel accommodation apartments would be created within the picturesque walled garden area and golf lodges in the valley would comprise of seven overlooking the golf course.

Wide-ranging leisure pursuits for the wider population of Stonehaven and visitors to the area include:

• A shooting range
• An equestrian centre
• Fishing ponds
• Tennis courts
• Children's play areas
• Picnic areas
• Cycle routes
• Historical trail allowing walkers, runners and cyclists to visit the Roman camp, the Barclay family mausoleum, and Ury House
• Wildlife trails and viewpoints overlooking the spectacular scenery
• Cricket/rugby pitch

A series of four hamlets peppered across the periphery of the estate is also included in the plans. The inspiration for the design of the hamlets originated from the traditional layout of villages in the Stonehaven area.

Bob Reid, planning director for Halliday Fraser Munro chartered architects and planning consultants in Aberdeen, said the plans would transform the estate through sympathetic redevelopment: "The current redevelopment proposals represent a unique opportunity to restore Ury House and estate to their former glories."

"It will bring the area into the 21st Century through the sympathetic redevelopment and transformation of the estate into a quality environment for people to live. It will also allow the pursuit of various leisure activities for the wider population of Stonehaven.

"The development will also re-establish linkages between Stonehaven, its amenities, transport hubs and the surrounding countryside. Further to this, the establishment of Ury House as a tourism and leisure destination sits well with Stonehaven's existing role as a coastal resort and gateway to Royal Deeside."