Jack Nicklaus to Visit Ury Estate in Stonehaven

Golf great and course designer Jack Nicklaus will today visit Stonehaven just five days after it was announced that Ury Estate is to become home to a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

Nicklaus, nicknamed the Golden Bear, will explore the spectacular site, which spans at least 160 acres of the Mearns countryside with commanding views extending to the North Sea, before beginning to map out the 18-hole championship course.

Golf great and course designer Jack Nicklaus will today visit Stonehaven just five days after it was announced that Ury Estate is to become home to a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.

Nicklaus will be joined by his design team at Ury Estate, which offers unrivalled landscape for a memorable golf experience. Nicklaus says he is looking forward to the challenge of infusing his course design with the incredible Mearns scenery, including the majestic centrepiece of Ury House.

A €40million vision to breathe new life into Ury Estate is planned that will include restoring Ury House, which is widely believed to be the birthplace of Stonehaven, 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, as well as creating hotel facilities to blend in with the awe-inspiring estate setting.

FM Developments was granted planning approval last year to create the golf course. Graeme Webster, of Team Niblock, designed the initial course and will work with Nicklaus Design on the construction of the course.

In May, FM Developments lodged its masterplan with Aberdeenshire Council for its golf and leisure resort at Ury Estate.

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
• ChildrenÕs 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.