The Resort

Fairmont St Andrews has been awarded Hotel of the Year in the Resort Hotel Category at the Golf Tourism Scotland Industry awards held in De Vere Cameron House. Speaking today Charles Head, General Manager of Fairmont St Andrews, said "This is a great achievement by our team at the hotel. We have invested £13.5 million in the resort and it is good to see that our efforts are being recognised by our colleagues in the tourism industry. With our Open qualifying Torrance course opening in summer 2009 and our new signature Spa, the hotel keeps going from strength to strength".

The outstanding resort Hotel of the Year award is voted by the members of Golf Tourism Scotland and recognises the past year's best performers in the golf tourism industry. Fraser Liston, Golf Operations Supervisor at Fairmont St Andrews was also nominated as Young Person of the Year.

The hotel's award follows the Silver Gourmet Status awarded to the hotel's fine dining Esperante Restaurant this month by Eat Scotland. Also, the two recent Green awards, 'Fife's Green Business of the Year' at Kingdom FMs Local Hero Awards and the Best Non-Waste Management Section Initiative Award 2008 at the Scottish Waste and Resources Conference which recognised the hotel's innovative Green Partnership Programme.

The Fairmont St Andrews is blessed with two recognized and renowned Scotland golf courses - the Torrance and The Kittocks. These two exceptional golf courses in hug Scotland's dramatic coastline.

Fairmont St Andrews is a 5 star cliff top hotel, with two championship Scotland golf courses that enjoys panoramic views over the golden beaches and medieval sky line of St Andrews, the Home of Golf. The courses take full advantage of its extensive coastal hugging location to provide panoramic views of St. Andrews Bay, the Eden Estuary, the North Sea and the historic town of St Andrews.

The Torrance Course

Designers: Sam Torrance
Holes: 36
Yardage: 7,230 yards - Torrance
Par: 72

The changing face of the Torrance

The Torrance championship golf course at Fairmont St Andrews has benefitted from an extensive capital investment infusion starting in 2008, enhancing its status as one of Scotland's top courses. The refurbishment programme, which is being supervised by architect Gary Stephenson, will add to the player experience and will see the Torrance build on its already impressive credentials.

Since opening in 2001, the course has been named as the Final Qualifying course for the 2010 Open Championship and has hosted many internationally recognized events, including the Vagliano Trophy, the BUSA Championships, Water Aid and two EuroPro Tour events. In 2007 Fairmont St Andrews was recognized by Condé Nast Traveler (US) on its Top 100 Golf Resorts, a newcomer to the list.

The Torrance closed on the 7th January 2008 with work beginning immediately, with and re-opened spring 2009. The extent of the works included the rebuilding of every tee to improve drainage and turf conditions, and relocation of some tees to enhance hole playability. The project also included new irrigation systems and drainage to improve turf consistency and the player experience.

In addition to the relocation of specific tees, design enhancements were made on a number of the existing holes. The Stephenson redesigns included classic revetted bunkering throughout the course. These steps are complemented by an extensive planting programme for gorse, fescue and other native plants; as well as enhanced wetland and wildlife habitat areas on the course. Through all these changes, the length of the Torrance remains from 5,200 at the front tees to slightly over 7,000 yards at the championship tees.

Gary Stephenson, founder of 'The Linksmen' golf design, has an extensive golf design resume, having worked with David Graham, Gary Panks, Byron Nelson, Phil Mickelson, and Steve Jones. Signature projects have included the Talon Course at Grayhawk Golf Club, Teton Springs Golf and Casting Club, Whisper Rock Golf Club, and a number of international locations.

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of the R&A, reinforced the value of The Torrance project by commenting: "The R&A is delighted to see such a substantial investment in an Open Championship qualifying venue. This Torrance Course upgrade will give a great boost to its golfing challenge and playing quality."

The Kittocks Course

Designers: Sam Torrance
Holes: 36
Yardage: 7,192 yards - Kittocks
Par: 72

New kittocks course name at Fairmont St Andrews

The Devlin, opened in 2002, it was the vision of Australian Bruce Devlin, Dennis Griffiths and the Grand Slam winner Gene Sarazen. From October 1st 2008 the Devlin course at Fairmont St Andrews, was re-named as the Kittocks.

Kittocks name is taken from an area of land on the course that is inhabited by a family of deer. This protected area comes into view on several holes and provides abundant wildlife to be seen during a round on Kittocks, including pheasants, rabbits and hares, deer, grouse and badgers.

The coastal land this St Andrews golf course is built on reminded the legendary golfer Gene Sarazen of Pebble Beach when he first visited the site, as one of the course's original architects. The Kittocks course features heavily in a new production of the new JJB Slazenger golf advert with Tony Jacklin, Andrew Murray and Gary Wolstenholme. The 30 minute show was broadcast on Sky Sports Extra and Setanta Golf.

The Kittocks Course is a testament to Bruce Devlin's experience and expertise. It is a truly magnificent 72 par, 7,049 yard championship course that sweeps its way along the rugged seaside landscape. This as yet, undiscovered gem begins by innocently easing the golfer into a false sense of security, offering wide, well manicured fairways that wind around man-made water features and risky bunkers, teasing the golfer with a mix of par fours and fives.