“All-star team” set to renovate historic Scottish links

Spey Bay is set to be renovated by the world-renowned team of Mike Clayton, Mike DeVries and Frank Pont, after being bought over by cryptocurrency group LinksDao.

The links course, which is set in Fochabers, east of Lossiemouth in the north of Scotland, was bought by the group earlier in the year.

At the time, they said they had plans for “strong investment” into the property and their latest announcement proves that to be true.

The USA-based company has employed some of the world’s top golf course architects to renovate the course that first opened in 1907.

• PGA of America CEO opens up on Koepka exchange

• PGA Championship suffers fall in viewing figures

The team consists of Australian professional golfer Mike Clayton, experienced American architect Mike DeVries and Frank Pont, who has worked on golf courses in New Zealand, England and Ireland.

Chris Haspell, who has also worked as head greenkeeper at Castle Stuart, while also working at Brora and Coul Links, has been appointed to lead the agronomy team on a consulting and advisory basis.

Speaking in a Twitter Spaces to announce the appointments, Jim Dailly, founder of LinksDao, said:

“One of the exciting things about our golf course, Spey Bay, is that I’ve not seen any golf course that has so much direct play against the beach and against the ocean.

“The architect partner that we’ve chosen has an exceptional concept for how we’re going to create something entirely unique and really special on this world class golf course site.

• Michael Block makes bold McIlroy claim

• Spieth gives wrist injury update

“One of the other great things we’ve been working on since we started these conversations is that you don’t only get access to our golf course, but you get reciprocal access to four other golf courses in the area. We expect that number to go way up.

“What we’re trying to create here is not only the best experience a golfer can have on a classic links course, but also reciprocal access to the best golf courses in the area.

We’re honored to announce we’ve partnered with Clayton, DeVries, & Pont to renovate Spey Bay, our first golf course on the Moray coast of Scotland. CDP is three of the world’s foremost architects that have delivered some of the top-rated golf courses in the world. pic.twitter.com/3A0xOAU5UZ

— Links Golf Club (@LinksDAO) May 24, 2023

“We’ve been speaking to the who’s who of the golf course architect world and we ended up speaking to a handful of the top ten architects in the world. These guys are absolutely out of this world and we’re so lucky to be working with them.

“We have an absolute all-star team of the best of the best of the golf world. They’re going to be transforming Spey Bay into something the world has never seen before.”

Frank Pont, a member of the team appointed to renovate the links, also spoke on the Twitter Spaces. He suggested big plans, such as a change to the course’s layout and a new routing system could soon be in place.

“We’re proud to be chosen by your group to help make Spey Bay a special, special place.

“The first time I went to Spey Bay was probably around 20 years ago. That was nice as it was around the time the digital camera was coming out, which is why I have around 200 pictures of the site from 2001.

We are delighted to announce that we have been retained as consulting architect to Spey Bay Golf Club on the Moray Firth, Scotland, by Links Golf Club, its new owner.

Mike DeVries will act as project leader. He will be supported by Frank Pont, Mike Clayton & Sam Cooper. pic.twitter.com/nar2RL4erT

— Clayton, DeVries & Pont (@cdpgolf1) May 24, 2023

“You’re right on the sea and it’s quite a special site. If you’re on a links course, you often won’t see a lot of the sea as the first row of dunes will be so high that you won’t see much of the sea.

“At the moment, it’s a good course, it’s a typical out and back course, but we think it could be even better. First of all, we’d like to introduce multiple ways of playing the 18 greens, or maybe more, we’re still working on that.

“That could mean we’re going to have at least two different golf courses on the site. Maybe, as much as seven, who knows. It’s early days, but it’s possible. If it’s just two, it’s what we would call reversible.”

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor