Renaissance announces £5m investment

Cash injection: The Renaissance is to benefit from £5million worth of on- and off-course improvements

Clubhouse and course improvements get go-ahead at East Lothian venue

The Renaissance Golf Club has announced a £5m investment in new course facilities, which is to include the creation of an iconic clubhouse building and the extension of the golf course to feature three new holes along a stunning peninsula of land overlooking the Firth of Forth. 

The Renaissance Club, which opened in 2008, has almost 200 domestic and international members from counties across Europe, Asia and the USA.  The new investment and facilities at the club are expected to attract considerable new membership interest.

The latest developments at the Renaissance Club will take the total investment to date to over £20m, all of which has been funded by the owners – the Sarvadi family, private members and individual investors.

The clubhouse is expected to be completed in early summer of 2013 in advance of the Open Championship at nearby Muirfield. The new facility, which will cover 34,000sq/ft over four floors, will feature extensive hospitality, accommodation and leisure facilities.

Key features include private dining, a wine cellar and tasting area, snug bar, international business centre alongside private gym and treatment rooms.  The clubhouse will have a number of viewing areas and terraces overlooking the 9th hole, 18th green and 8th green and fairway.

The upper floor of the new clubhouse will feature six luxury bedroom apartments to complement the existing 14 luxury suites in the club’s existing upscale lodge accommodation.

The golf course extension, which is being designed by award winning US golf architect, Tom Doak, who originally worked with the owners to create the Renaissance course, will be ready for play from early summer 2013.

The extension features three new holes nine, ten and 11 which will have dramatic new views overlooking the Firth of Forth and will add considerably to both the course features and playing challenge.

Beyond the clubhouse development and course extension, the Renaissance owners are also considering the creation of a stand-alone, 20-bedroom luxury lodge in the longer term. This would add to the Club’s accommodation and leisure facilities for international guests and their families seeking to enjoy a short break in Scotland with the appeal of easy access to Europe.

Jerry Sarvadi, managing director and joint owner of The Renaissance Club, commented on the developments:  “The creation of a new clubhouse and extension of our golf course, marks the next major stage in the development of The Renaissance Club.

“We created and opened the club in the midst of the recession and have been fortunate to receive such a high level of support and interest from our members in the early years.

“Domestic and international members already enjoy our fantastic coastal location in East Lothian with its international credentials for world -class golf. Our course architect, Tom Doak, has created a stunning course; designed to fully utilise the landscape and geography of our unique position nestled alongside Muirfield and North Berwick links and only a short distance from Edinburgh.

“We are committed to creating a lasting golf legacy for the region and our ambition now is to develop and enhance this world-class golf course with the features and facilities to host a major domestic or international championship in future years.

“The Renaissance Club is establishing a unique blend of traditional historic East Lothian coastline links with modern luxury and amenities that promises an unparalleled golf experience.”

The addition of the clubhouse and the course alterations could well result in The Renaissance hosting future editions of the Scottish Open.

The club was widely considered to be in the running to stage the championship when it was announced it would leave Loch Lomond. However, the absence of a clubhouse at that time was believed to have gone against it, with the tournament finally relocating to Castle Stuart near Inverness.

With those missing pieces of the jigsaw in place, though, there is a very real chance that the club could find itself back on the European Tour’s radar before too long.

Bryce Ritchie is the Editor of bunkered and, in addition to leading on content and strategy, oversees all aspects of the brand. The first full-time journalist employed by bunkered, he joined the company in 2001 and has been editor since 2009. A member of Balfron Golfing Society, he currently plays off nine and once got a lesson from Justin Thomas’ dad.

Editor of bunkered