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One of Scotland’s most unique golf clubs is aiming to reopen a historic course and transform its current nine-hole track.

Leadhills Golf Club, in Biggar, is the highest in the country and has unveiled ambitious plans to resurrect the closed nine-hole course nearby.

Formerly known as Lowthers Golf Club, it opened in 1888 and was in use until 1960.

However, Leadhills – established in 1935 – is in talks to renovate the Lowther course and incorporate it into the current layout to form an 18-hole golf course.

Roddy MacDonald, a committee member at Leadhills, has tabled the plans to Donald Jackson of Hopetoun House and has inspected the old course with golf historian Harry Ward.

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“It’s got a lot of potential,” he told bunkered.co.uk. “Historically it’s Scotland’s highest golf course and with a bit of help from Donald, we could possibly become the UK’s highest golf course again.

“Everything should be up and running by the start of May and the week beginning May 31st [to reopen] coincides with our membership.

“Harry and I have been over, hit a ball and walked it. We could probably get six holes in over there without too much hassle and put a couple of gates in to make it back user friendly.”

It’s unclear how long the course will take to renovate but, expectedly, it will require some work.

“Yeah, we’ll have to do a wee bit of course management,” MacDonald said.

“For example, at the fifth hole, I’ll have to have to take that down to the bottom left-hand corner and put a tee into the right-hand side to get over to what is the fifth just now.

“It is quite hilly moorland, and we have some older gentleman that play up the top end, so we’re going to have electric buggies that will allow them to play the whole course.”

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Meanwhile, it’s part of wider plans at the golf club which include the build of a new energy efficient clubhouse and machinery store.

Inclement weather has put paid to early movement on the build, but it is expected to be underway before the end of the month.

It comes after Leadhills was awarded £290,000 by OnPath Energy in December that would account for around 60% of the funds for the project.

And Leadhill’s first hickory golf competition will mark the opening weekend of the build, allowing players to play the new golf course as it used to be.


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John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.

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