Fife golf course scoops an incredible five awards in 12 months

The Clive Clark designed Dumbarnie, laid out along the beautiful Largo Bay coastline, most recently was named as the Top Emerging Golf Course in the UK, with Scott receiving this award from Nick Dougherty of Sky Sports, who headed the judging panel.

And Scott, 61, of St Andrews, who will become PGA captain this April, said: “I’ve been in the business for over 40 years and I don’t recall a golf club ever winning five awards within a year.

“I think it is extremely rare, perhaps a one off. So to be part of a team that have managed to glean five awards – including at national and international level – is quite amazing.

"The team are thrilled and buoyed that the really hard work they’ve put in has resulted in good financial figures coming through and also being recognised through these great awards.

"Nick Dougherty is actually a friend of Dumbarnie Links. He has played here two or three times now and really enjoys it.

"So he was judging the course having personally been here, which was great.

"He loves what has been created here by Clive Clark. He loves the design and he loves the hospitality which enhances the design of the golf course.

"Nick also recognised the fact that we are involved in the Caddie School For Soldiers, a wonderful charity for which I am president, which was created back in 2019.

"We have some soldiers here to play the golf course and get some advice on the golf range as well from myself.

"We want to support this financially as well as the soldiers in person, recognised as being revolutionary in us doing something a wee bit different for a new golf course.

"We weren’t just thinking about the golf course itself, we were thinking about people in need and how we can help them. The whole package, not just the charitable bit, impressed the judges.”

This prize followed four other top gongs which have gone the way of Dumbarnie in the past 12 months.

Having already been honoured with the Best Golf Experience at the 2024 Scotland SME awards, Dumbarnie went on to win the Global Golf Course accolade at the Luxury Travel Awards.

The International Association Golf Tour Operators then voted it the Best Golf Course in Western Europe and Dumbarnie also claimed the award for the Best Clubhouse in Scotland at the 2024 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards.

Since its low key opening during Covid restrictions back in 2000, Dumbarnie Links has blossomed into one of the world’s most talked about golf courses.

As it moves into its fifth year of operation it now ranks highly on the international league table of great golf courses.

Dumbarnie is celebrating its fifth anniversary with an already healthy bookings sheet, a gathering international reputation and the prospect of many more awards and accolades to come.

The golf course reopens for play on Friday, April 4.

The day before this, Scott will attend an AGM at The Belfry in Warwickshire, where he will accept a vote from the floor to be PGA captain. He will then be presented with a red blazer – including a PGA logo on the front – to wear during his year in the post.

It’s also been a fantastic year on a personal level for Scott, one of the most highly regarded and respected professionals in UK golf, as he also joined the ranks of the UK’s elite group of Master Golf Professionals during 2024.