Jonathan Milne, the founder of FM Group, the property venture
behind Ury Estate, has offered an update on the development which
includes a Jack Nicklaus signature golf course.
The forgotten venue,
tucked away in rural Aberdeenshire, was first mooted more than two
decades ago before work was delayed by financial crises and red tape.
But after securing a £17 million loan, work on the championship
course, as well as 18 luxury homes at Jack Nicklaus Village and 71
family homes at Glen Ury View, is back on.
Speaking to bunkered.co.uk, Milne confirmed that only a few holes will be ready this year before the full course is ready towards the end of 2027.
“All the holes have been shaped, but we stopped doing that sort of
work at the end of October, and we’re looking to get started back about
March,” he said.
“All 18 will be ready by the end of 2027. They probably won’t do much
seeding until, I would have thought July, August, and by the time that
grows in, you’re not really opening the whole course to play at that
time of year.”
Nicklaus, a winner of 18 major championships, visited the site in
October and was ‘enthusiastic’ about the project – which will be his
first since winning a legal dispute against his former company.
A video has been published of work being undertaken on the 15th hole, a par-3 that has caught Nicklaus’ eye.
“He’s very involved in the project, changed some of the holes around, which, yeah, is all for the better,” said Milne.
“He’s made a couple of tweaks and changes, which we’ve managed to
implement… and, yeah, he’s pretty positive about golf in Scotland.
“He seemed to quite like the 15th hole, that’s a fairly unique par-3,
so we spent a bit of time there, but he spent a bit of time on all the
holes, and his input has been pretty fantastic. His age, his ability and
his knowledge, getting hold of him has been fantastic for us.”
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Talks around the operational structure are ongoing, but it’s likely
that there will be both membership and pay-and-play opportunities.
It’s also unclear whether Nicklaus has ambitions of hosting tournaments at the venue.
“Our intention is to make a fantastic golf course, and I think, Mr.
Nicholas has certainly laid that out for us,” Milne said. “He’s got a
design that’s fantastic, and it’s over to us to finish it.
“We will be sand capping it, so it’s going to be something that you
can play year-round, which is probably quite a treat in Scotland.
“But with the ancient woodland, and the rivers, and the burns, and
the castle, and all these other things, it’d be as much a treat to play
the golf course as to go for a walk in the countryside.”
As for the home development, Milne shared his excitement for the
project and predicted that, alongside the course, it will benefit the
local area.
“There’ll be a real mixture of plots to build your own bespoke house,
or we will be building more family-oriented houses for the local
community as well,” he said.
“And I think the golf course is seen as a huge benefit for Stonehaven
and the area. You know, it really put the place on the map, and they’ve
been hugely supportive of what we’re doing as well.”
