St. Andrews getting a private golf course. Here’s what we know about the site

of The Scots invented golf but they did not try to keep it to themselves. They exported it around the world. Nowhere did it take root more deeply than in the United States, where the game turned into a multi billion dollars industry and, in many countries, a private pastime. Over time, and to a lesser extent, the influences flowed the other way, as American wealth and ideas returned across the Atlantic.

IN Scotlandcompletely private clubs are, like buggies, very rare. But the little that exists, including Loch Lomond and Skibo Castle, are owned and operated by Americans. And now another is taking shape in perhaps the most unlikely place of all: St. Andrews, the ancient home of public golf.

With local approvals in hand, the people behind Pig’s headan exclusive enclave on Ireland’s southwest coast, are moving forward with a project called Hogs Haven, in the hills overlooking the city. It will be the first new course built in St. Andrews area since David McLay Kidd revealed the Castle course in 2008. Work has been going on quietly, but here’s what we know so far.

A page of history

For more than two decades, the property in Feddinch Mains – roughly two miles south of St. Andrews and bordering the Duke Course – has been the subject of golf dreams again and again. Various development schemes have come and gone. In 2010, a Scottish owner stepped in, bringing Tom Weiskopf on board to organize a course. With approvals already in place for a course and hotel, the stage seemed set. But after a few years, the property changed hands to an American investor intent on bringing the project to the finish line. Weiskopf’s sudden death broke that momentum, and the owner eventually decided to put the site back on the market.

Enter the pigs

The new owners, who bought the site in 2023, are Tony Alvarez and Bryan Marsal, principals of Alvarez & Marsal Golf – the same duo behind Hogs Head, the private retreat overlooking the Atlantic in South West Ireland. Their resume in the golf space is fairly recent but notable: When they acquired the Hogs Head property in 2015, they inherited a flood-prone golf course and a 100-room Club Med. They demolished the hotel, bought additional surrounding farmland, and hired Robert Trent Jones Jr. to create a new urban plan. Today, Hogs Head features a 46-room lodge and a collection of cottages that cater to a select membership, known among them as “Hogs”. Alvarez & Marsal also owns Paako Ridge in New Mexico.

What’s coming

GOLF.com has learned that the St. Andrews will include: an 18-hole course; independent par-3 course; Himalayan Style Placement Course; practice facilities; luxury lodge and six guest villas. Construction milestones are already marked. Developers expect 11 of the 18 holes, along with the par-3 course and putting course, to be ready by July 2026. The full course is scheduled to be completed by June 2027. The supporting infrastructure — including a 58-room lodge, two suites and a fitness center — is all expected to be completed by May 20. Onsite, the property will have 84 rooms, matching the number of rooms in Hogs Head. Each suite will overlook the city and coastline of St. Andrews.

Meet the architects

The main 18 will be led by DJ Russell, a former European Tour pro and longtime design partner of Ian Woosnam. Russell will also design the range and short game equipment. Phil Smith – who collaborated with Weiskopf for years – will design the 10-hole par-3 course and Himalayan-style course, incorporating elements of Weiskopf’s concepts for the site.

Admission price

A club spokesman declined to discuss pricing, but a source familiar with the project told GOLF.com that initiation fees are expected to reach about $150,000. The finer points of the membership structure are still being finalised.