Golf venues Dundonald Links and 3 Hammers have both won awards.
Dundonald Links has once again seen its clubhouse recognised as the nation’s best following success at the 2025 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards.
The Ayrshire resort’s acclaimed clubhouse was named as Scotland’s ‘Best Clubhouse’ at this month’s 12th annual Scottish Golf Tourism Awards at Aberdeen’s P&J Live, marking the second time in three years the award has been presented to Dundonald Links.
Overlooking Kyle Phillips’ ‘modern classic’ links course, the clubhouse’s crowning glory is the Canny Crow restaurant, a hugely popular eatery serving locally sourced Scottish favourites.
The building – constructed with high-quality sustainable materials at the start of this decade – also houses Dundonald Links’ changing facilities, saunas and steam rooms and a well-stocked pro shop.
The ultra-modern facility has made the shortlist for the accolade every time it has been nominated since opening in late 2021.
Craig Reekie, general manager at Dundonald Links, said: “Being recognised at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards is a real honour and testament to both the success of the investment by Darwin Escapes into the property and the hard work of the team.
“We’re excited at what we have already achieved this year at Dundonald Links and look forward to further success in 2025.”
The clubhouse has served as a focal point of Dundonald Links for more than four years, particularly when the resort hosts prestigious events such as the ISPS Handa Women’s Scottish Open and Final Qualifying for the Open Championship, both of which are set to return to the Ayrshire venue in summer 2025.
Meanwhile, Jurassic Creek, an 18-hole dinosaur themed adventure golf course in Wolverhampton has proven that golf – in all its forms – is a major tourist attraction for the region by winning bronze in the New Tourism Business category at the 2025 Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent Tourism Awards, supported by the University of Staffordshire. The venue beat off competition from more than 100 locations across the region to make the final.
The 18-hole Jurassic Creek Adventure Golf Course opened in 2023 and attracts over 60,000 tourists a year. The amazing, animated dinosaurs can be seen from the main road and sit in a Jurassic world that includes a meandering river, an impressive waterfall which is now home to the 3 Hammers pterodactyl, and Roaryneckilroy – a life size brachiosaurus named after Tour golfer Rory McIlroyl!
“We’ve been stunned by the amount of new people we continue to see visiting the 3 Hammers and enjoying Jurassic Creek,” comments owner Ian Bonser. “This award recognises the contribution that we make to the local economy and the fantastic experience that my staff deliver when people come here. Golf can be a difficult sport to access, but we hope that when visitors leave here, they have had their eyes opened to what it can look like and are encouraged to play again once they get home.”
When the judges made their site visit towards the beginning of the year, they were particularly impressed by how accessible Jurassic Creek is for people of all ages and abilities. The entire complex is wheelchair and buggy friendly, and the Adventure Golf course provides special SEN events for local and national charities including The National Autistic Society who have brought hundreds of individuals from across the country to the Coven venue.
Uniquely, 3 Hammers offers a combination of golf experiences that caters to all levels. With a driving range, short course and full PGA staff, there is a clear pathway for people to learn and develop their game without the pressures of a formal golf setting.
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