Big Travel News For Golfers At Some Of The World's Best Golf Courses
In recent years, a new hospitality brand called Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts has quietly been making big waves in high-end golf travel. They have made visits to some of the world's greatest destinations and most highly ranked courses easier, better and more luxurious. But they just took the biggest single step in the company's history, announced yesterday.
Making Golf Travel Better
Marine & Lawn's strategy has been novel yet elegantly simple. They acquire existing hotels—often the best hotel—in iconic pilgrimage golf destinations, then pump vast amounts of capital into renovations. Many of these would be better characterized as overhauls, reopening with far more luxurious lodging, dining, drinking and everything else you want in a luxury golf vacation. They started in the birthplace of the game, and golf's most 'Bucket List' destination, Scotland, before moving on to Northern Ireland, and now, the United States.
When I say the top destinations in golf, that is no exaggeration. While Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts has just seven hotels in the British Isles, those all sit immediately at, or extremely close to, a Who's Who of the world's greatest courses. Close as in walking distance to the first tee close. As prolific golf journalist Shaun Tolson wrote in MasterCard Luxury Magazine, 'proximity to world-class golf is at the nucleus of every Marine & Lawn hotel.' On the current 2024-2025 Golf Digest World's 100 Greatest Golf Courses list, they have the top four spots, five of the top six, and six of top nine. That is no small thing.
If you like stumbling from your bed to the first tee, no location at the fabled St. Andrews Old ... More Course can beat Rusacks Hotel.
For example, one of Marine & Lawn's properties is Rusacks Hotel in St. Andrews, which literally abuts the oldest and most famous golf layout on earth, the Old Course, the first choice of just about everyone who plays if they could play one spot. I've been to St. Andrews several times, and while Rusacks has been there for more than 200 years and has always had an unbeatable location, it's fair to say it has never been as good as it is now, taking its place among Scotland's top golf course hotels. On Rusacks, Tolson noted that, 'A through renovation put a modern spin on the property's traditional Scottish style and was desperately needed.' Lodgings are more sumptuous than ever, the food is great, the below ground classic bar is fantastic, and they added a rooftop restaurant and bar, all the craze around the globe but even better when overlooking golf's most hallowed ground. Greatly improved food and beverage has been a Marine & Lawn hallmark since day one.
This year's 2025 Open Championship returns to Northern Ireland's Royal Portrush, the only place the British Open has ever been played outside Great Britain. When the dust settles from the event and traveling leisure golfers return, they will want to stay at Marine & Lawn's Portrush Adelphi, a massively upgraded seaside property that instantly became the top choice in a golf mad destination that also includes nearby 36-hole Ballyliffin, with two stunning links layouts on the coast, the northernmost in Ireland.
The British Open and its Claret Jug are returning to Royal Portrush, one of the world's best golf ... More courses
Their portfolio also includes the venerable Slieve Donard, long the must-stay spot for golfers visiting Northern Ireland's Royal County Down, by many estimates, the world's greatest golf course period. It is Number One on Golf Digest's list and having played it a couple of times, I understand why.
On the other hand, many pundits would give that best-on-earth title to Muirfield, a sixteen-time host of the Open Championship and likely the only tee-time in Scotland harder to get than the Old Course. The classic spot to stay while playing Muirfield has always been Greywalls, an Edwardian estate overlooking the 10th tee, and yesterday Marine & Lawn announced the acquisition of that gem. Designed by renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901, it was privately owned by the Weaver family since 1926, and now Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts.
Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts just acquired Greywalls, a legendary golf hotel next to the 10th tee ... More at Scotland's Muirfield.
Through a close and longstanding relationship with The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the club that calls Muirfield home, Greywalls has always had the rare luxury of securing a handful of allocated tee times so it can offer stay and play packages on this incredibly hard to access course. The announcement is so new that Marine & Lawn has not decided what if any renovations are needed beyond upgrading the culinary offerings, nor what changes will be made to its packages, but it is a good guess that their hotel will continue to have the distinction of being the place to stay for such special access to tee times.
Besides Rusacks and now Greywalls, they also have the Marine Hotel in Troon, a longtime classic and the place to stay when visiting British Open venue Royal Troon or nearby Prestwick, birthplace of the British Open Championship, one of the world's most fun courses, and a personal favorite of mine. In 2022 when the hotel reopened, the London Times wrote: 'Maximalist design and MasterChef-style food are on the menu at this revamped golf course hotel.'
Then there's the Marine North Berwick, Scotland, surrounded by arguably the densest concentration of standout courses on earth, including two in the World Top 10. Further north, Dornoch Station is the top choice for those making the golf pilgrimage to remote Royal Dornoch—ranked Number Two in the World by Golf Digest.
Unlike U.S. golf resorts, at most of the top spots in the British Isles the courses are private clubs, even when open to the public, and the lodging is unaffiliated, so simply having a hotel next to a great course does not mean guests can get on it. However, in most of these cases, Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts has a very close working relationship with its neighbors, and while they typically do not guarantee tee times or offer the kind of turnkey golf and accommodations packages many U.S. resorts do, they can try, have an inside track, and are often your best bet.
Massively renovated guest rooms are coming to Mid-Pines and Pine Needles, as shown in this rendering ... More of the new design.
The situation is a little bit different here at the company's first domestic acquisition, and probably its most newsworthy. Along with Greywalls, Marine & Lawn just announced the purchase of twin resorts Pine Needles Lodge and Mid-Pines Inn in Southern Pines, NC, just outside Pinehurst, the 'Home of Golf in America.'
These twin resorts were built in the 1920 and sit directly across the road from each other and have long been owned by the same family and operated as two sides of the same property, with guests sharing access to food, drink and the three golf courses. I visited recently, and the golf is simply exceptional, with three original Donald Ross gems that have been painstakingly restored in recent years, and all three are ranked in the Top 40 in the U.S. by Golf Magazine—something not even Pebble Beach can claim. The recently renovated Southern Pines Country Club was private for most of the past century, but since being upgraded and added to the resort portfolio, it has exploded onto the scene and is the only course in the region that stands toe to toe with legendary Number Two at Pinehurst, the area's other 'must play.' The other two are excellent as well, and Pine Needles hosted the 2022 U.S. Women's Open.
A new Clubhouse is also in the plans for Southern Pines.
Pine Needles and Mid-Pines have always had a cult following and serious players know how good the courses are. In addition, the resorts have a standout golf academy with a large, dedicated teaching facility. But the weak link has always been the average accommodations and limited cuisine, while sitting in the shadow of the massive Pinehurst Resort, the nation's largest, which has received decades of continuous reinvestment, has tons of dining and myriad lodging options, and is by any standard, one of the world's greatest golf destinations. But if anyone is going to give them a run for their money, it is Marine & Lawn, which has already announced plans for a much-needed comprehensive restoration led by parent company AJ Capital's design team, featuring fully renovated guestrooms, new dining concepts, and refreshed public spaces. The resorts should remain open with renovations on a rolling basis, beginning this year with hopes for completion in 2026.
The family owner of Pine Needles and Mid-Pines did an excellent job with golf, and they are keeping that part of the operation, with Marine & Lawn buying the hotels, not the courses. Nonetheless, the close relationship will almost certainly continue in the form of easily booked preferential tee times for guests and stay and play packages, as has been the case until now. Both partners are very good at what they do, and my informed guess is that few guests will notice any separation and by all appearances, Mid-Pines and Pine Needles will continue to be one of the top golf resorts in the country, only better.
All of this is big travel news for golfers at some of the world's best golf courses, here and in Europe. Or as Ben Weprin, founder of Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts and CEO of AJ Capital Partners put it in his announcement, 'These acquisitions represent a pivotal milestone for Marine & Lawn. Since launching the brand in 2019, our ambition has always been to honor golf's most legendary locales with world-class hospitality. The addition of these iconic properties—each with deep roots in golf's history—allows us to bring that vision to life on both sides of the Atlantic.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
US Visa Holders Will Be Required to Pay Bonds of Up to $15,000 for Entry
jimfeng/Getty Visiting the United States is about to get exorbitantly expensive for certain travelers. The US State Department has announced the launch of a visa bond pilot program that will require tourists and business travelers from specific countries to pay bonds of either $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000 as part of their visa application process. Officials published a notice of the 12-month trial program in the Federal Register on Tuesday, August 5. According to the notice, the bonds will apply to visitors from countries with high visa overstay rates or where screening and vetting data for travelers is deemed deficient, as determined by the Department of Homeland Security. However, the official list of countries has yet to be announced. The notices says that the trial program will be apply to all B1 and B2 visa applicants from a forthcoming list of countries. B1 and B2 visas are for business, tourism, or a combination of both and are typically valid for six months to one year. The B1 and B2 visas were selected for the pilot because their admission period to the US will be concluded within the one-year pilot "allowing for data collection at all stages of the process," according to the notice. For now, the bonds in the pilot program won't apply to student visas, which can be valid for several years, or other visa types. The bond amount each visa applicant will be required to post will be 'based upon the applicant's circumstances as determined by the consular officer but in an amount of no less than $5,000, unless the bond requirement is waived,' the notice states. Guidance in the documents show that consular officers will be advised to set the bond at $10,000 in most cases. Officials say that the program's list of countries will be released on the State Department's website when the bonds take effect in late August. After the initial list is published, countries could be added or removed on a rolling basis. The notice states that more than 500,000 travelers are suspected to have overstayed their US visas in 2023, according to DHS data. Travelers who comply with all the terms of their visas—including departing the US on time and not accepting unauthorized employment—will have their bonds refunded. On the other hand, travelers who breach their visa terms will forfeit the bond amount. Visa applicants will receive a State Department email to the address provided on their application with the link to post their bond amount via the US Treasury's service. Visitors from the 42 countries with which the US has a visa waiver agreement would automatically be exempt from the bond program, as they do not need an entry visa for stays of 90 days or less. The new bond payments will apply to all B1 and B2 visas for the listed countries. The visa bond program is scheduled to take effect 15 days after being published in the Federal Register, which would be August 20, 2025. When the initiative launches, travelers subject to the bonds will only be allowed to travel in and out of specific US airports that participate in the program, according to the federal notice. Airports will be chosen for the program 'based on their capacity to automatically confirm' that travelers have left the US, which likely means hubs with facial recognition technology at the Customs and Immigration checkpoint. The list of airports will be announced 15 days before the program launches and can be updated on a rolling basis. Visa bond policies have been proposed by federal officials numerous times, including by the first Trump administration. However, past policies have always been deemed too complicated and cumbersome to realistically execute. The goal of this pilot program, the federal notice states, is to assess whether visa bonds are feasible on an ongoing basis. The bond program's announcement comes as the US also plans to begin charging some travelers a $250 'visa integrity' fee. That fee, which is set to debut by the end of the year, will apply to all non-immigrant visa applicants and could also potentially be refunded to travelers who comply with the terms of their visas. Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler The Latest Travel News and Advice Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips Stop Counting the Countries You Visit How Safe Is Flying Today? 5 Things Experts Want Travelers to Know The Best Places to See the Northern Lights Worldwide Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mexican ranchers struggle to adapt as a tiny parasite ravages their cattle exports to the US
The United States' suspension of live cattle imports from Mexico due to a flesh-eating parasite is forcing ranchers to pivot their businesses to sell cows domestically at a loss (AP video/Abraham Téllez)
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Trump's firing of the labor statistics chief could lead to a financial crisis
Donald Trump's firing of Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer for releasing truthful employment figures showing a faltering U.S. economy is clearly not good news. But the consequences might be even worse than you think. Trump's actions weren't based on a methodological disagreement. He fired McEntarfer because he doesn't like the U.S. government releasing accurate numbers about the state of our economy — at least not when they make him look bad. In the short run, with luck, the impacts could be relatively modest. In the long run, without reforms to ensure quality data, this will lead to significantly slower economic growth than in other countries, and perhaps even a financial crisis. After McEntarfer's firing, government economic data can no longer be trusted or relied upon under this administration. Trump will not be able to appoint anyone with credibility to take over as BLS commissioner when it's already clear that person could be fired for releasing accurate data. The same goes for other statistical agencies, too. This doesn't mean all government data will be fraudulent going forward, but it does mean it will be less trustworthy. Government data analysts will do their best to produce credible reports, and much of what they publish will be accurate, but these workers will be increasingly subject to political pressures, or outright meddling. Reputational damage has already been done — and the decline in trust carries real consequences. The free availability of high-quality economic data from the government is an important part of how our economy operates. Businesses, entrepreneurs and families can't make good plans based on untrustworthy information. In practice, politicized data means the economic advantages Americans have long enjoyed — such as lower borrowing costs than the rest of the world — will begin to erode. Indeed, some experts and investors are already questioning whether higher interest rates will be necessary to compensate for the increased risks in the American economy brought about by Trump's firing of the BLS commissioner. This could lead to higher costs for both the U.S. government's debt payments and Americans' mortgages. Data reliability problems also create an uneven playing field for data, subtly undermining economic competition and growth. There will still be plenty of economic information available—it's just that the best data available won't be as good, and it won't be available to as many people. Private data companies will produce their own reports, but they simply aren't capable of the same scale as the government's current data collection efforts, and some of their reports will only be available to those who can pay. Established corporations that can afford alternative data sources will have a greater economic edge. Entrepreneurs won't have the same level of information to help them challenge more established players, so they'll do so less frequently and with less success. Worse, only Trump and his cronies will know whether, and how, government data has been juiced. This will give their companies a competitive economic advantage, further stifling competition. It also creates an additional incentive for corruption — and there is overwhelming evidence that corruption hinders growth in the long-run. Most troublingly, bad data can lead to financial crises because it allows political leaders to steer their countries into worse economic trouble than they would otherwise be able to. It's harder for investors, political opponents and anyone else outside the executive branch to warn about an inflationary or debt crisis if they don't know about it. Bad data can also exacerbate crises, as people are more likely to panic based solely on rumor. More and more, the United States looks like the countries we don't want to emulate. Firing the BLS commissioner echoes early warning signs from Argentina and China where gutting independent economic institutions paved the way for major economic collapse. Reliable data is but one of the many reasons democracies are generally rich and autocracies often are not. Autocrats try to erase facts that don't fit their preferred narrative. They get rid of people who tell the truth, including government experts, and use fear to stop dissent. Unsurprisingly, then, autocracies also frequently suffer deep economic crises. Firing the BLS commissioner may seem like a modest change in all the chaos the Trump administration has created, but it is not. Real damage has already been done. Still, most of the harmful economic consequences will be felt in the long term. This means there's still time for Americans to push back, and ensure the next administration can't cook the books. This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
