Inside abandoned golf course known as ‘Scotland’s Augusta’ with underground curling rink beneath once-lavish hotel
IT was often described as Scotland's Augusta.
But this once-popular golf resort, complete with a lavish hotel that bizarrely had a curling rink underneath, is now in a state of utter decay as nature has been allowed to take over.
Letham Grange in Angus was shut down in 2019, having earned a solid reputation as one of the finest inland courses in the country.
The Georgian style mansion that functioned as the hotel and the clubhouse was the most eye-catching feature on the property. It not only welcomed golfers and tourists but also hosted weddings before it closed its doors in 2011, after years of financial problems.
Two golf courses were spread across the estate, the Old and the New, with the former being grouped alongside Augusta National by Golf Monthly.
After the hotel (a B-listed building) closed, members of Letham Grange Golf Club kept the courses going on their own for eight years.
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These hardships overlapped with an ownership battle that lasted well over a decade, as Taiwanese businessman Mr D.G. Liu fought with liquidators to return the estate to his family's name, having bought the place in 1994.
But faced with a dwindling membership and increasing financial pressure, not to mention the predominant presence of the world famous Carnoustie Golf Links just 20 minutes away, the decision was made to close the resort for good 32 years after it opened for play.
The hotel was unique for the fact it had a curling rink underneath it, where it played host to the local curling club.
Today, the inside of the building looks markedly different from its heyday with the interior run-down and dilapidated.
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Elsewhere inside the mansion hotel there were 42 bedrooms, plush dining and sitting areas and signs of Victorian baroque architecture.
Around 140 homes were built on the estate too, with some of the residents also members of the golf club.
The topography of the golf courses is still visible, with clear examples of how the fairways route through the trees, green complexes and former bunkers all easy to spot.
The Scottish Sun gathered the opinions of some golfers who had tried out the popular course before its demise.
Dean Hardingham shared his memories and said he holds out hope the place can be restored to its former glory.
He said: "I remember my dad taking me there as a young loon and I adored that place ever since.
"I used to attend two or three times a year with various groups from Aberdeen.
"Credit to the members for keeping it going for as long as they did once the support from the owners stopped.
"Here's hoping there's a revival in store!"
Stan Gaston said: "I played Letham Grange in the early 2000s, enjoyed the course and the hotel."
"Tremendous course, such a shame," said another.
In a review for , a golfer named John, wrote in 2012: "I feel this course is probably about as good a parkland course as you'll find in terms of layout and design, but it has for the last few years always been let down by poor facilities and lack of investment.
"It is also not in as good a condition as it deserves to be. That being said you should really have at least one round here, because you won't be disappointed by a fantastic course."
Another reviewer, Kevin Henley remarked in 2019 as the venue was about to close: "Tough layout with some steep hills and some very interesting holes.
"Real pity the old hotel at the heart of the complex has fallen into such disrepair."
Another reviewer said: "Letham Grange was a very good golf course.
"The comparisons with Augusta weren’t as far off the mark as you may think.
"The par 3 8th through to the downhill par 4 12th (later the 10th when the new course commandeered two of the original holes) really did have an Amen Corner feel about them. The water hazards on the 8th and 12th, in an already mature landscape, was very new for Scotland in the early eighties.
"Clearly it was marketing hype but Letham Grange was indeed Scotland’s answer to Augusta at that time."
After years of feuds over ownership of the resort, the rights were returned to the Liu family in 2018.
In 2021 plans were submitted to redevelop the site by building 250 homes on it.
The application was made by a firm linked to the Liu family empire but momentum faded in the wake of pressure from the locals and inactivity on the part of the applicants.
It's also believed Angus Council had cause for concern as the site is on a floodplain (indeed, the courses were known to become extremely wet underfoot outwith the summer months).
However just last month, fresh plans emerged that could see the resort brought back to life.
The owners filed a Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) with the council, with the project centred on a “hotel and spa, holiday accommodation, reconfiguration of golf course, golf clubhouse, restaurant, leisure uses, residential development, business enterprises, retail and community facilities," as first reported by .
As part of the process, locals will be invited to consultation meetings where they can voice their opinions on what they'd like to see happen to the estate.
The first public consultation event will take place next week on Tuesday October 3 from 2pm to 6pm at Colliston village hall.
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A second event will be held in the Old and Abbey Church hall in Arbroath on November 7 from 2pm to 6pm.
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