A “GHOST” golf resort near Gleneagles that's shrouded in mystery, as few people have been able to play it since it opened, has hit the market.
The 639-acre gWest, near Blackford in Perth and Kinross, is an 18-hole championship golf course designed by architect David McLay Kidd, who described the resort as “the best inland site I've ever seen for a golf course”.
Completed in 2009 and developed by one of the wealthiest families in the UAE, gWest has been shrouded in secrecy, as very few people have had the chance to play the course.
The course’s website claims it is “Scotland’s best-kept secret”.
The resort includes a clubhouse shell inspired by the work of 18th-century Scottish architect Colen Campbell and has planning permission for up to 170 residential plots, as well as a hotel and spa, leisure and entertainment facilities and accommodation for staff.
The estate is located west of Gleneagles and is between Perth and Stirling, with the real estate firm Knight Frank in charge of the sale.
When it first opened, those behind the resort hoped it could compete with the nearby Gleneagles Hotel.
Euan Kelly, partner at Knight Frank Edinburgh, said: “It is incredibly rare that an opportunity like gWest becomes available.
“We’re expecting a huge amount of interest from across the globe in what could be a once-in-a-lifetime asset: a substantial consented resort development site, with a golf course designed by a celebrated architect, in one of Scotland’s most prestigious leisure locations.
“While the bold ambitions for the site have yet to fully come to fruition, a sale could see them take an important step forward and add another destination to Scotland’s, and Perthshire’s, strong tourist offering.”
Scotland has around 560 golf courses, accounting for about one-fifth of all courses in the UK.
