2021 Year OF THE This year’s competition brings honors to 6 courses in 5 countries — from Scotland to Thailand. BY JANELLE McPHERSON Development S 32 Golf Inc. St Andrews is to golf what a diamond is to a wedding ring, but just 10 miles away, another course in Scotland is showing some major sparkle. Judges selected Dumbarnie Links as the winner of the 2021 Development of the Year competition for its world-class design and its focus on environmental stewardship and long-term sustainabil-ity. Designed by renowned course archi-tect Clive Clark and built by contractor Landscapes Unlimited, the golf course is situated along 1 1/2 miles of Scottish coastline on the 5,000-acre Balcarres Spring 2021 Estate owned by Lord Anthony Balniel. Clark’s goal was to create a high-end links course that looked as if it had been there for more than a century, yet with a modern twist. “This vision aspired to simultaneously showcase sustainable and environmentally friendly development principles, while generating employment opportunities and tremendous economic benefit to the local community,” he said. Each year, the Development of the Year competition seeks to identify the best new golf developments around the globe, and this years’ second place, third place and three honorable mentions also showcase just that. Davis Love’s Birdwood Golf Course at Boar’s Head Resort in Charlottesville, Va., placed second. In addition to a new 18-hole course, it has a new practice range, a performance center and a 32,000-square-foot putting course. Payne’s Valley Golf Course at Big Cedar Lodge in Hollister, Mo., took third place. It is the first public-access course designed by Tiger Woods and his design firm, TGR Design. Rock outcroppings and the Ozark