This summer another extraordinary links course will be officially unveiled. Dundonald, formerly known as Southern Gailes, just a couple of miles up the coast from Royal Troon, where this year's Open Championship is due to take place, is the latest in a line of links courses which have recently been uncovered.

Following the rave reviews of Kingsbarns on the east coast of Scotland, American designer Kyle Phillips has once more produced what looks like a masterpiece, this time on the west coast. In February 2003 the course was acquired by the exclusive Loch Lomond Golf Club, and although two tee times a day will be reserved for the general public, the course is primarily for the use of the golf club's international membership.

Loch Lomond will hold The Barclays Scottish Open a week before The Open in July but given that this event has occasionally suffered because some players feel a parkland course is not the obvious place to warm up for the ultimate links test at the Open Championship, there are already some suggesting that Dundonald could be the ideal future site for this event. Watch this space.