'Ghost' Golf Resort Next To Gleneagles Put Up For Sale

A general view of gWest, which is located west of Gleneagles in Scotland — (Image credit: Knight Frank LLP)

A 'ghost' golf resort located next to the internationally renowned Gleneagles in Scotland has been put up for sale by its billionaire owners.

Known as 'gWest', the site comprises 639 acres of land with an 18-hole championship golf course designed by David McLay Kidd - the man who is responsibly for St Andrews' Castle Course and Bandon Dunes in Oregon, among others.

gWest also includes a clubhouse shell and has planning consent for 170 residential plots, a hotel with spa, leisure and entertainment facilities as well as staff accommodation.

The estate was developed between 2007-2009 by the family of Bahrain-born billionaire Mahdi Al Tajir, the first UAE ambassador to the UK and current owner of bottled water company, Highland Spring.

The golf course itself was finished in 2009 but never officially opened, with the owner's family reportedly the only people ever to have played it.

Al Tajir - who was ranked as Scotland's wealthiest man by The Sunday Times in 2013 - had plans to open a six-star hotel at gWest with multiple luxury homes valued as high as £3 million in order to create a legitimate rival to Gleneagles.

However, a combination of various financial and political changes throughout the world in the years since stopped the development progressing any further, and it became known as Scotland's 'ghost course' thereafter.

Now, independent property consultants Knight Frank have been tasked with finding a buyer, though no guide price has been made publicly available.

Euan Kelly, partner at Knight Frank Edinburgh, said: “It is incredibly rare that an opportunity like gWest becomes available.

An aerial view of gWest golf resort near Gleneagles in Scotland — An aerial view of gWest golf resort

"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.”

Jonny Leighfield is our Staff News Writer who joined Golf Monthly just in time for the 2023 Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. He graduated from the University of Brighton with a degree in Sport Journalism in 2017 and spent almost five years as the sole sports reporter at his local newspaper. During his time with Golf Monthly, Jonny has interviewed several stars of the game, including Robert MacIntyre, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, and Joaquin Niemann. An improving golfer himself, Jonny enjoys learning as much about the game as he can and recently reached his Handicap goal of 18 for the first time.