Coodham House, the former home of one golf's greatest pioneers, is the first location in the world to receive a commemorative plaque honouring historic heroes of the game.

James Ogilvy Fairlie was the founder of The Open Championship yet his contribution to the sport has been largely forgotten by almost everyone except dedicated golfers.

Now, the Links Association, which was set up to champion links courses around the world and promote the game as it began, wants to erect a permanent tribute at Coodham House in Ayrshire.

The Victorian Mansion built in 1826 near Symington, which has recently been lovingly restored and rebuilt, was where Fairlie and his close friend Old Tom Morris planned the creation of nearby Prestwick Golf Course and the first ever Open Championship.

The magnificent 96-acre estate is just minutes from Troon, Turnberry, Dundonald, Prestwick and numerous other exceptional courses, including The Ayrshire – a new links course being planned for Irvine Bay.

Fairlie, a former Captain of the Royal and Ancient in St Andrews is the only man to win gold medals in competitions at the R&A, Prestwick and North Berwick.

He was mentor to Old Tom, who acted as his caddy, and they were such close friends that Old Tom named his second son James Ogilvy Fairlie Morris.

“I’m delighted that a plaque commemorating James Ogilivy Fairlie and his contribution to the game of golf is to be erected at Coodham House,” said Malcolm Campbell, Chief Executive of The Links Association.

“It’s absolutely fantastic and a real tribute to Fairlie. I’m sure he’d be delighted.

“Outside of golfing circles not many people know he was the man who inspired Old Tom Morris to build Prestwick and subsequently ran the first Open Championship way back in 1860. To create a tangible memorial to the man who inspired all of that at the house where he did a lot of the planning is fantastic.”

“Fairlie is the first in a number of great golfing heroes to be honoured by the Links Association which has plans to erect memorials to other golfing greats such as Freddie Tait from Edinburgh, two times winner of The Amateur Championship and The Open Championship, and Allan Robertson from St Andrews, the first great professional golfer.

“Scotland has a great golfing heritage and we want to honour those pioneers who helped create the world wide game we have today,” added Mr Campbell.

Fairlie and Old Tom regularly stayed at Coodham and played golf in the grounds while they were planning Prestwick. Both are giants in the history of golf so that's what makes Coodham such a perfect location for the first Links association plaque.”

Prestwick was the birthplace of the Open Championship, and therefore of professional tournament golf. It has hosted a total of 24 Opens, more than any other course other than the Old Course at St Andrews.

Despite the fact that Fairlie has been almost forgotten in his native land he is remembered further afield.

Coodham House, which has been rebuilt to provide four luxury apartments, two lavish duplex residences and three very individual designer homes created from the former East Wing,
Chapel and West Wing, ranging in price from £330,000 to £750,000, has attracted a lot of interest simply because of its history and proximity to some of the most famous golf courses in the world.

“There’s an overwhelming amount of interest in Coodham House because it was the one time family home of James Ogilvy Fairlie,” said Lindy Leburn of VIP Sales Representative.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from people in America, Canada , Singapore and Scandinavia as well as the UK.”

Five years of painstaking work has resulted in Coodham's original A-listed external walls being meticulously restored or replaced, including the intricate roof balustrade and entrance pillars which lead to a spectacular Turkish marble hall and staircase while each apartment has been finished to the highest luxury standards.

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For further information on Coodham House please visit www.coodham.co.uk or call Peppercorn PR 0845 217 8757.