The new course, called The Ayrshire, is expected to create hundreds of jobs and bring millions in tourist cash to the local economy.
It will include a 220,000 square foot hotel and a number of holiday homes at the site on the coast at the southern edge of Irvine Bay near Gailes.

The plan is a joint venture, orgainsed by the IBRC, between property investment and development company Credential Holdings Limited and KPT Limited, the company behind the Machrihanish golf course — which was the first to be built on a site of special scientific interest.

It has been estimated by the developers that around 25,000 rounds of golf a year will be played at The Ayrshire and that if each golfer spends £200 locally, then the annual benefit to the North Ayrshire economy will be around £5 million.

When finished, the development will employ around 90 full time and 45 part time jobs ranging from greenkeeping staff to bar tenders, caddies and hotel managers.

The course will be an 18-hole links built on a site of scientific interest and designed by David McLay Kidd, who also designed The Castle course at St Andrews.It will be a pay-as-you-play course, open to members of the public.

Construction of the par 70 golf course, with clubhouse, professional shop, spa, and restaurant and conference facilities is estimated to take around 20 months and involve at least 250 construction jobs.

The work will be overseen by Euan Grant, former head greenkeeper at St Andrews, and the developers are in the process of preparing a planning application and carrying out environmental reports.

IBRC regeneration director, Brian MacDonald, said: "The creation of an outstanding Scottish links course with adjacent and high quality supporting leisure developments is an important piece of the jigsaw in developing an exciting and sustainable new future for Irvine Bay, bringing jobs, wealth and opportunity to the area.

"We have the opportunity to create a golfing asset which will bring visiting golfers to the area and, importantly, provide the facilities to keep them in this area longer."

The developers are also keen to get locals playing the course as well as working there.

Credential holdings group director, Derek Porter, added: "We want as many local people to get involved as possible, so those with a neighbouring postcode will pay less to play on the course."