Ex-Dundee FC owner looks to cash-in on Ryder Cup

Tycoon’s house up for £100,000 rent during major golf event.

Former Dundee owner Jimmy Marr is seeking a staggering £100,000 from golf fans to rent his luxury four-bedroom property during the Ryder Cup.

The millionaire property and leisure tycoon is thought to be seeking the highest rental in Scotland for the three-day golfing extravaganza at Gleneagles, Perthshire, in September.

Liff House, thought to be worth close to £1 million, is situated in the well-heeled suburb of Liff near Dundee about 30 miles from the tournament venue.

The property is a stone-built 130-year-old house sitting in an acre of land with private grounds.

Mr Marr claims it has recently been refurbished to a very high standard consisting of a large kitchen and separate utility room with all mod cons. It boasts a private gym, office with wi-fi, two living areas enjoying garden views.

It also has its own wine cellar. The first floor has three double bedrooms all with TV, fitted wardrobes and three en suites and one with a dressing room.

It is just a five-minute drive from Dundee Airport, around 50 minutes from Edinburgh Airport and about 30 minutes away from Gleneagles.

The £100,000 price tag means the house also comes with its own chef and cleaner as well as a dedicated Mercedes people carrier to take the golf fan occupants to and from the competition every day.

The boss of the website which advertises the property expressed surprise at the huge rent being asked for what appears to be a fairly modest property in comparison with some of the larger homes, including castles, also being advertised.

Brian Higgins of www.accommodationfortheevent.com said: “The listing price is up to the owner. We do offer advice on pricing for rentals to our clients but this one did not ask for any.

He added: “We normally advise clients who have homes more than an hour away from an event not to look for the same price as properties a lot closer. They need to drop their prices considerably if they are similar.”

The revelation comes as letting agents report slow demand for houses being offered for rent for the Ryder Cup. One agent said that homeowners were being “too greedy” in what they were asking and needed to be more realistic.

A spokeswoman for Belvoir in Perth said: “Overall, the market is quite slow at the minute. Some should have maybe put their homes on the market for £5,000 for the week instead of £15,000.”

Another letting agent based in Stirling said he had stopped taking on Ryder Cup rentals until he had let the properties already on his books.

He said: “The pound signs that everybody imagined from renting their home for the Ryder Cup have failed to emerge. Most people thought they were going to get five figures per week. But demand is not as good as we all expected.

“We are getting more demand for the Commonwealth Games rentals.”

Mr Marr’s wife Karen, when asked if the price was open to negotiation, said it was “not up for discussion”.

Mr Marr and his brother Peter were at the helm of Championship club Dundee when it went into administration in 2003.

They brought top players like Italian striker Fabrizio Ravenelli and Argentinian world cup star Claudio Cannigia to Dens Park.