Swinging into action to save golf links from erosion

The Courier, 12 October 2000

Golfing authorities in St Andrews yesterday announced proposals to tackle coastal erosion amid increasing fears for the future of its renowned golf courses.

St Andrews Links Trust, the charitable organisation which administers the championship links - including the Old Course which this week is hosting the £1 million Alfred Dunhill Cup - has admitted to being “relieved” that Fife Council had finally given the go-ahead for the £200,000 project.

Of the town’s six courses, the championship-standard Jubilee Course is the most vulnerable and the situation was described recently as “critical.”

Several metres of land along the Eden Estuary bordering the course have vanished into the sea.

Plans announced last year by the trust to carry out major coastal improvement works alongside the links had to be put on hold after Fife Council refused to issue a coastal defence licence until a full feasibility study was conducted.

Since then, strong westerly winds have had a “dramatic impact” on the dunes which border the links. Part of the coastal footpath has been washed away by the tides, leaving the eighth fairway of the 103-year-old Jubilee Course more exposed than before.

Fears have increased that part of the links could be lost forever.

Alan McGregor, general manager of the trust, announced yesterday that the local authority had now granted permission to start work immediately along the Eden Estuary to instal permanent defences.

He added, “It is a great relief that planning permission has been granted and we can now instal these essential defences before the winter sets in.”

Mr McGregor said that the defences to be put in place would be a combination of “hard” and “soft” options.

The former refers to stone-filled wire structures or gabions which will be introduced along the 100-metre stretch of unprotected dunes. These will be sloping rather than the vertical type already in place further along the estuary.

The “soft” measures involve replenishing the dunes with 12,000 cubic metres of sand.

The dunes between the estuary and the golf courses are environmentally sensitive and are designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Mr McGregor said that the trust had consulted closely with Scottish Natural Heritage, Fife Council’s ranger service and its roads department, the RSPB, the Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and expert engineers to come up with a defence plan which would be effective in protecting both the dunes and the links. An environmental statement was also commissioned from St Andrews University which supported the protection plan.

Last year the trust spent around £100,000 on maintenance of existing gabions.

Mr McGregor said, “St Andrews links is a unique site of historical and cultural significance as well as one of the top sporting venues in Britain.

“The trust’s prime responsibility is to protect them and putting effective defences in place is a matter of urgency.”

While the current problems are focused on the land bordering the Jubilee Course, there are fears that erosion could, eventually affect several holes on the town’s other courses.

Work has previously been carried out at the New, Eden and Jubilee courses with the introduction of gabions to form defensive barriers. On the Eden Course, the sea is only a matter of feet away from the fourth tee and fairway.

Marine experts have estimated that new defences in the areas most under threat could cost well over £1 million.