One of the most famous golf courses in the world, St. Andrews, is at risk of being lost to coastal erosion according to a BBC report. The 8th hole on the Jubilee Course is in danger of falling into the sea and becoming an oceanfront property!
The BBC’s The One Show interviewed Ranald Strachan, who gave some insight as to what could be done about this issue: “If you look at the landscape we’re in, it’s quite low lying; it’s quite near the sea.” Since there are no solutions that would work for everyone (the course itself cannot be moved) he suggests that people focus on maintaining their properties and repairing damage when possible.
“It is going to be vulnerable. Back in March 2010 we had a storm surge and there was a little bit of flooding on the course. Golf has been played here for 600 years, it should still be played hundreds of years from now.”
The venue has been working on sand dune rebuilding to try and counteract the effects of rising sea levels, he added.
The One Show also spoke to the head of the research group responsible for forecasting coastal erosion in Scotland.
“Generally throughout Scotland we are running out of coastal sediment.”
Ask any golfer, and right up there on their bucket list is to play the Old Course at St. Andrews.
Sure, it’s a great feeling, the first time you step onto the hallowed turf at the first tee and the mind races, casting back over decades of seeing the professional golfers do the same thing during The Open.
But! I regret to say it, the Old Course is not the best course at St. Andrews Links. It has the history and the prestige, but for me the New Course is much better.
I’ve been lucky enough to play at St. Andrews a number of times over the years and perhaps because of this, and due to the difficulty of gaining a tee time on the Old Course, I’m much happier playing a number of the other neighbouring courses.
To actually see the Old Course and grab a quick picture seated on the Swilken Bridge pleases many. Therefore I always suggest to clients not to be completely reliant on having a tee time on the Old Course.
See it as a bonus. The huge costs to guarantee a tee time on the Old Course is out of reach for a lot of golfers, so once they accept it as a bonus by entering the ballot, the cost saving is more realistic to the average cost of a golf trip.
50% of all tee times on the Old Course are given to the ballot each day, so there is a good chance that you’ll get to play it without breaking the bank.
If you ever have the dream to go to St. Andrews, go with the Old Course as a bonus in the back of your mind, and if you are unsuccessful, you will still leave having had a wonderful trip.
To enquire about a golf trip to St. Andrews, contact TheGolfPA.com by calling +44 28 7032 6707 or email [email protected]
