The battle to save the links courses disappearing into the sea
How Royal Dornoch helped calm the waves
The championship course at Royal Dornoch, an outstanding links layout that has been in place for 400 years, gets all the attention but, on their Struie course, greenkeepers have found a solution that has stopped coastal erosion in its tracks.
Down on the 10th fairway the sea has been getting perilously close but, by using chestnut fences, they have managed to take the sting out of waves that had been causing so much damage.
“They’re wooden stakes within wire at the top and bottom and we bury them half into the sand and it strengthens them further,” explains Scott Aitchison, deputy course manager.
“When the waves are coming up it just takes the energy out of them. It disperses them and they don’t seem to be eating away too much into that.
“We wanted to look further why it was doing it so much in that area. Surveys noticed there is quite a lot of saltmarsh along the sand in the area where the waves come in and the saltmarsh has receded away.
“We’ve got a scientist (Dr Clare Maynard) from St Andrews University who has helped with a saltmarsh regeneration project and is using organic based bio-rolls, which are made up of coconut.
“They’re bound by rope and plant little bits of saltmarsh over the place and stake it into the ground. It gives the saltmarsh plants a chance of coming back.
“Hopefully that will naturally take the strength out of the wave as it approaches the land.”
Head to the next page to continue reading our special investigation on golf courses and coastal erosion in order or choose from the options below…
Next page:
The stark reality of coastal erosion
Explore more:
How Montrose is falling into the North Sea
Formby’s future-proofing plan for new holes
How Royal North Devon lost 20 metres in three nights
Is Abersoch an avoidable catastrophe?
The affect of coastal erosion on golfing communities
What can be done to tackle coastal erosion?
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
