The St Andrews Links Trust has enlisted the help of a rare breed of sheep as part of its ongoing response to tackling coastal erosion at its historic golf courses.
The Home of Golf is building on its nature-based solutions as part of its coastal management activity, with the flock of Hebridean sheep being ‘deployed to to support coastal biodiversity’ along with a host of other pro-active measures.
More than 28,500 tonnes of sand is being used to rebuild dunes protecting the world-famous golf courses in St Andrews due to defences retreating in recent years, while the planting of over 6,500 Christmas trees is among a range of steps being taken to safeguard the golf courses and surrounding area.
Already a world leader in the fight to protect links golf courses from climate driven impacts, the Links Trust employs a dedicated team to monitor change, deliver best fit solutions and engage with all communities across their coast, including the iconic West Sands beach.
The sand dunes along the estuary side of the Outhead peninsula and the Jubilee course were previously restored in 2008. However, they became unstable in recent years and required additional works, particularly following storm surges during the winter of 2023/24 which were among the worst on record.
Work began in February this year to stabilise the defences and is scheduled for completion in early April. This has seen 28,500 tonnes of sand used to build a new 200m dune, which enhances what is already the biggest and longest-running dune restoration project in Scotland. This has also restored a recognised potential flood corridor, protecting important coastal grasslands and minimising storm driven impacts on the Jubilee course grasslands.
Although this work will stabilise the sand dunes, it is accepted that this will require repetition to hold the shoreline in the future, given this project is within an active erosion zone. This project is designed to give the Links Trust time to take adaptive measures and to define a long-term strategy.
Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “At the Home of Golf we take our responsibility as the custodians of not just the Old Course, but our other world-famous courses extremely seriously. That’s why we are proactively working to ensure we find solutions for problems that links courses around the world may face in the not too distant future. We know that coastal erosion is a challenge, but from employing our team of rangers to implementing our plan and working with others to find solutions, we are leading the way in ensuring a future for links golf.”
The West Sands Ranger Service was introduced in 2022 to manage the West Sands area and to maintain, protect and enhance the natural and cultural importance of the site. As part of the team at St Andrews Links Trust and working closely with NatureScot, Fife Council and Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, the rangers engage and educate the local community and link with golf organisations to share best practice.
Ranald Strachan, Lead West Sands Ranger, said: “Our coastal management activity is about being proactive in ensuring a sustainable future for our world-famous golf courses, but also for the surrounding communities too. When it comes to coastal erosion, it’s not just links courses at risk and that is why it is important that we are leading the way in St Andrews and supporting others to get ahead of issues which could cause serious problems in years to come.
“By taking a range of nature-based solutions and working with agencies in Scotland and beyond, we are using traditional and innovative approaches to safeguard this historic venue and prepare it for the future.”