[Robin_Hiseman]

With reference particularly to the UK, I would be very grateful if you can recall examples of public paths which cross the line of play, which I can then go look for on Google Earth.

Clearly, our old favourite Painswick is at the top of the list, sharing its land with the Cotswold Way. I can think of the paths that cut through Sunningdale Old and New, the paths to the beach at Burnham, the right of ways through Woking, the bridleways at Hankley Common and on a contemporary note, the path crossing the fairway at The Buckinghamshire, but i'll be grateful to be inundated with lots of other examples.

Many thanks
Robin

[Thomas Dai]

A couple to set the ball rolling -

Across the 1st and 18th at TOC
That strange metal cage across the 1st & 18th at Portsalon
Offa's Dyke cuts across the 1st and 18th at Kington

atb

PS - influence of 'Right to Roam' in Scotland?

[Neil_Crafter]

I've got a feeling there is one crossing Moortown somewhere too.

[Mark Pearce]

There's a public footpath (it might be a bridlepath) down to the beach which crosses the 10th and 12th at Elie.  There's a road to the coastguard station which crosses 16 and 17 at Balcomie and the coastal path there runs imediately adjacent to 15, 14, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Blimey where doesn’t?
Off the top of my head.

Deal
Dornoch
Epping
North Berwick
Pennard
P&K
RSG
St Georges Hill
Thames Ditton and Esher – when the commuter trains arrive, the occupants just lower their gaze and bolt accross about 50 yards in front of a tee.  Apparently commuting makes you really stupid and/or feel invincible. Dog walking would be close behind in this regard.
TOC and all others in St Andrews?
Tenby


Feel free to use IM if there’s a special situation you are looking for examples of.

[Ben Lovett]

St Enodoc has several

[Michael Felton]

Walton Heath is covered with them. My other course Effingham has a bridle path that goes through the middle of it. Burnham and Berrow has a path down to the beach that crosses the 13th fairway at about driving distance.

[Jon Wiggett]

In Scotland it is irrelevant due to the 'right to roam' law but I would be surprised if in the rest of more courses have rights of way across them than not.

Jon

[Adam Lawrence]

The path that crosses in front of the tenth tee (and then continues right down the left side of the fairway) at St Enodoc is horrific, at least in summer when there are thousands of holidaymakers in the area. Last August we literally had to wait ten minutes for a gap in the foot traffic appear so we could drive, and even then I was nervous. I know people criticise the golf hole itself, but frankly I think the path is more of a problem, in tourist season at least.

At Ham Manor in Sussex there is a right of way just to the left of the par three fourth. It's somewhat hairy as the path is quite close to the line of play, and is partially screened by trees so walkers just appear half way down the hole.

[Niall C]

Robin

At Lossiemouth there is a footpath (metalled road is possibly a better description) to the beach that crosses both Moray Old and Moray New. Not sure as to its status but it is regularly used. Don't know for sure but it would appear that what would have been a short par 4 17th on the New with the footpath crossing it, was turned into a 175 yardish par 3 with the footpath crossing behind the green. As far as I am aware none of the other holes were altered to accommodate the footpath although it does go right across in front of the 16th green on the Old and is raised at that point, hiding one of the best and most undulating greens in the north of Scotland.

Niall

[James Boon]

Robin,

I'm finding it easier to name courses that dont have a footpath, or track or road that is used by the public!

A few more that do, not yet mentioned I don't think:
Hunstanton (across the 8th and 9th to the beach)
Brora (specifically path from the caravan site to the beach)
Virtually all the course I can think of in Derbyshire!

A few that don't think have paths?:
Brancaster (probably due to the thin spit of land not being crossed, though people perhaps wander up into the dunes form the beach?)
Littlestone (dont remember any and cant see any on the link below)
Notts and Coxmoor (perhaps the coal mine landscape when they formed wasn't conducive to a nice walk in the countryside?)

If you want to check any specific examples, try this website:
http://footpathmaps.com/

Adam's example of the 10th at St Enodoc was a real pain when I played there some years ago. Plenty of walkers on the path, perhaps more making the trip to Betjeman's grave at the church? The significant thing for me is that the path runs parallel with the hole (well down the middle of it!). Those that run perpendicular to the line of play, such as at Burnham, work better as its easy for golfers and walkers to get out of each others way quickly. As for those in public access areas like commons and parks, well...

Cheers,

James

[Robin_Hiseman]

Boony

That footpath link is genius! 

All very helpful folks, thank you so much. Keep them coming!

[Bill_McBride]

The walkers at Painswick aren't as big a problem as the picnickers who spread out a blanket!

I can't think of a single example in the US, another reason that golf is so different here from the old country.

[John Mayhugh]

In addition to those mentioned:

Southerndown
Porthcawl
Clyne
Woking
Formby
Seascale
Silloth
Bull Bay
Cavendish has a path/road that runs through the course but not across line of play (as far as I can remember)
Saunton East has a path around, but don't believe it runs across anywhere
Westward Ho! has a path along part of it, but I don't remember actual hole crossings

As Tony mentioned, send me an email or message if there is a particular situation of interest.

[Tony_Muldoon]

Top 10 numskulls found on golf courses…


10   Animals.   Well at least they can’t help it.
9    Off road motorbikes on the Roman Road at Deal.  (How come they can do that and we have to take a free drop?)
8     Riders on horseback.   Actually I like these.
7      Mountain bikers. Appear at great speed from nowhere.
6   Joggers- haven’t the energy to look up.
5       Commuters. Thankfully a rare bird.
4    Picknickers.  “Oh don’t mind us” Seen at Painswick and first hole, North Berwick.
3    Dog walkers.  “We have rights too, you know”
2    (R)amblers.    Like gaps in the traffic they conspire to make you wait.

And the winner is
1  The pair who found that the only point at Pennard where you can get out of the wind is the 6th tee.  They were so engrossed in making the beast with two backs, that they failed to notice the golfers teeing off.

[Andy Stamm]

There's a path through Kahuku golf course on O'ahu that runs through the course and to the beach. It's not a heavily used beach, but there are a fair amount of surfers that cross through as there's a nice break out there.

[Thomas Dai]

In GB the beaches are not privately owned (well okay, very, very occasionally one is). That often means that there are numerous footpaths along the seaward side of just about all links courses plus in several areas there are regional long distance footpaths, often cliff-top, which are at the seaward side of golf courses. For example there is a footpath at the top of the cliffs behind Perranporth and, as another example, there's the boardwalk path alongside the first few holes at Royal Porthcawl.

Robin mentions the Cotswold Way and Painswick. I think the Cotswold Way also crosses Cleeve Cloud/Hill and is must run pretty close to Broadway as well. I'm sure there are courses adjacent to the likes of the Pennine Way. Plus there are courses on common land, like my favourite Minchinhampton Old, where folk can walk pretty much where they like.

atb

[Bill_McBride]

In GB the beaches are not privately owned (well okay, very, very occasionally one is). That often means that there are numerous footpaths along the seaward side of just about all links courses plus in several areas there are regional long distance footpaths, often cliff-top, which are at the seaward side of golf courses. For example there is a footpath at the top of the cliffs behind Perranporth and, as another example, there's the boardwalk path alongside the first few holes at Royal Porthcawl.

Robin mentions the Cotswold Way and Painswick. I think the Cotswold Way also crosses Cleeve Cloud/Hill and is must run pretty close to Broadway as well. I'm sure there are courses adjacent to the likes of the Pennine Way. Plus there are courses on common land, like my favourite Minchinhampton Old, where folk can walk pretty much where they like.

atb

Thomas, as I recall from a great hike my wife and I took, the Cotswold Way runs near Broadway Golf Club, past the site of the Cotswold Olympics and near Chipping Camden.  Public footpaths are great, with stiles to climb over and the occasional signage. 

[Craig Disher]

Rye - both the old course and the Jubilee. The Jubilee is crossed over its entire lwidth by the old RR right of way that connected the town to Camber.

[Greg Taylor]

Copt Heath Robin is another....

[Wade Whitehead]

Not UK, but there are paths used by people AND horses across the property at the Old White.

WW

[Tim_Weiman]

Robin,

I am sure you have thought about Woking where public walking paths run through the property an seemed to peacefully coexist with the golfer activity. Never seen anything quite like it, but it is very pleasant.

[James Bennett]

I've got a feeling there is one crossing Moortown somewhere too.

17th hole (par 3).  There is a sign warning players to look out for pedestrians.

I am not sure if the path cuts across the line of play, or between the green and the next tee.  I suspect the line of play, and that the path then goes between the first hole and the second/third/fourth area. 

James B

ps  We have great pictures of a railway line running through a course - see Mark Saltzman's Royal Adelaide pictorial, with the second hole.

[Sean_A]

Doc

You could check out Tenby as an example of what went wrong.  There are accesses to the beach which have caused considerably alterations to the course. 

I think Harlech has path leading from somewhere near the house to the beach past the third green? 

Going more upscale, Little Aston has a road cutting through the 16th fairway - its for walkers as well.  St Georges Hill has a few roads like this and walkers are on them.  Doesn't Liphook have a road on the 9th?  Kington too has a road cutting across its Road Hole (5  ), I see walkers there sometimes. 


Ciao

[James Boon]

Sean,

Yes plenty of examples of roads as well. I remember visiting Wentworth as a kid to watch the PGA Championship and being surprised by the number of roads crossing holes.

The scariest experience of a road was on a foggy day driving around the hills above Teignmouth in Devon (like a bit of Dartmoor that got cut off) when I suddenly noticed I was crawling slowly on a road through the golf course, so I speeded up a little bit to get out of there!

I dont want to jump ahead of Robin on this one, but I think its clear that public roads and footpaths, even common land, can work through golf courses, but these are mainly examples that have existed for a good number of years. Would it be so easy to build a new course with public footpaths and roads crossing the course in this health and safety obsessed, litigious society?

Cheers,

James

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