Coul Links reappears

[Adam Lawrence]

Well, that is a surprise. Mike Keiser said all along that he wasn't interested in an extended planning battle, but after Coul Links was controversially rejected by the Scottish Government in 2020 (after being approved by 16 votes to one by the local council), a local pressure group sprung up resolved to try to revive the project.

Keiser agreed that if they got permission to build the course, he would build it, but that he would not play any part in the planning campaign. Anyway, yesterday, Communities for Coul (C4C) submitted a Scoping Application to Highland Council, a precursor to the submission of a full planning application. And the project has been quite significantly changed. Fairways will not be stripped and seeded but will be mown out of the native dune grasses. Water use will be cut sixfold. No herbicides or fertilisers will be used anywhere except greens and tees. This is Mach Dunes or Askernish-like.

https://www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/content/coul-links-project-resurfaces-with-submission-of-scoping-application

[MCirba]

Very exciting.

[Ken Moum]

Given the likelihood that future golf course projects will need to meet higher standards of environmental sensitivity,  seeing a concept like this in the northern Highlands is encouraging.


I rode a bicycle in those dunes a few years ago and they are beautiful.

[Eric Smith]

Coul! 

[Niall C]

Adam


Thank you for that. They certainly seem to be talking a good game as per the comments in your article. Interesting to see that they have engaged with NatureScot and presumably other statutory consultees but does that mean they are now supportive of what is now proposed or just that they have had a chat ?


Time will tell but it does sound like a more constructive way of doing things compared to the two-fingered approach of the previous application. You mentioned Mike Keiser, but will he be interested given the changes (and the potential development down the coast), and will Coore & Crenshaw be interested in designing it given the limitations ?


As an aside, didn't Mach Dunes have a significant amount of hydroseeding rather purely being mown out ?


Niall 

[Peter Pallotta]

Given the likelihood that future golf course projects will need to meet higher standards of environmental sensitivity,  seeing a concept like this in the northern Highlands is encouraging.

It would be interesting -- not to say ironic -- if what in the end most drives and provides for us the kinds of golf courses we love best is not architecture but activism, not criticism but climate change, not developers but defenders of the realm, and not golf loving world travelers but stay at home busy bodies and nosey parkers with walking sticks and their pet Labs.     

[Adam Lawrence]

Adam

Thank you for that. They certainly seem to be talking a good game as per the comments in your article. Interesting to see that they have engaged with NatureScot and presumably other statutory consultees but does that mean they are now supportive of what is now proposed or just that they have had a chat ?

Time will tell but it does sound like a more constructive way of doing things compared to the two-fingered approach of the previous application. You mentioned Mike Keiser, but will he be interested given the changes (and the potential development down the coast), and will Coore & Crenshaw be interested in designing it given the limitations ?

As an aside, didn't Mach Dunes have a significant amount of hydroseeding rather purely being mown out ?

Niall

I don't recognise your suggestion of a previously two fingered approach, I thought the initial plans were extremely sensible and conciliatory and the decision to refuse planning was a purely political judgment by the SNP/Green coalition.

As I understand it, Mr Keiser is playing no part in the planning campaign but is wholly committed to the course should it be permitted. I assume the same is true of Mr Coore.

I'm not aware of hydroseeding at Mach Dunes; perhaps the greens were. But I wasn't close to the build process. The role of NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) there is an instructive one for the possibilities at Coul. An SNH observer was imposed on Mach Dunes as a condition of planning and it's fair to say the relationship was initially rather one of distrust. However, over time, as the two sides came to know each other better and understand each other's objectives, that relationship has become much closer and more cooperative -- culminating in the planning application for the second course there, which is currently being worked on.

[David_Tepper]

Adam -

Thanks for this update. Will be interesting to see how far this goes, especially given the Green Party is still in the coalition supporting the SNP.

Any news on the Castlecraig/Nigg project?

DT

[Niall C]

Adam,


Not going to fall out with you on how we categorise the previous application but I think you'd agree the developer was fairly uncompromising in the way they didn't really move from their preferred design even after the feedback from the various bodies.


For sure they employed some busy PR agents and highlighted the positives (mainly economic but not entirely) but didn't really address the core concerns the various wildlife and nature bodies had about the land that was being used. Instead of dealing with the issues/concerns they tried to turn it into a popularity contest a la Trump.


On the other hand this revised application, from reading your article, appears to have addressed those issues to a large extent.


Niall   

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks for this Adam. Like the sound of this revised proposal. Mowing-out rather than stripped and seeded sounds  interesting. Ultimately grazed by sheep etc would be nice.
If appropriately handled golf can be nature and environmentally friendly with golfers and the environment in harmony rather than in conflict.
Atb

[Adam Lawrence]

Thanks for this Adam. Like the sound of this revised proposal. Mowing-out rather than stripped and seeded sounds  interesting. Ultimately grazed by sheep etc would be nice.
If appropriately handled golf can be nature and environmentally friendly with golfers and the environment in harmony rather than in conflict.
Atb

Dai -- I think the question of grazing animals is an interesting one. We know there are benefits, but obviously those benefits have to be weighed against the time and expense of removing the deposits they leave!

[Thomas Dai]

It was the Mach’ Dunes example plus Brora up the road from Coul that planted my grazing animal comment, not that the idea is ever far from my thinking on course conditioning, although I appreciate that others aren’t so keen.


Question - has the aspect of animal grazing, really the economics of animal grazing of golf courses, ever been analysed and published? Ie say a £ comparison relating sheep per acre, resale of sheep, shearing, vets bills, elect fences even deposit removal etc vrs how many more men and machines, spare parts, materials and supplies etc are needed to maintain the same area?


Atb

[David_Tepper]

Atb -

To your question about sheep/cattle grazing on course properties, I don't think the grazing animals are in any way the property or the responsibility of the golf club or course operator.

I am pretty sure, at least at Brora, that the animals that graze on the course belong to the farmers/crofters in the area who have historic rights to graze their livestock on that land. All the costs of maintaining the livestock and the revenues that come from selling the livestock on and/or selling their wool are the responsibilities of the crofters/farmers.

I can't imagine any golf club or course operator would want to get into the livestock business, beyond renting grazing rights to the property.

DT       

[Thomas Dai]

Even if they don’t own the critters and irrespective of local grazing right agreements they are effectively already in the livestock business and they likely have responsibilities in relation to animal safety and welfare. In addition, its business and thus ££ too as the critters are on their land and being there is sometimes considered as saving them money and thus reduces subscriptions and greenfees.
How much the ££ saving is is another matter, which is what I was trying to get at in my previous post when asking if there had been any detailed analysis on the matter. There’s likely a financial and operational balance point somewhere between grazed and ungrazed courses, be nice to know more about where that point is and then factor into the debate the various other aspects surrounding grazing on courses whether they be nature and environment related, demand patterns in relation to conditioning etc etc.
Atb

[David_Tepper]

atb -

Tony Gill is the general manager of Brora GC. If anyone is able to address the issues you are raising, he (or the Brora head greenkeeper) is probably a good bet. You could contact him if you are really interested.

Other than saving the time and fairly modest expense of having to mow the rough several times a year, I am not sure that having livestock on the course at Brora saves the club any money at all.

DT

p.s. Well, it appears Tony Gill has retired as Brora's GM. Don't know who has replaced him.

https://broragolfclub.co.uk/news/tony-gill-to-retire-as-brora-seek-new-general-manager

[Jeff Schley]

Kudos to Communities for Coul (C4C) as it is a local movement and public opinion can't demonize any foreign rich American for wanting to develop their land for profits. They are choosing to move this forward and who knows if MK will even end up developing it in the end. I hope this moves forward and in a few years we can go play the course and enjoy it, regardless of the builder or architect.

[Niall C]

Jeff


I might not have been the only critic of the original application on this website but I'd suggest I've been the most vocal so I'll take your comment as being mainly aimed at me. My objection to the original proposal was mainly the way they went about trying to get planning permission and more importantly the nature of the ground they were trying to develop. Frankly I don't give a fuck where the developer is from but I do care about how they act and what they are trying to do.


The way they tried to obtain planning permission for the course and the fact they were trying to develop such an environmentally sensitive site was a huge own goal for golf in this country. Even in a place like Scotland, golf has its critics and the original application just gave them ammunition. What we need is more Dumbarnies and Mach Dunes and less Embo's and Balmedie's. You may wish to note that Dumbarnie and Mach Dunes had US and Aussie developers.


Niall

[Niall C]

Adam,


Re Mach Dunes and hydroseeding - I had a picture in my mind of once seeing a Youtube video of them hydroseeding a fairway and for some reason the figure of 17 acres sticks in my mind. However in recent years I'll learned to distrust my memory so went looking to find some evidence and all I could find was a promo film with DMK where he states something along the lines that the only earth moved was for greens and tees and that they basically just cut the grass for the fairways.


With regards to the new application for Embo, did they share a routing with you ?


Niall 

[Niall C]

David


I think DT is correct about grazing rights at Brora. As charming as it might seem to have sheep and cattle roaming the course I've got to think the club would happily not have them in the same way as most clubs got rid of grazing as soon as they could over a hundred years ago.


I recall asking Jon Wigget about whether he thought about putting sheep on his course as an additional revenue stream as well as a means of keeping down the worst of the rough but as I recall he suggested it wasn't worth the additional hassle of dealing with livestock as well as the investment needed for livestock fencing, water etc.


Niall 

[Adam Lawrence]

The way they tried to obtain planning permission for the course and the fact they were trying to develop such an environmentally sensitive site was a huge own goal for golf in this country. Even in a place like Scotland, golf has its critics and the original application just gave them ammunition. What we need is more Dumbarnies and Mach Dunes and less Embo's and Balmedie's. You may wish to note that Dumbarnie and Mach Dunes had US and Aussie developers.

Silly comparison. Dumbarnie was not a true links site. It was totally shaped and seeded, a normal golf construction. Entirely different to Mach Dunes which was basically a mowout. Dumbarnie is far better compared to Kingsbarns.

[Niall C]

Adam


It's not silly at all. I was commenting on how the developers at Mach Dunes and Dumbarnie went about obtaining planning permission. I'm sure both would have loved to use areas of their respective sites that weren't used. Areas that they would likely have determined wouldn't have been acceptable to the statutory consultees or planners. Can you truthfully say that about Balmedie and Embo ? I don't think so.


Niall

[Thomas Dai]

I had some reservations about this development but if it’s more akin to how I understand Mach’ Dunes was developed then the reservations lesson. Golf’s essentially a simple ball, stick, hole game that with appropriateness, particularly these days expectations, can be played just about anywhere, near anytime. It’s the various paraphernalia, fussiness, stuffiness, standards, expectations etc that surrounds the game where the hassle arises. Time for more K.I.S.S within and around the game?
Atb