Could the great golf dunes disappear?

[Robert Thompson]

As a follow to the thread about which courses had the best dunes, it got me to wondering how many of the great links courses are legitimately threatened. This stems largely from my experience at Royal Montrose, where part of the dune that runs along the ocean is disappearing.
Even inland courses, like Cape Breton's Highlands, is seeing some erosion (on third and fifth holes), as well as the walk along the 12th, where the river has carved into the foot path.
Give it another couple of decades and are courses like Turnberry likely to be forced to take Pebble Beach-like measures to protect their tees and seaside greens from slipping into the ocean?

[JohnV]

Ballybunion has had to take measures in the past to save holes.

In the end, the sea (and rivers) will carve up some courses and will  deposit sand in other places making land new courses.

If global warming is real and goes to the extreme some have described, it won't matter since they will all be under water.

[ForkaB]

In geological time, yes, they most certainly will.  I doubt if the current landforms of any links courses are more than 10,000 years old.

A lot of links (e.g. Ballybunion, Portmarnock(I think), Dornoch)are fighting coastal erosion  today.  It will be a tough and ultimately losing battle.  Those courses that have high dunes between the courses and the sea (e.g. Western Gailes, Prestwick, Turnberry) are likely to last the longest.

I suspect that Pebble is fairly easy to protect, as it is built on bedrock and not sand.

[Sean_A]

The course that is seriously under threat is Brancaster.  It surely won't survive a few hundred years!  The water is steadily rising  down loads the East coast of England.

Ciao

Sean

[Robert Thompson]

If I recall correctly, Pebble has spent millions protecting its 18th hole. I wonder how many other courses have the kind of cash needed to protect some of their best holes?

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Like my ill-conceived Dune thread from two weeks ago, this thread here is similar to the Dune series of books--eventually the dunes and the desert disappear and huge oceans and fertile lands evolve to take its place.

Time does evolve all things. I do know this, and anyone that thinks that it all can be preserved is failing to give the Big Man his due--Man plans and God laughs! This is what makes courses like the Old Course such a gift. I'm glad to think that someday people may look back and say, "there once existed...." It will be a rememberance of what we did right and what we did wrong, and how every round of golf should be treated as our last.

And those who can frequent the great golf dunes and enjoy them--what a gift!

[michael j fay]

The Olympic Club in San Francisco is falling into the ocean as we speak. The par three course has been rerouted to accomodate erosion and if I am not mistaken the Ocean course lost a couple of holes a couple of years ago.

Apparently the California Coastal Commission is unfazed by this development and the situation is complicated by the fact that the facility is in more than one municipality.

The Ballybunion Old was saved through he raising of funds through the sale of "Overseas Memberships" back in the '80's.

[ian]

This is a common theme the more you think about it.

I thought St. Andrew's had series issues at one time, around the time Chariot's of Fire was shot on the beach near by. I'm fairly certain there was extensive work done by the beach back then.

In the history of Royal County Down there are photos of the coastal protection measures shown and talked about in the book.

Cypress Point was in the process of rebuilding the 17th green edge wall when I played there in 1991, it had been damaged by a storm.

There are erosion fences by the 6th green at Royal Troon in 1989, probably still there.

I remember erosion fence in the cycledrome(?) bunker in front of the 2nd tee at Pacific Dunes before it opened.

There must be 100's of situations the more you think about the combination of wind and water.

[Robert Thompson]

Tommy: Ill-conceived, eh?

Anyway, it struck me, while standing on what remained of a tee deck at Montrose, that a number of what we consider great golf courses punctuated by amazing dunes, will, as you clearly point out, disappear in time. It'll be a shame -- because I don't think we are going to be able to build any new ones.

In Canada, the great dunes course was Stanley Thompson's Green Gables in PEI. But Robbie Robinson reworked the course away from the dunes, losing most of the charm and character in the process. The dunes are still there -- and you can even see where the holes once ran.

Robert

[Jack_Marr]

The Island Royal Dublin is on is growing every year.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Rob,

I'm fascinated with Green Gables. I recall seeing some old photos somewhere that looked really, really impressive. Unfortunately I didn't make time to go see the course in person last time I was at PEI.

This is a course that might have been really good in the past. I'd like to know more about its history.