Climate change threat to St Andrews: Will the home of golf be flooded?!

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How St Andrews might look under water

It has long been appreciated that the British and Irish seaside is under threat from the ocean.

But the future of golf might be in significantly more danger than we have ever quite appreciated.

A new study from olbg.com, which incorporates Midjourney AI and Adobe Firefly, has reimagined golf’s most famous venue based on the most recent research on climate change factors such as storms, hurricanes, rising tides and flooding.

Put simply: the famous Swilkin Burn might soon be the least of the home of golf’s water worries.

Established in St Andrews in 1754, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club is the oldest in the world and has responsibility for some of the most prestigious championships in the sport, most notably the Open Championship.

The town’s Old Course is the most commonly used venue on the Open rota and it sits between the town of St Andrews and the Western Sands beach.

But for how much longer?!

Coastal flooding is already creating erosion in the region which means that many ancient buildings in the town are under threat – and so is the golf course.

According to Golf Sustainable, local partnerships in Scotland have been working on the protection of dune structures for many years because authorities are aware of studies which have predicted that sea levels will rise by 90 centimetres by 2100 with a predicted increase of 14 millimetres a year.

Should global warming continue at anticipated levels, according to a Centre of Expertise for Water study, a lap of the Old Course at the end of this century will quite simply be impossible.

Olbg.com has taken this information and used AI technology to imagine the famous 1st and 18th holes on the Old Course by the end of the 21st century.

And it is something of a frightening prospect.

Of course, many are sceptical of climate change or consider the fears to be over-wrought but maybe we should consider a very real example of changes, man made or otherwise.

Impact showing already

Take Royal Troon – home of this year’s Open.

Insiders at the course revealed that the first, second and third holes, which all run alongside the beach, are under considerable threat from rising sea levels.

The club has already undertaken plans to protect the course in the future.

Moreover, there has already been a direct impact.

The enormous dune to the right of the sixth hole was once one of the finest viewing points on the Open rota, never mind the course itself.

Not any more, however.

The rising sea and changing estuary flow patterns has been battering away at the sand bank and it is now hollowed out making it structurally unsafe.

Fans had to look elsewhere for a good view.

Moreover, Royal Troon is far from alone.

Earlier this year, John Adams, former chairman at Montrose GC, the fifth oldest in the world, told the BBC: “It was envisaged we’d lose maybe one metre, maybe one and a half metres, per year but we’ve just lost seven metres in one year.

“If we lose another seven metres it is on the middle of the fairway. In a decade it is gone and, if it keeps coming, it will go into the town.

“The third tee was moved in 2017 but that has already gone. What’s happening here is literally reshaping the map.”

The sea is not the only threat to golf’s future.

Further threats

Sustainable.Golf is an organisation seeking to guide the sport and has identified the problems.

“Climate change is creating new challenges for the look and playability of golf courses,” it says. That includes: “Heat and drought stress; access to irrigation water; damage from storms, erosion and flooding; evolving pest and disease pressures. Extreme heat is a challenge for players and fans at an increasing number of golf tournaments.

“As the impacts of climate change continue to cause societal concern, disrupting and displacing communities, golf will come under ever greater scrutiny. Golf as a recreation, land-use, and sector will face increasing public pressure to deliver proven net positive impacts to people, the environment and in climate action.”

It does add, however: “Beyond priority efforts to reduce direct emission, golf can also play an important wider role in the global movement.

“As one of the world’s most popular outdoor games, golf can illustrate and communicate the impacts of climate change. As well as helping to highlight environmental risks and impacts, such as coastal erosion and drought, the game can proactively promote the value of nature and climate action to tens of millions of players, staff, and spectators.”

READ MORE:
Six great things to do in St Andrews apart from playing the Old Course

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