Plans Made to Save Historic Golf Course in England

Established in 1869, Northumberland's Alnmouth Village Golf Club is England's oldest nine-hole links and was designed by Mungo Park, winner of the 1874 Open Championship at Musselburgh.

But that story spanning over 150 years could be threatened by coastal erosion. Steve Lockley, representing the club, spoke to ITV Tyne Tees last month and described the situation.

"It's taken away, basically half of our fifth tee green. So we're literally a metre away from losing that entire green if we got another wind and flood of that level again, intensity.

"So it's pretty existential for a golf course. Because we're a nine-hole golf course, we don't want to be an eight-hole golf course."

Storm Babet last October was among the events that tipped the balance, but the community will come together later in 2024 and undertake works that should help to ensure that the course has a future for decades to come.

Local people will repair the groynes - which are structures that form a major part of coastal protection around the UK. The intention behind these works is to encourage sand to build back up and form a defensive barrier against the sea, as Ian Garrett explained to ITV Tyne Tees.

"It will buy time in terms of the impact of the coastal erosion.

"It will allow time to develop a plan that protects the next generation of this village 25, 30, 40, 50 years ahead.

"If we don't do something, then sooner or later this green may be gone. And it will lead to greater issues in terms of the rest of the village."

Alnmouth Village is a treasure that needs to be saved. When he visited last year, Golfshake Ambassador Matt Holbrook reviewed the place and commented: "I had so much fun playing Alnmouth Village. I loved everything about the course, the set up, location, views, history, it really does have it all and a bit more."

Whether it be Fortrose & Rosemarkie, Golspie, or Montrose in Scotland, many of our coastal golf courses are being threatened by the impact of erosion, which, in addition to potentially costing us a superb layout or two, also has significant ramifications for the towns, villages and communities that the courses are part of.

Coastal erosion is a major challenge for authorities throughout the United Kingdom to combat - and golf courses like Alnmouth Village are on the front line of that battle.

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