Rare-breed sheep, sand, Christmas trees are protecting St. Andrews from coastal erosion
St. Andrews is to use a mix of rare-breed sheep, more than 31,000 tons of sand and 6,500 Christmas trees to protect the Home of Golf from coastal erosion.
The work is being done as part of its ongoing coastal management activity with its defence retreating in recent years.
The sand will be used to rebuild dunes that protect the famous golf courses. It is part of restoration work by St. Andrews Links Trust, which has seen a range of steps taken to safeguard the courses and surrounding area.
It is keen to protect link golf courses from climate-driven impacts and the trust employs a team to monitor change and delivery solutions across the coast, including the West Sands beach.
The new plan is nature-based solutions and includes reviewing options and taking direct action to strengthen sand dunes at earliest risk of erosion, restoring coastal grasslands to maximum natural health, deploying Hebridean sheep to support coastal biodiversity, raise land for future protection and actively engage with St. Andrews and Fife residents to bring their old Christmas trees to be thatched into support for vulnerable dunes.
The dunes along the estuary side of the Outhead peninsula and Jubilee course were restored in 2008 but have become unstable in recent years, particularly following storms in the winter of 2023 and 2024.
Work began in February this year to stabilize defenses and is scheduled for completion in early April.
The sand is being used to build a new 650-foot dune, which is already the biggest and longest-running dune project in Scotland.
Although this work will stabilize the sand dunes, it is accepted that this will require repetition to hold the shoreline in the future, given this project is within an active erosion zone. This project is designed to give the Links Trust time to take adaptive measures and to define a long term strategy.
Neil Coulson, chief executive of St. Andrews Links Trust, said: 'At the Home of Golf we take our responsibility as the custodians of not just the Old Course, but our other world famous courses extremely seriously.
'That's why we are proactively working to ensure we find solutions for problems that links courses around the world may face in the not too distant future.
'We know that coastal erosion is a challenge, but from employing our team of rangers to implementing our plan and working with others to find solutions, we are leading the way in ensuring a future for links golf.'
Ranald Strachan, Lead West Sands Ranger, said: 'Our coastal management activity is about being proactive in ensuring a sustainable future for our world famous golf courses, but also for the surrounding communities too.
'When it comes to coastal erosion, it's not just links courses at risk. That is why it's important that we lead the way in St. Andrews and support others to get ahead of issues which could cause serious problems in years to come.
'By taking a range of nature-based solutions and working with agencies in Scotland and beyond, we are using traditional and innovative approaches to safeguard this historic venue and prepare it for the future.'
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: St. Andrews protected from coastal erosion by sheep, Christmas trees
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