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Has there ever been a better era for oceanfront golf course sites?
Jonathan Cummings:
I believe that Frank Casey (Rosapenna) told us recently at the Renaissance Cup that St Patrick's was likely the last seaside course that will be built in Ireland. Just too hard to get approvals.
Speaking of seaside here's a related fact that was eye-opening for me. Of the around 35,000 or so golf courses worldwide only about 275 are considered links courses - none in N America.
Tom_Doak:
--- Quote from: Jonathan Cummings on November 27, 2022, 04:14:26 AM ---I believe that Frank Casey (Rosapenna) told us recently at the Renaissance Cup that St Patrick's was likely the last seaside course that will be built in Ireland. Just too hard to get approvals.
Speaking of seaside here's a related fact that was eye-opening for me. Of the around 35,000 or so golf courses worldwide only about 275 are considered links courses - none in N America.
--- End quote ---
As noted above, E.U. environmental regulations generally forbid development on untouched dunes land / links ground, and Ireland is, of course, still part of the E.U. The only reason St. Patrick's was permitted is that there was a golf course on the property when the E.U. was formed and they drew their red lines on the map, and they drew the line right around the fence line of St. Patrick's. The dune blowouts to the right of the first and third holes [inland from the golf course] are on dunes land that is protected from development!
As to your statistic, if Bandon Dunes and Pacific Dunes aren't links courses, then neither are a fair number of courses in the U.K. and Ireland that everyone calls links. The 7th at Ballybunion and the 4th at Pacific Dunes are essentially the same hole; I don't know why one would be a links and the other not, except to try and rule out an American course.
Thomas Dai:
There exist 'lessor' seaside courses in the UK which with a bit of will, imagination and business nouse could be upgraded to something much more significant via a 'deal' with the membership/owners. There are also holiday camps/caravan sites in some superb dunes with a golf course of dubious spec on site that could be purchased by a developer or a 'deal' done with the owner. There are also MoD camp sites, many largely unused, next to the seaside or on free draining terrain inland, with dubious spec golf courses already on site.
Where there's a will there's usually a way.
atb
Tom_Doak:
--- Quote from: Thomas Dai on November 28, 2022, 03:13:49 AM ---There exist 'lessor' seaside courses in the UK which with a bit of will, imagination and business nouse could be upgraded to something much more significant via a 'deal' with the membership/owners. There are also holiday camps/caravan sites in some superb dunes with a golf course of dubious spec on site that could be purchased by a developer or a 'deal' done with the owner. There are also MoD camp sites, many largely unused, next to the seaside or on free draining terrain inland, with dubious spec golf courses already on site.
Where there's a will there's usually a way.
--- End quote ---
The UK is no longer part of the E.U., but even when it was, they were specifically exempted from two things their European partners had to abide by: the currency, and the environmental regulations. The UK has always had its own standard for environmental rules and they insisted on sticking with those at the formation of the E.U.
They are not without rules: there are Sites of Special Scientific Interest [SSSI's] instead of Special Areas of Conservation [SAC's] which are the designation for most dunes systems in Europe. But there are quite a few older golf courses in the UK with one or more holes in an SSSI, and at least a couple that have been permitted to build one in recent years. So, yes, it's much more possible you'll see another true links course in the U.K. than in Ireland. But Mike Keiser would be the first to tell you it won't be easy to get permission.
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