Golf club moves its tees due to coastal erosion

By Alistair March 21, 2021 07:02 Updated

A golf club in Great Yarmouth is moving its tees further inland after sand dunes supporting the course collapsed due to coastal erosion.

The cliffside supporting Gorleston Golf Club began to break away earlier this month, according to local reports.

Erosion has been an issue for the club for many years, and contingency plans following the landslide are already underway.

Club captain Fred Simeons said: “The safety of visitors and members” was paramount when golf resumes on March 29.

He said: “We have already planned for this situation by introducing new tees and a fairway approach to the 16th hole which will be away from the cliff and will utilise the old practice ground.

“On the 5th hole there’s greater difficulty as we cannot move the fairway away from the cliff, but the management committee are looking at the safest way to play the hole.”

He added that as far as the sea defences were concerned there was “no funding available” to repair them.

Gorleston Golf Club in 2020. Image from Facebook

“In the longer term we will be developing the land we previously purchased towards the A47 once a final plan is drawn up and budgets agreed,” he said.

“This could be four to five years away from completion.”

In the meantime, however, the club is confident members can continue golfing largely uninterrupted when the sport welcomes back its devotees.

“The course is very much in play,” he said. “The cliff erosion on these two holes in particular is continually being monitored by the committee and actions will be taken to ensure golfers can continue to play safely.”

Footage of the cliff collapse can be seen here.

Recently, Royal North Devon Golf Club lost so much land due to coastal erosion that it has had to modify three of its holes, and Royal Dornoch Golf Club underwent a three-year project to help restore a natural coastal defence, which has stabilised its similar situation.