Royal North Devon Told To Cease Coastal Erosion Efforts

Thanks to reader Chris for Robert Booth's Guardian piece detailing the bad news about England's oldest course.

As coastal erosion accelerates, the seventh and eighth holes at the 144-year-old Royal North Devon Golf Club near Westward Ho! could disappear as early as next year, according to senior club members.

But there is frustration that Natural England, a government agency, has ordered the club to stop "potwalloping", the practice of holding back coastal erosion by rounding up local people twice a year to replace by hand the stones which have been washed away.

The agency said the coast must be allowed to erode in a "managed realignment" because continued human intervention will alter the way the sea naturally interacts with the sand dunes in an area of special scientific interest.

There are also concerns that diverting the tidal flow could expose an old landfill site further along the coast, which is thought to contain tonnes of asbestos.

Until this year, the banks of the windswept links were disappearing at a rate of about a metre a year, with the pebble ridge which defends the course retreating 50 metres between 1947 and 2000. Fierce storms earlier this year tore a 27-metre chunk off the exposed tip of the course and the unstable land has since continued to crumble, leaving the eighth hole 18 metres from the edge.

"If something isn't done to stop it, we will lose a significant portion of the course in the next 12 months," said David Lloyd, a senior club member.

The club web site has more information and you can also read Ran Morrissett's excellent profile here, which includes one of my favorite Mike Miller paintings (linked above as well).

Comments

[GolfbloggerUK]

My son played at Royal North Devon aka Westward Ho! in the British Boys Home Internationals and I had the privilege of walking around this awesome golf course which starts off with a reachable par-5.

There is a public access right away going back centuries and there were horses roaming the 1st fairway and had be cleared incase they were hit by golf balls.

The clubhouse had some very special golfing memoribilia on display.

It is a great shame if nothing is done to preserve England's oldest golf course!!!!

[JackM]

These are the types of wack-a-doodle enviro fascists that want to block Donald...what a pity that enviros view humans as germs to be eliminated.

[Steve Wozeniak PGA]

I wonder if the people that made this decision would think differently if it was their back yard and soon to be home that was washing away?

[Natural England, Golf Course Architects]

Simon Bates, Natural England:

"I think that there is plenty of time and scope to modify the course of the golf course. And indeed it might even increase the challenge of golf in having some new features, some new, perhaps, wetland features as part of it."

[Chuck]

Righty-oh, there Simon! Just call Rees Jones, or maybe Pete Dye, or perhaps Donald Trump, and build two new replacement holes! Or just play 16! What's wrong with 16 holes? Finish in under 3 hours! Work in those "wetland features." Maybe an island green! Or a windmill! How about a windmill where you hit the ball through an opening at the bottom, and golfer is required to time the shot so that it is not deflected by one of the rotating blades! I just thought of that! And the windmill can be utilised as a renewable energy source, to power the Blackberries of all of the environmental reporters who travel to Devon...

[kudzu]

>>Natural England... has ordered the club to stop "potwalloping", the practice of holding back coastal erosion by rounding up local people twice a year to replace by hand the stones which have been washed away....
There are also concerns that diverting the tidal flow could expose an old landfill site further along the coast, which is thought to contain tonnes of asbestos.<<

Maybe they should consider potwalloping the area with all the asbestos.

[Smolmania]

"Potwalloping." What a cool word. I'd like to go potwalloping some day, just because I like the sound of it. . .

[Aunt Blabbie]

Screw 'em, shore up the shore.

[Melvyn Hunter Morrow]

Westward Ho is a very important course in the History of English Golf. Natural England is so full of itself that it will sit by and allowed history to be destroyed.

But then again its par for the British Government, no major votes here to worry about, it’s only our history and culture at stake.

It reminds me of Nero fiddling (in this case counting their guaranteed pensions) while watching Rome (our heritage) burn and washed away.

This is one of the few Old Tom Morris golf courses in England and help should be given help to save it.

[Mervyn Slade]

If man-made interference is the issue let us revert back to when the course was first created and remove the sea defences at Westward Ho!. This would allow the "natural" long shore drift to replenish the stock of pebbles. I believe my grandfather looked into the movement of the pebbles in the sixties when serving on a local council, his conclusion being that there was a need to assist "nature" in this process. Having played on the course for the last 43 years I am aghast at the incoherent stewardship exhibited by a non elected quango. If only the RND had not given up the Lord of the Manor status it once had over the entire Country Park.

[Gaz S]

Simon Bates, your comment shows you to be completely insensitive to the rights and interests of golfers, and the place of this course in English Golf history. If Natural Holland had the same approach, half their country would be under water - but perhaps, according to Mr Bates, that "might even increase the challenge" of where to live and grow their crops! "New features"? Would he UPVC double-glaze Anne Hathaway's Cottage or put a satellite dish on Stonehenge?

It seems like every bit of England's coastline, and especially Devon's, is of "special interest" one way or another. Special interest to Townies and Luddites like Mr Bates, that is. Play is already compromised at other Devon links, from Saunton to Dawlish Warren, allegedly by their desire to save their sand-dune habitats - yet those habitats have been kept as they are for a hundred years or more precisely because of the careful stewardship of the golf clubs. Give them a break, and let them keep England's oldest course just as it is.

[Chuck]

put it into perspective, the golf club isnt important, its not worth spending any money on, its no better than saunton sand golf club or portmore, but its more expensive. how can you rationilise spending millions on a golf course when other places which are more use to society such as fields and houses are not being protected and could be protected for less than the golf course.
also many clubs pay money to put in water features so you should be grateful to get one for free