- Bloomberg
SCOTLAND: Ali Massey sizes up her shot into the 12th green at Brora Golf Club – slight breeze, 130 yards to the hole.
Maybe a seven-wood, she thinks.
Except that there’s a hairy Highland cow sitting in the way, and a calf.
“This is one of the things that makes Brora so very special,” she says. “It’s fun.”
Manoeuvring a small ball past cattle and sheep is one of the unexpected hurdles of playing golf on this stretch of seaside turf of northeastern Scotland.
But it’s a challenge that’s set to end next year if a motion passes at a special meeting next week.
One of a handful of clubs in Britain that allows farm animals to roam the course, Brora is trying to balance the rising cost of running a remote club with growing its brand to rival bigger venues.
Ending those grazing rights would, according to general manager David Gemmell, allow the club to enhance the course and ultimately boost revenue.
The initial cost of doing so: £150,000 in legal fees and compensation to local farmers.
It forms part of an issue that golf is grappling with across the world – how to get more people playing a game that is intrinsically difficult and expensive, but keep enticing them back whether they’re a beginner or a pro.
It’s a live talking point in Scotland, where the game has been played for centuries by rich and poor alike.
But now, visitors from North America will pay top dollar to walk the rumpled fairways of premium courses like Trump International near Aberdeen or St Andrews down the eastern coast.
For many venues, the equation is simple. One US tourist will pay more for 18 holesof golf – and will probably hire a caddie – than a local member playing with three guests.
Beyond Brora, courses such as Machrihanish Dunes are happy to keep their beasts chomping away at the long grass.
Located on the Scottish southwest coast, cattle and sheep were on the links when the club initially leased the course from a local farmer.
Today, it’s on a mission to increase their population.
“They were here first,” course manager James Parker said.
“We’re very much a nature reserve that facilitates golf, not a golf course that imposes ourselves on nature.”
Beyond serving as natural lawnmowers at Machrihanish Dunes, the sheep are a crucial cog in the ecosystem.
Wildflowers, including rare orchids and daisies, flourish in the freshly grazed areas around the course.
While this approach leaves the track less manicured than some golfers would like, the unspoiled landscape is pivotal to its appeal.
“It has this aura about it,” said Greg Sherwood, president of Southworth Golf which oversees Machrihanish Dunes.— Bloomberg
