It has been the much cherished home of golf for more than six centuries, attracting players and tourists from all around the world. But not even the hallowed fairways of St Andrews are immune from the growing threat of climate change. Now, the charitable trust that oversees world-famous golf courses in the Fife town has detailed extensive efforts it has undertaken to tackle coastal erosion. In a major project that involves tens of thousands of tonnes of sand, thousands of Christmas trees and a flock of hardy Hebridean sheep, the St Andrews Links Trust has been rebuilding the dunes protecting its courses as part of what it described as a “nature based and hybrid engineered” initiative. The trust, established by legislation in 1974 to manage, maintain and preserve the golf courses and facilities on behalf of the people of St Andrews and the golfers who visit, has been devoting its efforts to the sand dunes along the estuary side of the Outhead peninsula and its Jubilee course. The dunes were previously restored in 2008. but inspections found they had become unstable in recent years, particularly following storm surges during the winter of 2023, which were among the worst on record. Work began last month to stabilise the defences using 28,5000 tonnes of sand to build a new 200m dune, enhancing what is already the biggest and longest-running dune restoration project in Scotland. It is due to be completed in April. According to the trust, the project has also restored a recognised potential flood corridor, protecting important coastal grasslands and minimising storm-driven damage to grasslands. Neil Coulson, the trust’s chief executive, 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 pro-actively 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.” The trust has also maintained pedestrian access points through the dunes, and deployed Hebridean sheep to support coastal biodiversity. Residents in St Andrews and Fife also helped out, bringing old Christmas trees which were thatched into support for vulnerable dunes. Ranald Strachan, lead West Sands ranger, said: “Our coastal management activity is about being pro-active 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.” In what was described as a “strategic investment,” the ongoing threat posed by coastal erosion saw the trust spend £3.5 million last year to acquire 70 acres of agricultural land adjoining its Eden course.