ABSTRACT
Golf courses have been a significant part of the Scottish landscape for two hundred years. They occupy approximately 45,000 acres(Fig.1). In recent years, a new phase of golf course development with associated hotels and housing, which is closely linked to the worldwide growth in golf-related tourism, has produced possible conflicts between recreation (tourism) and conservation interests. It will be demonstrated in this paper that with reference to the actual golf courses, recreation and conservation interests can be reconciled and that the game of golf and the course on which it is played are ‘environmentally friendly’. Conflicts only arise with regard to the areas of land around a golf course which are used for the construction of hotels, housing, business parks and other facilities. There are 34 such developments either under construction or on the drawing board, in Scotland. In order to put these proposed developments into perspective it is necessary to examine the growth and environmental impact of golf in Scotland during the past 200 years.
