Over 3,000 trees are set to be planted on Dalmilling Golf Course in Ayr in the coming months, thanks to funding from NatureScot's Nature Restoration Fund initiative.
The funding will enable South Ayrshire Council's Golf South Ayrshire team to work towards achieving recognised accreditation for Environmental and Sustainability best practice.
A variety of native tree species, in keeping with those already found on the golf course, have been selected alongside trees that will be well suited to future climates.
Planting trees increases the biodiversity of the golf course, and they will capture and store carbon for many decades to come. They will also become a source of food for pollinators and birds, as well as attracting a wider variety of wildlife to the golf course.
Trees are an important part of golf course design, not only to enhance the look of the landscape, but to provide framing for areas such as greens, marking doglegs in fairways, and screening around tees to reduce noise.
The new areas have been carefully selected to enhance the playing of the course and to provide more natural drainage.
Local schools and volunteer groups will assist our Golf South Ayrshire and Sustainable Development teams in planting the trees, and will be given the opportunity to learn more about the important role trees have to play in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Councillor Brian Connolly, South Ayrshire Council's Portfolio Holder for Sport and Leisure said:
"This is fantastic news for Dalmilling golf course. As a parkland golf course, it offers a great opportunity to define the shape of holes using trees. There's also the added benefit of reducing the large areas of the course which are labour intensive to maintain, and this will allow our greenkeepers more time to focus on areas of the course which are important to golfers such as the greens, tees and fairways.
"We've already seen great success from nature restoration projects at some of our other courses, and this further enhances our commitment to ensuring they remain sustainable, playable, and captivating for generations to come."