Golf continues to grow across Europe. The demand from those wanting to take up the game continues to fuel the development of new facilities – ranging from the large scale golf and leisure resorts, to low cost pay and play, to proprietor owned facilites which mix public access with members clubs, to low cost accessible short courses, driving ranges, and even to short courses designed specifically for children.

Golf development is often valued for its role in economic development – as a core part of tourism strategies for regions, but also as a valuable form of rural diversification.  If well planned and managed, golf developments can also be beneficial community resources and enhance local environmental quality.

Golf developments now have to go through more formal assessments of their economic, social and environmental impacts, to make sure positive elements are maximised, and negative impacts are avoided, minimised and/or mitigated against.

It will be increasingly the case in the future, as land use planning, zoning and development control become tighter, that golf development proposals which integrate the best package of economic, social and environmental benefit will be most likely to succeed and prosper.

For more information refer to the links page