1 WELCOME Since we started publishing Golf Course Architecture in 2005, we have travelled the world looking at golf course projects. The only continent we haven’t reported from is Antarctica. While we understand that makeshift layouts are occasionally crafted at its research stations, we don’t expect to be visiting there any time soon. Golf participation numbers have spiked in many different countries, and this has been reflected by a significant number of new golf courses, large-scale renovations and restorations. But until recently, these have mostly been in the United States. In the UK, where the GCA team is based, there has always been much less money in golf. A few years ago, we reported on the very large renovation project at Loch Lomond in Scotland, and commented that it was by some distance the most expensive renovation in UK golf. At the time, it seemed like a one-off. But in the last year or two, across the UK and Ireland, a considerable number of significant golf projects – new courses, renovations and even a few genuine restorations – have sprung up. In recent issues we have covered new course openings at both Cabot Highlands and Trump International in Scotland, as well as major redesigns in England and Ireland. But there are still many more on the horizon, as our main feature in this issue shows. British golf is on the up! Britain in boom ADAM LAWRENCE
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