HOW MANY GOLF COURSES ARE THERE IN BRITAIN?
The number has been increasing, and currently stands at about 2,500. There was a real boom period in the early 1990s, with a lot of people taking up the game. In theory, you could knock up a tee, stick a flag in a hole, and call it a course. But practically speaking, it takes a couple of years to have things looking neat and tidy. And you probably need 100 acres for a decent 18-hole course. Golfers interested in architecture, and good at geography, are best suited to taking up professional design – one or two college courses involve golf course architecture. Several firms specialise in designing golf courses, and also take on trainees.
