COUNTLESS GOLF balls have been lost to the sea at golf courses along the coast, but in Co Meath the members of one club have a far more serious problem because they are losing part of their course to the sea.
Part of the course at the Laytown pitch and putt club is literally lying on the sand. According to club treasurer Maureen Reynolds, if action is not taken quickly, "I can see it disappearing".
Large parcels of grass are clearly visible lying the wrong side of a fence erected in a vain attempt to keep the dune erosion at bay.
"We are losing a bit more every year and once the tides are high and the winds are strong, it just eats into the course," Ms Reynolds adds. In places, parts of the green are "hanging like a clothes line" near the posts of the fence. Elsewhere the grass is literally sitting on top of the sods "with nothing underneath".
The land is leased from Meath County Council. It says it has made a submission on coastal erosion to the Department of the Marine to have a full study of the situation in east Meath carried out, but "there is no indication of anything being done in the near future".
Meath Senator Dominic Hanni- gan is warning that global warm- ing could make things worse.
"We're told that the impact of climate change will be that the number of heavy storms will increase. The storm that caused this latest damage is a wake-up call telling us that something must be done to defend our coast - that means more government action and more resources."
He says the club members are "waging a constant battle with the elements to protect the course."
Ms Reynolds says that apart from the football pitch, the club is the only other amenity in the area and its loss would affect the entire community.
Mr Hannigan adds: "It's a clear message that unless we protect our coast with proper defences, then organisations, businesses and families are going to suffer from the effects of erosion."
