Your readers need to know that at the Old Course, and many other Scotland courses, the TOWN owns the land and the GOLF CLUB maintains and runs the course. There's generally a "gentleman's agreement" that the Golf Club will keep the golf fees very reasonable for town residents (the owners) and members, but be able to charge visitors (and golfers from out of country) higher fees to pay for maintenance and to keep members' fees low. The Old Course arrangement included the agreement that the course could be used as a St Andrews public park on Sundays, with the understanding that people would stay off the greens and out of the bunkers and areas requiring maintenance. In Scotland, the home of golf, most people honor those restrictions. In the US, where your fairway is my dirtbike showplace, that's not such a workable arrangement.
Hope you get to play the Old Course some time - it's a fun experience.
https://markspitzerdesigns.wordpress.com/category/golf-scotland/st-andrews-old-course/ and even includes a miniature course that's fun to play -
https://markspitzerdesigns.wordpress.com/category/golf-scotland/the-himalayas/
and a town that's worth a visit as well.

I do not understand why a golf course has to close and become a park when it would be wiser and safer to leave it as a golf course. Golfers have respect for a golf course, are ready to pay to keep the course well maintained and can social distance just as well as anyone using the course as a park. As shown in one video where they are kicking a ball on a green, some "free " park users do not respect the course and as you see on the sideline the spectators are not even keeping a social distance.

Private property is to be respected by non-owners. If a course is privately owned the owners have every right to protect their property. The golfers who play there pay for the maintenance and upkeep through their greens fees. Non-golfers have absolutely no right to set foot on this property and should be prosecuted if they do so. Courses owned by a municipality are part of the public domain since the tax payers 'own' the property. The non-golf usage is harder to control. But, the property, when it is not being used for its intended purpose should still be respected the same as any municipal property would be protected.

No definitely not. There will always be the minority who trash everywhere they go. Members of clubs have paid for thousands of man hours to maintain the condition of their course. Most people respect this but not everyone does.

i would imagine that those golf coarse walkers are too lazy to keep there own space and gardens in tip top condition. there for rely on other people to pay for there enjoyment. same old story no respect for other peoples hard work.time to let the green keepers have the power to march them off the coarse

Couple of things about your article,picture shows horses and riders on the old course,they are not on the fairways they are on a track that leads to the beach where they exercise their horses,it's the track over the eighteenth fairway at st Andrews old course,
Correct that we have the right to roam in Scotland laws,however it is abused by walkers and particularly dog walkers,they have the right of access to go from point a to b,ie to cross land not to wander aimlessly around the course and let their dogs of the leash to chase the wildlife and mess up the bunkers,I have nothing against dog walkers I have two dogs myself so appreciate they need exercise,there are however no shortage of parks and walks in Edinburgh where dog walkers are welcome,

Alan

Give everyone access to your home, your refrigerator, your car, your family members and then perhaps you will truly understand what "private property" means. Once the government convinces you that you can no longer have use of your private property then it is that much easier for them to take it away from you.

The facilities would become campgrounds for the homeless within 24 hours

if you don't golf i see where this is easy to understand , but for the golfers out there we understand the work it take's to maintain this great game of golf that most people could not begin to phantom the work that go's into the ground keepers job and keeping it look this way, so find the park not the golf course for other than golf period.

Anyone else here see a huge disconnect in CA policy when all these people can walk this course (as a "park") yet golfers are not allowed?! Anyone else tired of Draconian government overreach? The question is rhetorical.