HUNDREDS of "lost" Scottish golf courses have been recorded as part of a new project.

More than 250 courses have disappeared over the last century because they have relocated, been forced to close or were redesigned.

They include military golf courses, private courses attached to country houses and those connected to hotels.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient & Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) has recorded 250 of the courses as part of a project to establish a comprehensive database on Scotland's landscape.

It has also recently been taking high-quality aerial digital photographs of more than 500 current playing courses on the Scottish mainland, including Gleneagles, host of the 2014 Ryder Cup.

The pictures can be viewed online - on the Britain from Above website and on Canmore, the national database on the built environment of Scotland.

Speaking on behalf of RCAHMS, curator Clare Sorensen said: "Although the last few years have sadly seen some of Scotland's smaller clubs and courses close down, this is not a new phenomenon and we can see that there are over 250 sites throughout Scotland where golf was once played, but no longer is."