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 and asylums.

The Royal Commission on the Ancient and 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 photos of more than 500 current playing courses on the Scottish mainland, including Gleneagles, host to the 2014 Ryder Cup.

The photos can now be viewed online - on the Britain from Above website and on Canmore, the national database on the built environment of Scotland - alongside other records such as historic photographs, original designs for courses and club houses, and recent photography of a number of significant buildings connected to the sport in Scotland.

Speaking on behalf of RCAHMS, curator Clare Sorensen said: "Golf is an important part of many people's lives in Scotland whether they play for fun or gain their living from it.

"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.

"Historical records and photographs might be the only evidence, although a few leave traces of their designs in the landscape that we can photograph from the air.

"There are also new clubs and courses being created around the country; clearly the historic links with the sport of golf in Scotland continues to this day.

"We're hoping that people will help us build up the national record in the Canmore or Britain from Above websites sharing information about their own golf clubs and clubhouses, and any historic and modern photographs that they might have."

The "lost" courses include Roan Head course on the island of Flotta in Orkney, which was built and maintained by the navy around the First World War.

Each big ship designed and constructed a hole, with one battleship spending more than £70 to source turf from a famous Scottish golf course.

Another was the 1920s private golf course at Hill of Tarvit Mansionhouse in Fife, which was recreated by the National Trust and reopened in 2008.

Only hickory golf clubs and replica 1920s golf balls are used, enabling the modern player to experience how different golf was in the early 20th century.

There was also a course at Leverndale Hospital in Glasgow which would have been constructed as a recreation facility for staff and patients.

Most of it is now waste ground while the eastern section has been lost under a housing development.