The British Open was on television this morning and the announcers referred several times to it being a links course.\u00a0
I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019ve never played on a true links course. I\u2019ve played on a few courses that claim to be links, call themselves \u201clinks-style,\u201d or even have the word links in their name.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The term links derives from the Old English word hlinc, meaning rising ground or ridge and refers to sandy areas along a coast. True link courses are mostly found in Scotland, Ireland and England. The course must be along the coast with sandy soil underneath.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Links golf is where the game was founded \u2014 the sandy soil was perfect for the game and not much good for anything else. The land wasn\u2019t of any use for agriculture, so some other use needed to be found for it. The sandy soil drains well, keeping the ground firm \u2014 which is good for a golf course.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019ve watched the Open, you can see the course has plenty of dunes and pretty much no trees, and the bunkers are pot bunkers, not the larger, sprawling \u201cAmerican\u201d style bunkers. And this morning\u2019s round made it apparent, maybe because of the lack of trees and being by the water, wind plays a big factor on these courses.\u00a0
I read somewhere that some golf course designers are starting to try to replicate some of the features on their newer courses on land that, technically, doesn\u2019t meet the definition of links.
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The British Open was on television this morning and the announcers referred several times to it being a links course.\u00a0I\u2019m pretty sure I\u2019ve never played on a true links course. I\u2019ve played on a few courses that claim to be … Continue reading