Links, and Real Links, golf courses

Sandwlch

Watching the open this weekend I was struck by how flat St Georges looked. Yes its undoubtedly links, and yes its fairways and greens have all the little humps and bumps that you wont find on a parkland.

But a real links course is one whose holes snake through sand dunes. For me, the likes of European, Ballybunion, Enniscrone, Portrush, County Down, are the real links courses. The flatter 'cousins' may be great to play golf on, but are inferior to the real thing - dunes links courses.

Does Britain not have a few of those on which to play The Open (of the Open courses St Andrews is the flattest of the lot, Troon is not much better, Lytham similar, Turnberry is pretty good, and Carnoustie a strange mix, Muirfield I dont remember) ? Dornoch I think is famed for its dunes but is too far from civilisation to host an open.

Anyone else think playing though valleys of sand dunes is where links golf is really at ?

DH2K9

It's hardly flat when there are so many blind shots at Royal St. Georges.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12040_7028406,00.html

Opics

Royal St. Georges is anything but flat. In fact, it's the complete opposite.

Kace

They were discussing Seve and Links golf during the BBC commentary over the weekend and told a story about when Seve arrived to play in his first Open Championship.

Not sure what the venue was but he arrived at the clubhouse, looked around and then turn to his caddy and said - "where's the course".

Brought a smile to my face.

Kevinmarkham

Sandwlch wrote: »

But a real links course is one whose holes snake through sand dunes. For me, the likes of European, Ballybunion, Enniscrone, Portrush, County Down, are the real links courses. The flatter 'cousins' may be great to play golf on, but are inferior to the real thing - dunes links courses.

Hmmm, 'real' links courses come in all shapes and sizes. Clearly, like me, you prefer the big dunes to the shallower, undulating variety, but Royal St. George's is nothing like as 'flat' as Royal Dublin/St.Anne's. It looked absolutely terrifying at times.

The British Golf Museum defines "links" as coastal strips of land between the beaches and the inland agricultural areas. Links land is based on sandy soil, and the dunes' size simply depends on the winds and shape of the land.

Sandwlch wrote: »

Does Britain not have a few of those on which to play The Open (of the Open courses St Andrews is the flattest of the lot, Troon is not much better, Lytham similar, Turnberry is pretty good, and Carnoustie a strange mix, Muirfield I dont remember) ? Dornoch I think is famed for its dunes but is too far from civilisation to host an open.

Considering how many links courses there are in GB, The Open is only played at 9 venues:
Royal Birkdale
Royal Lytham & St Anne's
Royal St. George's
Hoylake/Royal Liverpool
Turnberry
Muirfield
Carnoustie
Royal Troon
St. Andrew's (every 5 years)

The last time it was played anywhere else... was at Royal Portrush in 1951. Don't you think that Darren, Rory and G-Mac are giving the R&A a clear hint!

The_Architect

Sandwlch wrote: »

Watching the open this weekend I was struck by how flat St Georges looked. Yes its undoubtedly links, and yes its fairways and greens have all the little humps and bumps that you wont find on a parkland.

But a real links course is one whose holes snake through sand dunes. For me, the likes of European, Ballybunion, Enniscrone, Portrush, County Down, are the real links courses. The flatter 'cousins' may be great to play golf on, but are inferior to the real thing - dunes links courses.

One of the stranger comments.

St Georges is the most undulating of all nine courses currently on The Open rota. It is big and bold in almost every sense. Perhaps Birkdale has bigger dunes but the golf at Birkdale is a lot, lot flatter than at Sandwich being that most holes play through flat bottomed valleys.

Undulation is what makes links golf great and St.Georges has plenty of it.

Most of the links in Scotland and England have lower, rippling terrain. Ireland is the sole case where dunes golf is in the majority. High dunes do not necessarily make better golf, even if they do provide an immediate impact to the first time visitor.

Jul3s

Kace wrote: »

They were discussing Seve and Links golf during the BBC commentary over the weekend and told a story about when Seve arrived to play in his first Open Championship.

Not sure what the venue was but he arrived at the clubhouse, looked around and then turn to his caddy and said - "where's the course".

Brought a smile to my face.

Yeah that comment was about Royal St. George's.

Morrisseeee

If you want 'dunes' you should play the Cashen course in Ballybunion, especially the par 5 15th, unreal

Johnny_Fontane

Royal County Down apparently cant hold it due to the lack of space for spectators and all the other stuff that goes with an open championship....