Best Parkland courses

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sunshine

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It certainly starts and finishes like a parkland (and a stunning one at that), there's just that bit in the middle which looks different and lacks the tree lining. Its got characteristics of other types of track during those holes.

You're lucky to have played it! Very jealous! Was so impressed by it when I went to LIV last year.

You mentioned LIV, the usual suspects will be along soon to tell us Centurion is a better course than anything on PGA or DP world tour. 🤣
 

Jason.H

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You mentioned LIV, the usual suspects will be along soon to tell us Centurion is a better course than anything on PGA or DP world tour. 🤣

I’ve not played it though used to live half a mile away. When I watched the LIV event there on tv you could hear the constant noise from the nearby M1. Personally I wouldn’t find that relaxing.
 

D-S

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There are not enough categories to define golf courses. All we have is Links, Heathland and Parkland (and perhaps Moorland). For me Parkland courses have large old trees, sweeping fairways ands are relatively open (i.e. not densely tree lined) - they are not everything that is not Links and Heathland.
The description Parkland cannot describe modern, water strewn, with moundings either side of the fairways such as 2010 at Celtic Manor or Clifftop courses such as Thurlestone or hilltop courses like Cleeve Hill or even the vast number of newer courses built on farmland with small copses and hedges. It also doesn’t describe the densely tree lined courses such as Ross on Wye.
 

evemccc

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Well I am not claiming expertise in parkland and think our own individual definitions are obviously slightly different to the next persons, but to me Ross On Wye is the ‘most parkland’ course I’ve played

Isn’t the type of grass / soil / turf important in course-classifying? Lush grass (the type you’d find in a park) - not springy turf or sandy soil - obviously indicated parkland, irrespective of trees?
 

D-S

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Well I am not claiming expertise in parkland and think our own individual definitions are obviously slightly different to the next persons, but to me Ross On Wye is the ‘most parkland’ course I’ve played
Ross on Wye is carved out of a forest so for me (and of course this is just my point of view) this is a lot different to a Park. A Park for me is something that surrounds NT properties, sweeping views, large trees and maybe the occasional lake a sort of take on the idyllic countryside that Capabilty Brown would charge you a fortune for. A pretty good place to site a golf course as it has natural hazards and ready made broad avenues between trees.
 

sunshine

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Is the heritage at London golf club parkland? It felt like a parkland anyway….
I'd definitely class both courses at the London Club as parkland.

They probably have some marketing guff about inland links. Generally any course that mentions inland links is talking rubbish (there are probably a tiny number of exceptions).
 

IanM

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At the margins, I am not overly bothered about the definitions! :ROFLMAO:

I played Ross on Wye on Wednesday. It wasn't a links, it wasn't a heath or moorland, so what shall we call it? :ROFLMAO: Although, having been a member at Bowood for 10 years (Capability Brown, then Dave Thomas showed up) I understand the point D-S is making.
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Lilley Brook GC and Chesterfield GC. Both very nice parkland tracks. Though tbh honest I’ve not played that many ‘true’ parkland courses.
 

sunshine

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There is a lot of snobbishness around parkland courses in Britain. All the top ranked courses are links / heathland, so are all the poshest courses. A posh parkland course is usually a bit "nouveau" e.g. Centurion.

In the US, all the top ranked courses are parkland. If you look at any global ranking it is dominated by US parkland courses like Augusta, Oakmont, Pebble etc.
 

Bdill93

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There is a lot of snobbishness around parkland courses in Britain. All the top ranked courses are links / heathland, so are all the poshest courses. A posh parkland course is usually a bit "nouveau" e.g. Centurion.

In the US, all the top ranked courses are parkland. If you look at any global ranking it is dominated by US parkland courses like Augusta, Oakmont, Pebble etc.

From looking through websites etc its quite clear British courses don't like to call themselves Parkland even if they are :ROFLMAO:

No idea why either - my favourite holes are always those tight ones lined with big mature trees (plus a few additional hazards around)
 

IanM

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There is a lot of snobbishness around parkland courses in Britain. All the top ranked courses are links / heathland, so are all the poshest courses. A posh parkland course is usually a bit "nouveau" e.g. Centurion.

I wonder if the rankings are more to do with the impact of the subsoil on the conditioning in the UK? Bowood is a soggy as anything for 4-5 months of the year, while a Hankley Common is bone dry! (mostly)
 
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