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Links golf is just soooooo dull

I've stayed out of this 'which type of course is better' argument as it is particularly pointless. To limit yourself to one type of course is a shame, if it's intentional then it's a bit sad.

My course is a bit of a mixture, a front 8 of fairly open parkland changing to heathland for 8 and then back to parkland, I love it. I'm not sure I would enjoy 18 holes of firing the ball down a tree lined tunnel with little else to look at.

I enjoy links golf too, not often (enough) that I play it. The problem is that living in the West of Scotland the all year round playability of the Ayrshire links forces the price up unfortunately.

Last month I played two links courses in Northumberland, stunning; to dismiss all links courses as featureless and a golfing lottery is doing them a disservice; if you really don't fancy it then don't play them - more room on them for those that want to.

Regardless of your opinions on links golf, whoever lifts the claret jug tomorrow will be a true champion - in fact the Champion Golfer of 2013.
 
Iaing said:
A 6 handicapper who offers 'expert' advice.:rofl:
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Somedays I'm in so much pain I can barely walk, but I'm sure your comment is hilarious to some :confused:

My h/cap is what it is, it's been lower but right now I'll take it as it comes. I know enough to contribute.




As far as 'not having a clue' goes, I can see there are other posters in this thread who also 'don't have a clue' as far as your concerned. I expect they don't have h/caps that meet your requirements either.
 
JustOne said:
Watching the best golfers in the world have to land 50yds short and rely on a 'lucky bounce'. What a rubbish game. At least they land on the greens at Augusta (even though they too are super fast).

Empty stands, no feature holes and scores that resemble a monthly medal comp at my gaff and I'm finding the whole process rather boring to watch AGAIN.

Sure I want Tiger to win but this 'teeing off with irons' malarky just isn't the golf that we know and love. Hitting irons off tees is making the whole process even MORE boring, there's actually nothing exciting to watch :confused:
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I have the perfect solution if you feel this way about watching The open.. Watch something else...
 
stevie_r said:
I've stayed out of this 'which type of course is better' argument as it is particularly pointless. To limit yourself to one type of course is a shame, if it's intentional then it's a bit sad.
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I would agree, but the point is that THIS course in particular (and the viewing thereof) is very boring. There are better courses are there not? It's only worth watching because Tiger has a chance and Westwood has a chance. Personally I'd rather see them play at Gleneagles or Loch Lomond as the courses are more exciting, even Lytham was better viewing. I'd be very happy to see them play at Celtic Manor as some of the holes there are fantastic and I'm sure they could tweak it for The Open. I don't know if The Belfry could possibly host it, or Forest of Arden?... but I'm not limiting myself to only liking one particular type of course above all others........ are you??????
 
stevie_r said:
Thanks for sharing - I'm just a bit nosy about fellow forum members clubs :thup:
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No worries, it's a tricky course. 6,300yds par 70 (8 over par won our club champs over 36 holes) go left and you're dead/lost in the rough, go right and you're dead/lost in the rough, apart from the par 3's it's like playing 13 holes with OOB on both sides :angry:
 
JustOne said:
Somedays I'm in so much pain I can barely walk, but I'm sure your comment is hilarious to some :confused:

My h/cap is what it is, it's been lower but right now I'll take it as it comes. I know enough to contribute.




As far as 'not having a clue' goes, I can see there are other posters in this thread who also 'don't have a clue' as far as your concerned. I expect they don't have h/caps that meet your requirements either.
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Don't play the sympathy card!
There's obviously nothing wrong with your fingers to let you post the nonsense that you do!
 
Iaing said:
Don't play the sympathy card!
There's obviously nothing wrong with your fingers to let you post the nonsense that you do!
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I'm not after anyone's sympathy, but would like to know what's wrong with playing off 6?

And just so you know it's actually 6.5 now.... so that's 7 h/cap, and I'll still post in the expert section as I will do when I play off 8, 9, 10 and more.
 
JustOne said:
I would agree, but the point is that THIS course in particular (and the viewing thereof) is very boring. There are better courses are there not? It's only worth watching because Tiger has a chance and Westwood has a chance. Personally I'd rather see them play at Gleneagles or Loch Lomond as the courses are more exciting, even Lytham was better viewing. I'd be very happy to see them play at Celtic Manor as some of the holes there are fantastic and I'm sure they could tweak it for The Open. I don't know if The Belfry could possibly host it, or Forest of Arden?... but I'm not limiting myself to only liking one particular type of course above all others........ are you??????
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I would contest your point that it's only worth watching because Tiger has a chance, don't forget he is marmite.

Your very unsubtle trap won't wash, The Open is contested on links courses, I don't think that should ever change, it is the origin of the game. That doesn't mean that I have a bias, I have only played about 10 links in my life. I don't think that many of the pros are particularly vocal about how harsh links golf can be, they appreciate that it is possibly a different test and that at the end of 72 holes the best man wins.

Loch Lomond is not a links, it is parkland next to a loch and I really doubt that the members would welcome nor need the intrusion of staging the event, they really don't need the exposure.

Unfortunately TV does not give a true impression of how a course is in reality, everything looks a bit flat. I'd love to play it, off the more forward tees obviously.
 
JustOne said:
I would agree, but the point is that THIS course in particular (and the viewing thereof) is very boring. There are better courses are there not? It's only worth watching because Tiger has a chance and Westwood has a chance. Personally I'd rather see them play at Gleneagles or Loch Lomond as the courses are more exciting, even Lytham was better viewing. I'd be very happy to see them play at Celtic Manor as some of the holes there are fantastic and I'm sure they could tweak it for The Open. I don't know if The Belfry could possibly host it, or Forest of Arden?... but I'm not limiting myself to only liking one particular type of course above all others........ are you??????
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I do see your point. Some trees and a bit of water here and there makes it more interesting for me.
 
But it is a different test for the world's best golfers who are used to playing target golf week in and week out.
The same goes for the viewers, you might have to pay a bit more attention to what is going on, and how the players play their shots.
Is this a bad thing?

* A true story *
During the practice days, a top pro approached Peter Dawson of the R&A to express his concerns about the firmness of the greens.

"Peter, the greens are too hard. Today I hit a wedge from 150 which landed next to the flag but ran through the back of the green!"

Peter Dawson..." Excellent!"

It tests different skills of the golfers, which in my opinion it should.
 
splashtryagain said:
Just read this - wtf. Links golf is THE test of golf. Essentially parkland woodland courses can all be played exacgly the same, links offers variety of shots and conditions.
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Woah people sure can read things funny when no punctuation is included and its typed on a phone:)
All parkland can be played using one skill set, links requires an extra layer of finesse and thus providing variety. The conditions (turf/terrain will be different, the weather conditions will be primarily the same) are different to those I play regularly and so offer variety as well.
Ok?
 
As usual on here, things get personal

Justone played with about a dozen of us in the forum meet at the very well known links course at Princes ( next door to Royal St George's ). We played in December and, whilst the company was the usual top quality you get from the forum, I for one wouldn't care whether I played links golf again for reasons that I posted earlier.

It seems that to be firm in your view about something in golf gives forumites carte Blanche to be pretty rude about your decision. Yes, I will play links in the future as where I live makes it a certainty, would I go looking to, no as I don't find it the fun that some of you guys do - am I wrong? - are you wrong? - no, it's called choice!
 
Agree with chris, it's all about opinion, and to resort to personal insults because you disagree is nonsense!!

It does depend to a degree when you play a links course. Even thought the turf is good, in the winter, they can be pretty unpleasant places with the wind and rain coming in sideways.

Play them on a summer evening with enough breeze to make it a challenge. I'm not sure I'd want to play one exclusively but they are a special treat to play!
 
Region3 said:
Don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying watching it and really looking forward to seeing how it pans out tomorrow, but I'm far from convinced about links golf being the best test.

On a parkland, if I have 160 to the flag and overhit by 5 yards I've got a 15' putt.
On links I could decide that I need to land the ball at 130 to let it run out to the hole, overhit by 5yds and end up perfect if I've miss-judged the roll out.

It seems to me like misreading a putt and still holing it because I can't hit the line I've chosen.
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I play at a parkland course but was brought up on heathland golf and generally prefer heathland courses. However, I was completely hooked after my first links experiences at Princes and, especially, RSG. I haven't played much links golf, but every time I have, I have come away with a far better understanding of what golf can be.

Taking your 160 shot as an example. On a parkland couse that's really one option (for me a 6 iron and fly it all the way). Add some wind and it's just a club up or down.

On a links, even for a mediocre player like me, I could play that shot at least 3 different ways. So then I have to factor in how the terrain and wind will affect the ball. Then it's question of which option I feel I can execute best. So straightaway it was a much more challenging mental and technical test. OK so I could hit it badly and get lucky or hit it perfectly as intended and end up miles away, but that for me added to the interest and was something else to factor in. In any case it wasn't the course's fault, it would just mean I read the shot wrong. I still have a clear memory of thinking after about 5 holes at RSG that every part of my game was being tested to a level it had never been before. And it wasn't even windy.

Seeing the best players in world having to cope with these issues rather than just get a yardage and hit the ball makes it much more interesting to watch.

The OP was about watching the Open. Are there really many golfers who think that the golf today is going to be dull?
 
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