Links golf

[louise_a]

I do enjoy links golf, but I do think that you are more likely to be unlucky and see good shots unrewarded on a links than on most other courses.

 

[patricks148]

if you must know my course is on the south downs, and about half a mile from the sea.i think you will find that the wind blows down south as well as oop norf.
you want to play boring golf on rubbish land be my guest but i prefer not to ,nothing to do with how i play or how supposedly hard it is to play mickey mouse courses on rubbish land.[and the smileys dont work]

i don't get this bit either, links golf is far from boring, you rarely get the same conditions two days running. Golf on a links course is just fun, whether its Fortrose at 6000 yards or Trump Aberdeen at 7500

the rubbish land bit i will ask about... what was your chalk hill used for before it was a golf course?

 

[bigslice]

I met this old boy in the pub last time i was round at my home course. Boy he could talk and knows a thing or two about golf.
Think he was a no bad golfer in his youth, or so he told me.
Anyway we hit the pubs in Campbeltown later that night and when he was a wee bit drunk. He confided in me that old prestwick is a rubbish course built on rubbish land. 😜

 

[Curls]

Looks a beautiful course chap, I'd kill to be teeing it up there right now!

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I met this old boy in the pub last time i was round at my home course. Boy he could talk and knows a thing or two about golf.
Think he was a no bad golfer in his youth, or so he told me.
Anyway we hit the pubs in Campbeltown later that night and when he was a wee bit drunk. He confided in me that old prestwick is a rubbish course built on rubbish land. 😜

Yep, that really is a rubbish course built on rubbish land

I really do struggle to understand why anyone who loves golf cannot be inspired to go out and play courses like the one in this video.

 

[Dan2501]

Would bloody love to play Machrihanish. If you're interested in course architecture you should listen to the podcast No Laying Up did with the course architect David McLay-Kidd, the man who was also responsible for the incredible first course at Bandon Dunes. The story of how Machrihanish came about and the restrictions they had in regards to what they could do with the land is remarkable. The land is largely un-touched from how it was when Kidd took over the project.

 

[Roops]

Links golf never really floated my boat until my I became a better player. Don't think you need to be great to play and enjoy it, but if you have some ability to work the ball, it can be very rewarding, and what's not to like about the seaside (as long as you can see it !!)

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Would bloody love to play Machrihanish. . The story of how Machrihanish came about and the restrictions they had in regards to what they could do with the land is remarkable. The land is largely un-touched from how it was when Kidd took over the project.

Played both courses a couple of weeks ago, get over there and play them. Dunes maybe a bit of a marmite course imho.

Myself much preferred the old machrihanish course to the dunes, cant wait to go back and play again. You do need strong legs to play the dunes course :lol: , it is one long walk, took about 3.3-3.45 hours playing as a 2 ball (yeek!!), normally we are easily under 3 hours as a 2 ball as a comparison and hope you like blind shots as there are plenty on the Dunes.

On the Dunes I think a lot more of the long grass/rough is manage now and cut shorter to make it more playable.

Lets be honest, the land that links courses are built on is no good for farming and therefore you cant live off, so in the old sense it is rubbish land but weirdly ideal for golf

 

[Jacko_G]

Played both courses a couple of weeks ago, get over there and play them. Dunes maybe a bit of a marmite course imho.

Myself much preferred the old machrihanish course to the dunes, cant wait to go back and play again. You do need strong legs to play the dunes course :lol: , it is one long walk, took about 3.3-3.45 hours playing as a 2 ball (yeek!!), normally we are easily under 3 hours as a 2 ball as a comparison and hope you like blind shots as there are plenty on the Dunes.

On the Dunes I think a lot more of the long grass/rough is manage now and cut shorter to make it more playable.

Lets be honest, the land that links courses are built on is no good for farming and therefore you cant live off, so in the old sense it is rubbish land but weirdly ideal for golf

The Dunes is an excellent course, I wouldn't call it marmite but you do need to play it more than once to appreciate it.

Having been a member at both I still can't make up my mind what I prefer. There are some outstanding holes at Machrihanish and some outstanding golf holes at the Dunes.

Machrihanish is let down by a poor finish and at present their fairways are utterly dreadful.

The Dunes also has a few poorer holes, 6th especially since they moved the green away from the coast to it's new position. 13 is also not a great and 18 is certainly marmite if you please. I don't mind it but I know big slice hates it.

What I will say is the welcome at Mach Dunes and the condition at Mach Dunes is far superior.

 

[r0wly86]

A good links course in nice conditions, not necessarily calm, but warm and a bit of sun it wonderful.

A bad links course in poor conditions is about as close to misery I can imagine on a golf course.

I'm not a real links fan, they are good fun to play every now and again, but not something I would want to do every week. But Saunton remains one of my favourite courses. RND is a rubbish course IMHO, completely open field with tees and greens put in at random points.

I've played many different kinds of courses and wouldn't say one TYPE is better than another. You get good and bad or even great courses of every type and they should be enjoyed for what they are.

I have particularly enjoyed, links, heathland, moorland, parkland and downland. I have also experienced awful examples of those courses too.

I can understand the OP's point though, when the wind is howling, and there is stinging rain, which can come out of nowhere on a links it is not a fun place to be unless you are some kind of golfing masochist.

If I could play one type for the rest of my life, probably a good moorland course, but that's just me

 

[jim8flog]

Whilst I enjoy playing links golf I am glad that I play my regular golf on a parkland course.

Some links courses I have played have views that do not get the sort of views we get from our hill top course and the view of the bedrooms in the local housing estate on one part of Burnham and Berrow...........

 

[chrisd]

I absolutely hated links golf until my game improved and I learned some of the shots needed to play there. Even now I'd prefer heathland as a preference but have learned to like links too

 

[Deleted member 21258]

The Dunes is an excellent course, I wouldn't call it marmite but you do need to play it more than once to appreciate it.

Machrihanish is let down by a poor finish .

I would agree that the finish at machrihanish is nothing in comparison to what had gone before, the first dozen or so holes are great. We had a great welcome on first contact by phone, in the pro shop and clubhouses with both courses and certainly wouldn't say one was better than the other.

I say marmite course about the Dunes, due to all the blind shots and markers in the wrong place for some tees, long walks and out of the 4 of us playing, 3 of us would not be bother to return(one much preferred the dunes), we would pick a different course next time instead of the dunes tbh. This was unusual to see such a response with our group. We also happened to get speaking to a guy in the petrol station on the way back(yeah weird I know, but that's my wife talks to anyone!!) who said he was a plus handicapper, who used to play there and he said exactly the same to us. He also said that the Dunes is not a course to be played if you are a mixed group, not fully fit or playing from different tees, as it is not very social and a rough walk(which I agreed with all points). He recommend Daventry next time instead.

The drive and scenery to there, is fantastic and worth doing the drive even if you don't play golf.

Were you playing at now would you recommend it instead(thinking about the next trip to that area) ? another local course ?

 

[Jacko_G]

There are no marker poles in wrong places.

Blind shots. You see this is part of links golf, and it's so over exaggerated at the Dunes. You could argue that the first is blind for the tee shot.
2, 3, 4, 5, 6 are not. 7th you tee off over the marker, the approach isn't blind. The 8th you have a blind 2nd shot over the marker and again the approach to the green isn't blind. 9th can be a blind approach if you don't clear the ridge with your tee shot.

10th is a blind approach into a punch bowl. Again just links golf and the ball feeds down to the green.

11,12 are not blind. 13 is. 14, 15, 16 are not 17 is a blind tee shot but the green is in full view for the approach.

18 can be if you are out of position. To say that there are too many blind shots is wrong. I've played parkland and moorland courses with more blind tee shots.

Dunaverty is a fantastic wee gem of a course. Well worth playing. I can also only assume the gents that you spoke too was a Machrihanish member, they don't like their noisy neighbours.

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Dunaverty is a fantastic wee gem of a course. Well worth playing. .

A few more blind shots than listed, cant instantly remember all the holes instantly, but 4th definitely was(marker post was just behind the drivable green), the 10th tee shot was a blind shot as well(thought that was a cracking hole tho, think the nine were round the other way from what the lady was telling us). 1st I just hit at direct at the green, as it was only semi rough, and couldn't really see were the fairway was and seemed mad to go the long way to the green, when semi short route is fine with me Markers posts there were think 3 in the wrong place, 17th blind shot was a perfect example, I actually pulled my drive 20yards to the left of the marker and was in the middle/right side of the fairway, if I had hit over the post then would have be in the right long rough(also think the fairway slightly sloped right iirc). The chemical smell over half the course from I assume one of the airport units was not pleasant. A slight detour from the thread and not important for me, so bow to your greater knowledge as you were a member there. :thumbs up smilie:

Thanks for confirming Dunaverty, will play it next time, cheers cant wait for the return trip.

 

[Dan2501]

I met this old boy in the pub last time i was round at my home course. Boy he could talk and knows a thing or two about golf.
Think he was a no bad golfer in his youth, or so he told me.
Anyway we hit the pubs in Campbeltown later that night and when he was a wee bit drunk. He confided in me that old prestwick is a rubbish course built on rubbish land. 😜

Just watched this. Incredible. Machrihanish is a proper golf course, how golf courses should be designed. Fairly near the top of my bucket list!

 

[patricks148]

I do enjoy links golf, but I do think that you are more likely to be unlucky and see good shots unrewarded on a links than on most other courses.

I pretty much play all my golf on links courses and never seen good shots punished... seen plenty of bad shots get lucky bounces though.

 

[Jacko_G]

A few more blind shots than listed, cant instantly remember all the holes instantly, but 4th definitely was(marker post was just behind the drivable green), the 10th tee shot was a blind shot as well(thought that was a cracking hole tho, think the nine were round the other way from what the lady was telling us). 1st I just hit at direct at the green, as it was only semi rough, and couldn't really see were the fairway was and seemed mad to go the long way to the green, when semi short route is fine with me Markers posts there were think 3 in the wrong place, 17th blind shot was a perfect example, I actually pulled my drive 20yards to the left of the marker and was in the middle/right side of the fairway, if I had hit over the post then would have be in the right long rough(also think the fairway slightly sloped right iirc). The chemical smell over half the course from I assume one of the airport units was not pleasant. A slight detour from the thread and not important for me, so bow to your greater knowledge as you were a member there. :thumbs up smilie:

Thanks for confirming Dunaverty, will play it next time, cheers cant wait for the return trip.

Your way wrong at 17. If you go 20 yards left of the marker you're in rough.

Anyway agree to disagree. Was it a "garlic" smell by chance?

 

[stefanovic]

For me, an exercise in sado-masochism. The bleak landscape, the howling wind, the hard greens and drop offs and the unfair bounces and pot bunkers.

If there's no wind there's no golf. Or as they say in Scotland, if there's nae wind and rain, there's nae golf.
Well at least it's a good marketing ploy.

 

[patricks148]

If there's no wind there's no golf. Or as they say in Scotland, if there's nae wind and rain, there's nae golf.
Well at least it's a good marketing ploy.

all well and good, but if we didn't play when there was wind, i would only get to play a couple of times a year at most.