Links golf

[thesheriff]

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.

You're from the real north and must be cut from different cloth.

I play on exposed land that is rarely calm though we do get respite due to the elevation changes.

Can cope with a strong breeze but I'm gritting my teeth when it forecasts winds of anything more than 20-25 mph

 

[r0wly86]

First time I played Saunton East, there was an almighty breeze.

Playing I thin the 16th which was a 190 yard par 3, elevated tee and with about 100 yard of rubbish to carry.

4 of us playing, took several shots as no one behind us. No one could hit the green not matter what club or shot they tried. I got my driver (average 280+ normally) 160 yards and was the closest.

That was not a fun wind

 

[stefanovic]

Played at Buckpool (Moray) once in a gale. Driving off the 1st tee the ball went high in the air and came back nearly to where I was standing.
The locals were more resilient. It was just a light breeze to them.

 

[patricks148]

First time I played Saunton East, there was an almighty breeze.

Playing I thin the 16th which was a 190 yard par 3, elevated tee and with about 100 yard of rubbish to carry.

4 of us playing, took several shots as no one behind us. No one could hit the green not matter what club or shot they tried. I got my driver (average 280+ normally) 160 yards and was the closest.

That was not a fun wind

but thats not everyday though is it.

a mate and i played in the medal a couple of weeks ago where it was gusting between 40 and 60 MPH. or 6th is 175 yard par 3, usually into the wind. 150 to carry the front bunker, mostly a 5 iron with a normal 2 club wind, the odd occasion a 2 iron. That day driver and was still short of the bunker, still just a chip and a putt for par.

 

[r0wly86]

but thats not everyday though is it.

a mate and i played in the medal a couple of weeks ago where it was gusting between 40 and 60 MPH. or 6th is 175 yard par 3, usually into the wind. 150 to carry the front bunker, mostly a 5 iron with a normal 2 club wind, the odd occasion a 2 iron. That day driver and was still short of the bunker, still just a chip and a putt for par.

Oh of course not, wasn't trying to paint it as the everyday for links. The next time I played Saunton is was glorious sunshine with a 1 club wind, and was an absolutely fantastic day.

But when the wind does howl on a links, it's like nothing else in golf

 

[bigslice]

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.

Marketing ploy u say, have u seen our greenkeepers?
http://www.mygolfway.com/en/scotland-black-sheep-on-the-golf-course-serve-as-greenkeepers/

 

[bigslice]

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 layout of the land and the dunes were used before the course was built for the farm cows to get shelter in winter months

 

[bill_reed]

the big difference between links and inland courses is the tide... the tide comes in twice a day and with it the wind.... anyone who has played the same links course will know the wind changes the course... i'm lucky to live next to the oldest golf coarse in the world, "Musselburgh" having played it for some 50 years, and every day its different. yes an easy coarse with no wind but hard when the wind gets up.... its the wind that makes links golf different and the course can play different three, four times a day.... you just don't get that inland with the heavy tree lined fairways.....

 

[Norrin Radd]

Maybe it's because I live miles from the sea in an area thick with London clay, but for me, a good links course is the best kind of golf, bar none.

And regarding poor soil - as BIM says, these are absolutely the best for golfng turf. If you were to read the chapter on agronomy in Alistair Mackenzie's 'spirit of st Andrews', he gives a detailed scientific explanation of the matter...

with regards to the great doctor Mackenzie he designed my course .

 

[Lord Tyrion]

with regards to the great doctor Mackenzie he designed my course .

You're a lucky man then. He knew his stuff and I have never walked off one of his courses without being full of admiration for his designs.

 

[USER1999]

You're a lucky man then. He knew his stuff and I have never walked off one of his courses without being full of admiration for his designs.

My home course, despite being a much derided parkland course, was laid out by Old Tom Morris. The bunkers were put in by JH Taylor. The last 5 holes were redesigned by HS Colt, and then the whole course was given a brush up and polish by Dr Mackenzie.

Then I set foot on it, and moaned like a stuck pig.

 

[Liverbirdie]

My home course, despite being a much derided parkland course, was laid out by Old Tom Morris. The bunkers were put in by JH Taylor. The last 5 holes were redesigned by HS Colt, and then the whole course was given a brush up and polish by Dr Mackenzie.

Then I set foot on it, and moaned like a stuck pig.

Committees water every great idea down though.

 

[Rlburnside]

but thats not everyday though is it.

a mate and i played in the medal a couple of weeks ago where it was gusting between 40 and 60 MPH. or 6th is 175 yard par 3, usually into the wind. 150 to carry the front bunker, mostly a 5 iron with a normal 2 club wind, the odd occasion a 2 iron. That day driver and was still short of the bunker, still just a chip and a putt for par.

Wow that must have been a tough day playing in 40-60 mph gusts, 40mph is gale force and 60mph is storm force which is impossible to play golf in.

My home course is links and given the choice I would rather play any other kind of course, it gets frustrating battling wind most of the time.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Not all links courses are the same - hoping for 18 holes round this little links track before the weeks out - gales permitting...

 

[Rlburnside]

Don't recognise that course where is it? Hope the winds kind to you ,forecast not looking promising for this week, links golf can be a pleasure when the weather is kind.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Wow that must have been a tough day playing in 40-60 mph gusts, 40mph is gale force and 60mph is storm force which is impossible to play golf in.

My home course is links and given the choice I would rather play any other kind of course, it gets frustrating battling wind most of the time.

60 mph wind ?!? Sorry but its tough just standing still in that strength wind let alone play - witnessed that strength wind a number of times on the Outer Ilses and you can’t play golf in it

 

[Rlburnside]

You want to try being on a fishing boat when it's 60mph winds you certainly won't be standing still

 

[williamalex1]

the big difference between links and inland courses is the tide... the tide comes in twice a day and with it the wind.... anyone who has played the same links course will know the wind changes the course... i'm lucky to live next to the oldest golf coarse in the world, "Musselburgh" having played it for some 50 years, and every day its different. yes an easy coarse with no wind but hard when the wind gets up.... its the wind that makes links golf different and the course can play different three, four times a day.... you just don't get that inland with the heavy tree lined fairways.....

We played it a few weeks ago on the day of your club championships, quite short but really enjoyable , BTW I'm a friend of Bob the starter

 

[Tashyboy]

Gotta say and ave said this before, played links and I thought they were rammel. Old course included. I get the " I've played St Andrews for £200 thing. But as a course it just did not tickle my fancy. Then I went to Ireland and played a couple of courses that were recommended by the good folk on here. Carne and Enniscrone. I was literally blown away. Some of the views were stunnig. Some of the holes were just immense. Yet I had my butt kicked both times. Four elderly Canadian guys let me through whilst playing Carne. They go there every other year and said we don't mind if it takes 8 hrs. The love the place. Ave got a feeling that there may well be better courses in Ireland as well. Nearest Buzz ave had in England was Sheringham. Rated that above Hunstanton. But bottom line is it is all down to opinion. I am with the op on this, some Links courses are just Rammel. But others have been touched by gods hand.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Don't recognise that course where is it? Hope the winds kind to you ,forecast not looking promising for this week, links golf can be a pleasure when the weather is kind.

It's Vaul Golf Club on the Isle of Tiree (the very flat Island of Tiree ) - and so the course itself is pretty much dead flat apart from one little drop to one green and drive back up to the level from the next tee - and a bit of carry over sand dunes and gullies when you get right close by the shore. No formal bunkers (though the sheep and wind have created some 'informal' ones, no shrubs or trees; in fact nothing other than what you see in the photo - other what the sheep and the cattle have made Fences round the greens - to make the fairways the club pretty much simply cuts the long wispy grasses down to the basic machair land. The green are looked after a bit more - but they are not much more than closer cropped machair.

Golf at it's absolute purest. You can play golf on the land around the island without any preparation - in fact many years ago my brother and I did set out a few holes in the sand dunes of the west end of the island. Well to be truthful all we did was take a few canes - stick them in the ground each spot we decided we'd have a hole - and we tee'd off from a a couple of yards from a cane - playing to the next one