Skills needed to play links?

[Robobum]

DCB, HRC good word, commitment is key (on any shot really)

Anyone played Weston Super Mare??

The first is sheltered by the 50 foot high dunes and scrub to the right. You stand on the tee and feel the wind howling left to right so you hit your ball down the left side and watch as your ball goes a further 30yds left!!

The wind is in fact blowing in off the sea and the dunes give the effect at ground level of it being the opposite way. As soon as the ball goes above the dunes it catches the "real" wind direction and off it goes. Commiting to hit down the opposite side and trust the wind is hard but is a must.

 

[pokerjoke]

bit of commitment to the shot.
It isn't that different. I wouldn't think about changing your game too much unless it is really windy. As others have said, just play your normal game just be mindful of the wind as it can make a massive difference to club selection.

I remember playing a par 3 on a links course on two consecutive days. It was only 150 yards and I hit a wedge on the first day and a 3 iron on the second. I also had to aim about thirty yards out to sea which requires quite a
I guess my extra word to add to this thread is commitment.

But enjoy it, its great fun.

That is a total contradiction in one sentence you say there isnt much difference then you say a massive difference,just reading your post you can see theres a big difference

 

[pokerjoke]

Also how can aiming out to see 30yrds not be a different form of golf .I play links once a fortnight and parkland 8 times a fortnight there are so many differences its untrue.

 

[HRC99]

bit of commitment to the shot.
It isn't that different. I wouldn't think about changing your game too much unless it is really windy. As others have said, just play your normal game just be mindful of the wind as it can make a massive difference to club selection.

I remember playing a par 3 on a links course on two consecutive days. It was only 150 yards and I hit a wedge on the first day and a 3 iron on the second. I also had to aim about thirty yards out to sea which requires quite a
I guess my extra word to add to this thread is commitment.

But enjoy it, its great fun.

That is a total contradiction in one sentence you say there isnt much difference then you say a massive difference,just reading your post you can see theres a big difference

I don't see that it is a total contradiction at all, I said it could mean a big difference in club selection. I didn't alter my swing just allowed for the wind. It gets windy on parkland courses too.

 

[HRC99]

Also how can aiming out to see 30yrds not be a different form of golf .I play links once a fortnight and parkland 8 times a fortnight there are so many differences its untrue.

If you are playing links golf regularly, you will adapt your game to suit the conditions but I would whole-heartedly recommend a first-timer to just play their normal game and take good note of the wind and conditions.

Being able to play long bump and runs, knock down shots etc is all well and good but for a links virgin it is probably not a good idea to get hung up on that. Just enjoy it.

 

[USER1999]

It is just the usual stuff. Into wind, club up and swing easy to keep the spin down.

Hit your normal drives. Trying to tee it down, or keep it low will not work unless you practice alot. For one round, what's the point. Half the holes might be down wind anyway, and half the into wind ones might be par 3s.

Just adjust your club selection for the wind, and go for it.

There is no great mystery, and it certainly isn't a different game, unless you are playing in an absolute gale, when anyone will struggle.

I played Goswick in February in pretty foul conditions, and the second day shot 9 points on the front 9, and 19 on the back. The difference? Sobering up. Not changeing my style of play.

You might find the hardest thing is not having a level lie, but then my previous club was parkland, and you never had a level lie there either.

Key thing, good or bad, just enjoy it and have a laugh.

 

[bobmac]

Anyone played Weston Super Mare??

I was a member there for 3 years and it was fun watching visiting club members aiming 30 yards left at the par 3 3rd only to watch it end up on the 8th fairway 60 yards left.

 

[jammydodger]

DCB, HRC good word, commitment is key (on any shot really)

Anyone played Weston Super Mare??

The first is sheltered by the 50 foot high dunes and scrub to the right. You stand on the tee and feel the wind howling left to right so you hit your ball down the left side and watch as your ball goes a further 30yds left!!

The wind is in fact blowing in off the sea and the dunes give the effect at ground level of it being the opposite way. As soon as the ball goes above the dunes it catches the "real" wind direction and off it goes. Commiting to hit down the opposite side and trust the wind is hard but is a must.

I too have been fooled by this exact same thing at weston Super Mare. Played in a scratch league match there a few years back and launched one up the left and watched as it kept going left. The other 2 bloke on their team were chuckling away to each other...barstewards...took me a while to work it out too

 

[bobmac]

I was that barsteward

 

[Robobum]

I was a member there for 3 years and it was fun watching visiting club members aiming 30 yards left at the par 3 3rd only to watch it end up on the 8th fairway 60 yards left.

I played with our assistant pro there and he hit a flighted shank on the 3rd, threw his club down and said "that's on the effing beach"

Get down to the green and it's about 6 foot right of the pin!!

Nice little course apart from the 2 holes on the other side of the "Pikey Park"

 

[bobmac]

Nice little course apart from the 2 holes on the other side of the "Pikey Park"

I agree but they were closed most of the winter waterlogged.
Favourite hole was the 9th, short par 4 straight back to the clubhouse. Dont thin your second

 

[bogside84]

From 30yds out 6 iron played with a putting stoke sometimes a lot better than a good pitch.
Try and get 5mins.practice on the putting green links greens generally quicker .

 

[Junior]

Relax, enjoy it, and if you get shots, use them. Don't beat yourself up if your having a bad day. In difficult conditions a links will magnify the bad shots.

 

[Owen_Thomas_14]

Youll need a very strong mindset if its blowing a gale as this can easily make you lose concentration.

 

[barum_blue]

I play at Saunton where the flags spend most of their time bent over in the wind or where it pi$$es down with rain.

Don't want to put you off or anything! but the point is that the weather and conditions can change very quickly and you can get many weather changes in one round.

There is a lot of hype and myth about some of these courses that people perpetuate but my advice would be to hit it at 75% power - a slower more relaxed swing and grip pressure in difficult conditions is the key to keeping it down and playing more accurately.

Bunkers can be extremely challenging and different to parkland as they invariably have finer sand but are very steep sided or potted sides and these can be intimdating and a real card wrecker. Lies are generally tighter and more undulating and the greens can be lightening fast so concentrate on your landing zone rather than where you want the shot to end up as you will get much more run whatever the weather.

Most of all enjoy and I am sure you will want more - as it can really test your game and push you to the limit if you are playing competitively.

Barum Blue

 

[golfcitydweller]

as a links man -i agree with most of the above ,yea play ur own game, if the wind is blowing hard - don`t fight it- play it if it`s hard off the right just hit it a little further right ..take plenty of club as the harder u hit it -the higher it`ll climb ..also don`t be afraid of tryin a punch off the back foot ..u never know unless u try it ..hope it`s not blowin to hard on the day - enjoy