Golf Courses -
"Links" Courses
Especially in the U.S., the term "links" is
frequently misapplied. "Links" refers to a very specific type of course.
But nowadays it is common for any golf course that is relatively
treeless to call itself a links course. And that's not accurate.
But in America, they get away with it.
Most American golfers - and I am one - have never seen a links course
... except for the ones we see each year while watching the British
Open.
The British Golf Museum says that
"links" are coastal strips of land between the beaches and the inland
agricultural areas. This term, in its purest sense, applies specifically
to seaside areas in Scotland.
So "links land" is land where seaside
transitions into farmland. Links land has sandy soil, making it unsuited
for crops.
The land, in fact, was thought to be worthless because it was not arable
for crops.
But back in the mists of Scotland,
someone got the bright idea to put a golf course on that land. What else
where they going to do with it? And links golf courses emerged.
Because they were close to the beach,
lots of sand traps were a natural (the soil was very sandy, after all).
But the traps had to be deeply recessed to prevent sand from being blown
away by the constant wind. Because the soil was of a poor quality and
constantly buffeted by the seaside winds, not much would grow on it -
mostly just tall, reedy grasses, and certainly no trees.
So a true links course is not any course
that is treeless. The term "links" historically applies specifically to
strips of land in seaside areas that feature sandy soil, dunes and
undulating topography, and where the land is not conducive to cultivated
vegetation or trees.
Because they were built on narrow strips
of land, links courses often followed an "out and back" routing. The
front nine went out from the clubhouse, one hole stringed after another,
until reaching the 9th green, which was the point on the golf course
farthest from the clubhouse. The golfers would then turn around on the
10th tee, with the back nine holes leading straight back to the
clubhouse.
In modern terms, a "links course" is
more broadly defined by Ron Whitten, the great writer on golf course
architecture for Golf Digest, to include golf courses build on
sandy soil (whether seaside or not) and that are buffeted by winds.
Whitten says a links course must play firm and fast, with sometimes
crusty fairways and greens that feature many knolls and knobs to create
odd bounces and angles. And, of course, a links course, in Whitten's
definition, needs to be relatively treeless with a native rough that is
tall and thick.
Sources: R&A, USGA, Golf Digest
From:
http://golf.about.com/cs/historyofgolf/a/hist_links.htm
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