Understanding Links Golf Courses and What Sets Them Apart

Links golf is the truest test for any golfer.

Playing on a traditional links course brings golfers close to the sport’s origins, especially if you can play one of the famous links courses. Links golf characteristics require a different skill set and a great deal of imagination to shoot a good score.

You’ll be required to manipulate the golf ball’s trajectory in various ways, and your course strategy must be on point to avoid ruinous deep bunkers, long fescue grass, and gorse bushes that set links golf courses apart from their inland counterparts.

If you haven’t experienced links golf or are looking to shoot better scores and uncover the secrets of links golf, join us as we guide you through:

• What Are The Characteristics Of A Links Golf Course?
• Links Golf And The History Of The Game
• Mastering Links Golf

What Are The Characteristics Of A Links Golf Course?

Links refers to a strip of land between the coast and more fertile ground preferred for farming. This area of land is sand-based and distinguished by long fescue grasses and gorse nestled between sand dunes and are indigenous to the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland as well as North Sea coasts such as Holland and France.

Very few trees survive in this environment, lending to the exposed nature of links golf, where golfers have to master how the wind affects the flight of their golf ball.

A major advantage of links golf courses being sand-based is the excellent drainage. In the winter, most links golf courses remain open and don’t have to use winter tees or greens compared to their inland-based equivalents.

In the summertime, if the weather is good and there is little rain, links courses become a real test as the ground becomes incredibly hard. This is great for hitting absolute monster drives but can make chipping and pitching terrifying, as the ball sits on tight, hardpan ground where you have to make perfect contact to execute the shot you want to hit.

Natural undulations on the fairways and greens also characterise links golf courses. What looks like a perfect drive or approach can see the ball landing and be thrown off into the rough or a treacherous bunker.

If anything, this is what golfers find the most difficult to deal with. Some of the greatest champions hated links golf on their first time playing it because they couldn’t fathom how a perfectly good shot could end up in trouble due to how the ball might react when it landed.

If you’re going to play a lot of links golf, it’s critical to ensure you have the right clubs in the bag to deal with these conditions. We’ll focus on this in more detail later.

Now that we understand a little bit more about the characteristics of links golf courses, we’ll take a quick look at how important this land became in the development of golf and the creation of some of the most famous golf courses in the world.

Links Golf And The History Of The Game

The modern game of golf was born in Scotland, although there are early references to a ball being hit with a stick from the 13th century in Holland. The links land used for “hitting a ball with a stick” was perfect because it was not used for farming purposes; therefore, there were no objections to the land being used for recreational purposes.

Teeing areas and greens could easily be identified within the sand dunes, and any long grass (fescue) or gorse could be cut back to make what we would now term fairways. The grass was easy to maintain and kept low with the aid of sheep before the lawnmower was invented.

To add an extra level of difficulty, deep holes were strategically created on each hole and filled with sand from the nearby beaches. The layers of turf that were dug up were used to form the riveted faces of what became known as bunkers.

The design principle of early bunkers was exactly the same as they are designed now, to punish errant tee shots or approaches into the green complexes.

The earliest golf participation was established on the east coast of Scotland. Today, we classify St Andrews as the home of golf. Delving into its history, we can see that a charter was signed by the Archbishop of St Andrews in 1552, allowing the local people the right to play golf, amongst other sports, on the links ground next to the Eden Estuary.

Golf was established in nearby Montrose and Elie in the late 16th century, but like St Andrews, these areas weren’t solely dedicated to golf. The oldest recognised golf club in the world is Musselburgh Links on the outskirts of Edinburgh, which was formed in 1672. Musselburgh Links served no other purpose than golf.

Golfers today can still play at Musselburgh Links, which now sits within a horse racing track, which was founded in 1816.

The Open Championship

As golf became more popular and more courses appeared to cope with the demand, a new tournament was created in 1860 to pit some of the best players of the day against each other. The venue was Prestwick Golf Club, and the Open Championship had been born.

The championship grew quickly as the best professionals in the land competed to be “Champion Golfer of the Year,” and more courses were added to the rota. In the 1890s, Royal St Georges and Royal Liverpool became the first courses in England to host the tournament.

Some of the very best links courses have played host to The Open Championship. Iconic layouts such as Muirfield, Turnberry, Royal Birkdale, Royal Lytham and St Anne’s have all played their part in the championship’s history.

The Old Course, St Andrews, has hosted the championship on thirty occasions, including the 150th edition held in 2022.

If any course on the Open rota consistently ranks as the hardest, Carnoustie would likely claim the title.

Golfers worldwide make pilgrimages to play the iconic links courses around the British Isles and Ireland. The opportunity to walk in the footsteps of the greatest players the game has ever produced and to soak up the history of these traditional golf courses will never grow old with golfers.

A secondary appeal for golfers is the opportunity to play some lesser-known links courses, which can offer just as enjoyable challenges as their illustrious Open-hosting neighbours.

Arguably, one of their greatest links courses, Royal County Down, doesn’t feature in The Open Championship’s rota. Royal County Down is often rated among the UK and Ireland’s top three best courses to play. It has an exceptional links layout and the stunning backdrop of the Mountains of Mourne.

With the modern power game pushing some of the classic links to the boundaries of growth, the future of some iconic links courses has been called into question. However, one hole that bucks the trend of the power game is the 8th hole at Royal Troon, which will host its fair share of scorecard-wrecking numbers when The Open Championship returns for the 152nd playing in 2024.

The 8th hole, known as “The Postage Stamp,” plays 130 yards at its longest, but the green is narrow with well-positioned deep bunkers that will happily trap any slightly errant shot. The green is also narrow, with slopes leading towards the bunkers, meaning that the tee shot has to be accurate for any chance of making a two. Couple the prospect of the tee shot being into the wind, and the target gets even smaller, and the scores become higher. 

Clever design that is over one hundred years old can still strike sheer panic into a golfer even if they only have a wedge in their hand!

Having looked at the iconic masterpieces, we now see how the greats have influenced modern design and whether or not modern links courses.

The Modern Links

It’s very difficult now to find a stretch of land that falls into the classic links category that we’ve already outlined. Any ground that does become available is hugely expensive or could be earmarked for some form of modern development.

However, golf courses have been built to encapsulate the spirit and feel of a traditional links golf course.

An example is The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, Scotland. The Renaissance Club is the home of the Genesis Scottish Open and is set up like a links course.

The ground is sand-based, and most of the holes are exposed to the elements in classic links fashion. Tall fescue grass punishes wayward shots, and pot bunkers make it difficult for golfers to escape.

However, apart from the signature 13th hole, The Renaissance Club is not on the shoreline, which means it’s not a links course in the truest sense of the term.

Mastering Links Golf

Links golf requires a skill set different from that of other types of golf courses. The exposed nature of links golf means golfers have to master hitting the ball lower when needed, shaping the golf ball, and playing for more run on shots due to the hard nature of the links turf.

There are two key areas in your golf bag where you can make changes that can give you an advantage in scoring well; these are:

• Switching From Lofted Fairway Woods To Driving Irons
• Wedge Setup

Switching From Fairway Woods To Driving Irons

The main advantage of lofted fairway woods is the higher trajectory they offer. If you face a lot of long approach shots or long par threes, fairway woods can help you not only hit the green but hold it as well, thanks to the higher trajectory.

With links golf, lofted golf fairway woods could pose problems with control for shots into the wind and if the wind blows hard off the left or right. 

Selecting a driving iron can help you fly the ball lower, keeping it out of the wind and maximising rollout when the ball lands. Golf driving irons like the Titleist U-505, TaylorMade P-UDI, or Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi Utility are designed to offer performance and forgiveness and can be blended in with your existing iron set.

Driving irons are a great option off the tee to avoid the fescue grass or pot bunkers, which can easily destroy your score. Driving irons can also be used for long approach shots, but the lower trajectory they provide might cause an issue if you need to carry the ball a certain distance to hit your target.

Wedge Setup

The most important consideration around golf wedges is the bounce angle when playing links golf.

Wedge guru Bob Vokey describes bounce angle as:

“Wedge bounce is the angle created between the leading edge and the lowest point of the sole or trailing edge. This is the area of the club that hits through the ground as it contacts the ball.

The greater the wedge bounce degree, the higher the leading edge is off the surface at address.”

Getting the right bounce helps with consistent ball striking, trajectory control, and shot spin control.

Wedges with lower bounce are more effective on hardpan links turf. The leading edge sits more effectively behind the ball, allowing you to get to the back of the ball more easily.

If you are considering wedges with lower bounce, especially in your sand wedge or lob wedge, be mindful that the sharper leading edge could dig into the sand more on bunker shots, making it harder to get the ball out.

Grind is also an important consideration. Grind relates to removing material or manipulating the wedge’s sole, allowing the face to be opened or closed to execute different shots.

Combining the correct grind and bounce will allow you to play a variety of shots around the links greens and give you every confidence to create that consistent strike on the ball.

Wedges from Cleveland, Callaway, TaylorMade, and Vokey have different bounce and grind options to optimise your short game for links golf.

When you play golf on a links course, you are being tested in a way you will not experience on any other type of golf course. Links course strategy requires you to hit the ball high and low and shape the ball right to left or the opposite way.

You need to use your imagination more when you play a links golf course to compensate for things like how the ball might react when it lands, given the uneven nature of the ground most often seen on a links course.

With the exposed nature of links golf courses, one hole, you might have the wind at your back and unleash a drive that Bryson DeChambeau would be impressed with. You might be lucky to hit your drive over 150 yards the next hole. That is links golf, and that’s how it has been from the very beginning.

It is also crucial to choose the right golf equipment to play links golf effectively. Opting for golf clubs like utility irons and wedges with the correct bounce and grind can help you tackle the toughest shots on a links course.

If you want to add a utility iron or new wedges to your bag, book yourself in for a custom fitting session before you make any purchases.

At Nine By Nine Golf, we have a wide variety of golf utility irons and golf wedges available. If you want to add a utility iron, we’ll help you ensure you have the correct distance gapping between your other golf fairway woods and golf irons. We’ll ensure that by finding the correct head and shaft combination, your carry distances and shot dispersion will ensure that the utility iron you chose will be the ultimate “go-to” club in your bag.

With wedges, ensuring you have the correct distance gapping is also vitally important. Understanding how you deliver the clubhead into the ball and the types of shots you like to play helps us fit you for the correct bounce and grind.

The Nine by Nine Golf website allows you to book a fitting session with one of our highly experienced fitters and browse the full range of customisable utility irons and golf wedges. If you know exactly what you are looking for, you can easily place an order with us, and we’ll build your specifications in-house.

If you have any further questions about how customised golf equipment can benefit your game, please feel free to contact us.