What Is Links Golf?

Links golf is the oldest and purest form of the game, a challenge defined by firm, fast ground, whipping winds, and the rugged, natural terrain of the coastline. This article will guide you through the key characteristics of links golf, explain why it's so different from the manicured parkland courses many of us are used to, and give you practical advice to help you not just survive, but truly enjoy the experience.

So, What Exactly Is Links Golf?

In the simplest terms, “links” is the name for the strip of sandy, undulating land that connects the sea to the more fertile farmland inland. This is where golf was born in Scotland hundreds of years ago. The terrain wasn't designed by an architect, it was shaped by nature. Early golfers simply found a starting point, dug a hole, and played their way across the bumpy, gorse-covered dunes.

That heritage is what defines a true links course. It’s golf played on the ground as much as it is through the air. You’re contending with the firm, sandy turf, the cleverly hidden pot bunkers, the thick, wiry fescue grass, and, most of all, the ever-present wind. It’s a creative game that asks you to think, adapt, and use your imagination on every shot.

The Defining Features of a Links Course (and How to Play Them)

To master links golf, you need to understand its unique challenges. Forget trying to play your usual game, you have to adapt your strategy and shot-making to what the course gives you.

Feature 1: The Ground is Your Friend (and Foe)

A links course is built on a sandy base, which means it plays incredibly firm and fast. Unlike a typical parkland course where your ball lands with a soft thud and stops, a links fairway will send your ball bounding and rolling, sometimes for 50 yards or more.

How to Play It:

• Embrace the Bump-and-Run: Around the greens, the ground is your best ally. Instead of a high, delicate pitch shot that can get grabbed by the wind, choose a pitching wedge, 9-iron, or even a 7-iron. Land the ball short of the green and let it release and run towards the hole like a putt. It’s a higher-percentage shot that takes the wind mostly out of play.
• Plan for the Roll-Out: Off the tee, that extra roll can be a huge bonus, but it can also get you into trouble. A drive that looks perfect in the air might run out into a hidden bunker or thick rough. Look at where you want the ball to finish, not just where you want it to land. Sometimes This means hitting less club off the tee to ensure you stay short of danger.
• Use the Contours: Links fairways are full of humps, bumps, and swales. A good links player doesn't fight them they use them. See a big slope on the left side of the fairway? Instead of aiming straight, consider landing your ball into the slope and letting it feed down towards your target.

Feature 2: The Wind, the Invisible Hazard

Coastal weather is unpredictable and often windy. A calm morning can turn into a gale-force afternoon in a matter of minutes. The wind will affect every single shot you hit, from a driver to a three-foot putt.

How to Play It:

• Club Up and Swing Easy: This is the golden rule. When hitting into a strong headwind, your natural instinct is to swing harder. Don't. Swinging harder generates more spin, which causes the ball to balloon up into the wind and go nowhere. Instead, take one, two, or even three extra clubs and make a smooth, controlled 80% swing. The lower loft will create a more piercing flight, and the smoother tempo will reduce spin. "When it's breezy, swing easy."
• Play the Crosswind Curve: In a crosswind, don’t try to fight it. If the wind is blowing hard from left to right, aim well left of your target and let the wind carry your ball back. For a proficient player, you can try and shape the ball into the wind (a draw into a left-to-right wind) which will help it hold its line better, but for most, simply aiming and trusting the wind is the best bet.
• Think Low: The more time your ball spends in the air, the more the wind can affect it. On almost every shot, your goal should be to hit the ball lower than you normally would. You can do this by playing the ball slightly further back in your stance, putting a bit more weight on your front foot at address, and feeling like your hands are ahead of the clubhead at impact.

Feature 3: Pot Bunkers - The Real Penalty

A links bunker is nothing like the wide, fluffy traps you see at most American clubs. They are typically small, deep, and often revetted with sod-stacked faces that are nearly vertical. They aren’t there for decoration, they are genuine hazards designed to eat golf balls. TGC TV professional, Mark Crossfield, likes to describe them as “the Devil’s a**holes” due to how penalizing they are for the everyday golfer!

How to Play It:

• Forget the Hero Shot: Your number one priority is getting out. That’s it. See Tom Kim’s 1 on the 8th hole for what we see happen more than 85% of trying a professional-level hero shot. Don’t get greedy and try to hit it towards the pin if you're up against a steep face. The ball will just hit the face and roll back to your feet (or worse).
• Go Sideways (or Backwards): The smartest play is often to take your medicine. Pick the lowest lip of the bunker, even if it’s sideways or slightly backward, and just focus on getting the ball back onto the grass. One penalty shot is far better than the three or four you might take trying to force an impossible shot.
• Use Your Most Lofted Wedge: You need height, and you need it fast. A sand wedge or lob wedge is almost always the right choice. Open the clubface wide open to add even more loft, dig your feet into the sand for a stable base, and swing hard, splashing the sand out of the bunker and letting it carry the ball with it.

Feature 4: Gorse and Fescue - The Unforgiving Rough

Links courses don’t have lush, green rough. They have fescue, gorse, and heather. Fescue is a long, wispy grass that wraps around your clubhead and kills your distance. Gorse and heather are dense, thorny bushes from which you’ll be lucky to even find your ball, let alone play a shot.

How to Play It:

• Value the Fairway Over Distance: This is a course management fundamental. Hitting a 3-wood or a long iron off the tee might leave you 30 yards shorter than your driver, but if it guarantees you a shot from the fairway, it’s the smarter play every time. A shot from a firm fairway is worth a hundred shots from the gorse.
• Take Your Medicine and Get Out: If you find yourself in the thick stuff, your goal is survival. Don't try to advance the ball 150 yards. That a risky shot that may go completely wrong. Grab a wedge, stand with a narrower stance, and make a steep, descending blow to pop the ball back into the short grass. Don’t get demoralized by it, just see it as part of the strategic challenge.

The Links Golf Mindset

Ultimately, playing well on a links course comes down to your mental approach. You have to accept that sometimes a perfectly struck shot will take a bad bounce into a bunker, and sometimes a thinned shot will run up onto the green. Luck, both good and bad, plays a role.

Instead of getting frustrated, lean into the creativity of it. Look at the slopes, feel the wind, and imagine the shot you want to play. Do you need a low runner? A high fade? A putt from 40 yards off the green? Links golf rewards imagination and shot-making far more than it does brute power. Embrace the challenge, enjoy the walk, and remember you’re playing the game in its oldest and most authentic form.

Final Thoughts

Learning to play links golf is one of the most rewarding experiences in the sport. It asks you to think an a way your typical course doesn't, forcing you to develop new shots and embrace a creative, resilient mindset that will make you a better player everywhere.

Having a trusted caddie is a game-changer on a links course, and that's precisely the kind of support we provide with Caddie AI. When you're stuck with a weird lie in the fescue or getting beat up by the wind, we give you instant, personalized strategic advice right in your pocket. Our goal is to take the guesswork out of the game, helping you make smarter shot selections so you can play with full commitment and confidence a joy that should extend from every golfer on and off the course.