Ever heard fellow golfers talk reverently about a true links and wondered what makes it so different from the course you play every weekend? It’s not just about being near the ocean, it's a completely different style of golf that challenges your creativity, your shot-making, and your patience. This guide will walk you through the distinct characteristics of links golf, comparing everything from the bouncy turf to the punishing bunkers against its more common cousin, regular or parkland golf, so you know exactly what to expect.
The first and most fundamental difference between links golf and other forms of golf is the ground it’s built on. The name "links" literally comes from the Old English word 'hlinc,' meaning ridge or rising ground. It describes the sandy, undulating, and often windswept stretch of land that connects the coast to the more fertile farmland inland.
Links Courses:
Regular (Parkland) Courses:
Because of the sandy soil and hardy fescue grasses, the playing surface on a links course is completely different from a parkland course. This changes everything about how you play the game.
On a links course, the turf is firm and fast. The ball doesn't plug where it lands, it hits, bounces, and runs out, sometimes for 30, 40, or even 50 yards on a well-struck drive. This is often called "the ground game." Instead of flying your ball to the target, you often have to play with the contours of the land, using slopes to feed your ball toward the hole.
Contrast this with a typical parkland course, which features lusher, softer grasses like bentgrass or poa annua. Here, the game is played mostly through the air. You aim for the pin, fly the ball all the way there, and expect it to stop quickly with minimal roll, very much like throwing darts at a dartboard.
On a parkland course, an approach shot that lands 15 feet from the hole is a good result. On a links course, a shot that lands 60 feet short of the green but uses a slope to trickle down to 15 feet is an even better one. You have to change your mindset. Your target is rarely the flagstick itself. You need to identify a landing area - a specific knob or slope - that will help carom your ball toward your final destination. It encourages and rewards imagination.
If the firm ground is the heart of links golf, the wind is its soul. With no trees to block the gusts blowing in off the sea, wind is a constant factor. It's not an annoyance to be endured, it’s a strategic element of the course design that you must learn to navigate. A seemingly straightforward 150-yard par-3 can demand anything from a pitching wedge to a 5-iron depending on the wind's direction and strength.
This is where controlling your ball's trajectory becomes essential. High, floating shots that work well on calm parkland courses get tossed around mercilessly in the wind. A links player must learn to hit a variety of lower, more penetrating shots that stay under the wind.
Controlling your flight against the wind is a core links skill. Here’s a simple way to practice a lower shot:
The hazards on a links course also differ greatly from their parkland counterparts. Forget wide, fluffy-sanded bunkers that give you a good chance at an up-and-down.
Links bunkers are generally small, deep, and often revetted with steep turf walls. They are known as "pot bunkers" for a reason - they are like little pots in the ground designed to swallow golf balls. They aren't meant to be challenging, they are meant to be truly punishing. Often, your only option is to play out sideways or even backward just to get back into the fairway. A great links player knows that avoiding pot bunkers is priority number one.
In place of trees, links courses feature other natural foliage that can be just as treacherous. Gorse is a thick, thorny yellow-flowered bush that is almost impossible to play from. If your ball goes into a patch of gorse, it's almost always a lost ball and a penalty stroke. Heather, a purple-flowered plant, creates a similar challenge, grabbing your clubhead and making any kind of solid contact extremely difficult.
These natural hazards demand precision off the tee. While the fairways might look wide and open, the ideal landing areas are often quite narrow when you factor in the angles needed to a approach a green and avoid these devastating hazards.
Ultimately, the biggest difference comes down to the types of shots the two styles of courses ask you to play.
This is most apparent around the greens. On a soft parkland course, you might reflexively pull out a 60-degree wedge for any shot inside 30 yards. On a firm links course, this is often the riskiest play. A high flop shot is difficult to judge on firm, bouncy soil. Instead, the "bump-and-run" is the go-to shot.
When you have a long way to the pin but are just off the green, the bump-and-run is your best friend. Instead of trying to fly the ball all the way, you use a less-lofted club to send it hopping and running along the ground like a putt.
In short, links golf is a raw, strategic version of the game, dictated by firm ground, coastal winds, and natural terrain. The challenge comes from adapting to constantly changing conditions with a creative, ground-based approach. "Regular" parkland golf is often a more controlled, aerial game, where a player's ability to hit high, accurate shots to soft greens is rewarded.
Mastering these different styles is one of golf's great pleasures, but it can be intimidating when faced with a shot you've never confronted before. That’s precisely why we built Caddie AI. When you're standing over a ball in deep heather or wondering if you should try running the ball up to a hidden green, you can get instant, expert advice right on your phone. Snap a photo of a tricky lie to get clear guidance on how to play it, or ask for a smart strategy to navigate a wind-swept par-4. Our goal is to give you the on-demand knowledge to play with more confidence, whether you're tackling St a Andrews or your local club.
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