A golf course situated by the sea is called a links course. This simple term, however, opens up a door to the very soul of golf - a style of play shaped by nature, history, and the unforgiving coastal elements. This article will break down exactly what makes a course a true links, explain the unique challenges it presents, and give you a coach's game plan for successfully navigating this raw and rewarding form of golf.
While we associate "links" with coastal golf, the term itself has a specific historical origin. The word comes from the Old English "hlinc," meaning "ridge" or "rising ground." It refers to the strip of sandy, undulating, and generally useless land that 'links' the sea to the more fertile agricultural farmland inland. This rough, wind-beaten terrain wasn't good for growing crops or grazing livestock, but its sandy soil, natural drainage, and hardy grasses made it the perfect canvas for the earliest forms of golf in Scotland.
So, a true links course isn't just any course with an ocean view. It's a course built on this specific type of land. This foundation is what dictates its famous characteristics: firm, fast-running fairways, terrifying bunkers, and a constant battle with the elements. It’s golf in its most pure and natural state, where the architect was Mother Nature and the greenkeeper was the wind and the rain.
To truly understand links golf, you need to know its core components. These aren't just features, they are the very defenses of the course that you, the player, must learn to overcome. As a coach, I see golfers struggle when they try to play a links course the same way they play a lush, manicured parkland course. You have to adapt. Here’s what you’ll face.
The sandy base of a links course allows water to drain through it almost instantly. This creates a playing surface that is incredibly firm and fast. Unlike a parkland course where your ball might plug or stop quickly, on a links course, the ball will hit the fairway and run... and run... and then run some more. You can get an extra 30-50 yards of roll on your drives, but your approach shots will bounce and release significantly.
Coach's Tip: This changes everything. You cannot fly the ball all the way to the pin and expect it to stop. You must start thinking about landing spots 10, 20, or even 30 yards short of the green, allowing the ground to do the work. The "ground game" becomes just as important as the air game.
Linksland was not bulldozed flat. Courses were routed through the natural humps, bumps, and hollows of the landscape. This means you will rarely have a flat lie. The fairways ripple and wave, sending a perfectly struck shot veering off in an unexpected direction. These quirky bounces are an integral part of the experience.
Coach's Tip: Don't get frustrated by a bad break, it's a certainty on a links course. Learn to take a wider stance for better balance on uneven lies. Choke down on the club for more control and make a smoother, more controlled swing. Your goal is stability above all else.
Links bunkers are not the wide, shallow things you see on many modern courses. They are small, deep, and often have steep sod-wall faces. Legend has it they were formed by sheep huddling to escape the wind, burrowing into the dunes and creating hollows. Hitting into one is a severe penalty. Very often, your only option is to play out sideways or even backward just to escape.
Coach's Tip: Escaping a pot bunker is about damage limitation. Don't be a hero. Take your most lofted wedge (a sand wedge or lob wedge), open the clubface wide, and aim for the lowest part of the lip. Dig your feet into the sand to create a stable base and swing steeply, splashing the sand and the ball out together. Your only goal is to get out in one shot, even if it means moving away from the hole.
The rough on a links course is not the neatly mown second cut you’re used to. It's often thick, golden fescue grass that wraps around your club, or prickly, dense gorse bushes that swallow balls whole. If your ball goes into this stuff, finding it is the first challenge, and getting it out is the second.
Coach's Tip: If your ball is in deep fescue, take your medicine. Grab a wedge, take a steep swing, and just chop it back out to the fairway. Trying to advance it far will likely end with the ball moving only a few feet. With gorse, it's almost always a lost ball and a penalty stroke. The first rule of links golf is: keep it out of the junk.
More than anything else, wind defines the links experience. There are often very few trees to block it, so it sweeps across the course relentlessly. It can be a two-club wind, a three-club wind, or even change direction mid-round. It will mess with your ball flight, your balance, and most of all, your mind.
Coach's Tip: "When it's breezy, swing easy." Trying to swing harder actually increases spin and makes the ball balloon up into the wind. Instead, take more club (e.g., a 6-iron instead of an 8-iron) and make a smoother, more controlled swing. Learn to play with a lower ball flight and use the wind, aiming to the side and letting the breeze bring your ball back to the target.
Armed with knowledge of the challenges, you need a strategy. Playing good links golf is more about creative thought and course management than raw power.
The high, soft-landing flop shot is a low-percentage play on a firm, windy links course. Your go-to shot inside 50 yards should be the bump-and-run. Instead of a wedge, try using an 8-iron, 9-iron, or even a hybrid. Play the ball back in your stance, keep your hands ahead of the clubhead, and use a simple putting-style stroke. The goal is to get the ball on the ground as quickly as possible and let it roll out like a putt. It’s a much more predictable shot in windy conditions.
Keeping the ball out of the an is paramount. The punch shot is a fantastic way to do this.
On the tightly mown areas around links greens (called "surrounds" or "aprons"), the putter is often your best bet, even from 20-30 feet off the green. The turf is so firm that it’s like an extension of the putting surface. A putt eliminates the chance of a bladed or fat chip shot and is almost always the safer play.
Links golf is a thinking person's game. Hitting driver on every par 4 is rarely the answer.
A golf course situated by the sea is called a links - an environment that challenges golfers to use creativity, intellect, and resilience over brute force. Understanding its defining characteristics like firm ground, wind, and unique hazards, and adapting your game with ground-based shots and smart strategy is the path to truly enjoying this historic form of the game.
Navigating the strategic puzzle of links golf is one of the game's greatest satisfactions, but it can be intimidating when you're standing over a shot with a howling wind and multiple options. Having an experienced voice to help you think clearly is invaluable. I designed Caddie AI for these very moments. When you're facing a tough approach shot or need to escape a nasty pot aker, you can get a simple, smart strategy right on your phone. It helps you analyze the situation, choose the right club, and commit to the shot with confidence, making the unique challenges of links golf less daunting and a lot more fun.
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