What makes links golf an entirely different game

Links golf is a distinct discipline. Players who treat it as a variation of parkland golf tend to struggle. Those who approach it on its own terms, accepting its logic, adapting their shot selection, and building tolerance for unpredictability, are the ones who consistently contend on the courses that matter most. 

With The Open at Royal Birkdale a matter of weeks away, it is worth understanding what actually separates links golf from everything else in the game. Not only will it help you understand what makes links courses so special, but it will also help you follow the Open this July, and help you bet with the best sports betting app for beginners on one of the most unique tournaments in the sport..

What is a links golf course

A links golf course is a specific type of golf course, mostly found in the British Isles, built on the coastal land between the sea and the inland farming. The land’s considered too sandy to farm, so many golf courses have taken the opportunity.

The sandy soil makes for a fast surface, and the absence of trees and the exposure to coastal wind adds another dimension to play. Many consider it the purest form of golf. Famous courses include the Old Course at St Andrews, and Royal Birkdale, the host of this year’s British Open.

How links courses play differently

On a parkland course, aerial golf wins. You hit it high, the ball lands soft, and it stops close to where it came down. Links golf dismantles that logic entirely. The turf is firm and fast, sitting on sandy coastal soil that drains almost instantly. The ball runs after it lands.

A drive that pitches at 220 yards can run out to 280. An approach that lands short of the green can feed onto the putting surface, or kick off a ridge and leave you with nothing. Players have to think differently, and the creative demand is higher than at any other major. 

Bump-and-run approaches, running the ball up from the front of the green, keeping trajectories low: these are shots that barely exist at Augusta or Torrey Pines. The player who adapts their thinking fastest usually leads the field. 

Then there’s the wind. Links courses are coastal and open, with no trees to break the wind and no elevation to shelter behind. At Birkdale, the wind off the Irish Sea is a permanent variable. It changes direction between rounds, and within them too.

It means the golfers who succeed here aren’t necessarily the sluggers or the powerful ones, it’s more likely those experienced with links courses, who understand the course management necessary to work with the wind and the weather.

What makes links golf so special

One of the most charming, or infuriating, parts of links golf is how important the element of luck is in them. A perfectly struck approach can catch a slope and spin into a pot bunker, and a mishit can kick off a mound and finish three feet from the hole. 

This kind of luck is often a feature of The Open, the golf major tournament that has tied its entire aesthetic and mythology to the concept of link courses. The Open has been played for over 150 years, and it rotates between a handful of world-famous links golf courses in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. This year, the Open is being held at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England.