{"id":1147,"date":"2010-03-10T09:02:40","date_gmt":"2010-03-10T16:02:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeffwallach.com\/?p=1147"},"modified":"2011-02-25T16:41:42","modified_gmt":"2011-02-25T23:41:42","slug":"missing-links","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/golf\/1147\/missing-links","title":{"rendered":"Missing Links"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Crail Golfing Society's Balcomie Links<\/p><\/div>\n

A friend recently made the amusing observation that he thought \u201clinks\u201d golf courses were defined by holes strung one after the next like sausages.\u00a0 While I\u2019m all for sausages, the true definition of a links is that it occupies a seaside location that was once under water.\u00a0 In most cases, these sandy stretches now linking salt water and inland topography consist of dunes grown over with such flora as gorse and fescue grass.\u00a0 Links golf courses tend to feature deep bunkers (originally grazed by sheep); firm, fast, undulating turf; and stiff breezes.\u00a0 Most of the best links courses are located along the perimeter of the British Isles.\u00a0 Following are a collection that you\u2019ll want to eat up like, well, sausages.<\/p>\n

Emerald Aisles<\/span><\/p>\n

North of Killarney but south of Shannon Airport<\/strong> lies Tom Watson\u2019s favorite golf course.\u00a0 Who wouldn\u2019t love Ballybunion Old\u2014 an emerald stretch of tight, treeless fairways and diminutive contoured greens routed between massive dunes along the Shannon Estuary?\u00a0 An Irish Times article once said that playing Ballybunion \u201crequires limitless patience and an inexhaustible supply of golf balls.\u201d\u00a0 Ballybuniongolfclub.ie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Save The Wales<\/span><\/p>\n

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Royal Porthcawl #2.<\/p><\/div>\n

West across the Severn Estuary from Bristol, England<\/strong> lies Royal Porthcawl, the most famous golf course in Wales.\u00a0 Unlike on many links, holes here play in all directions, so on windy days club selection is as much a guess as a science.\u00a0 Also unusual are several heathland holes routing across a high plateau above the Bristol Channel.\u00a0 Twelve overnight rooms are available in the clubhouse.\u00a0 Royalporthcawl.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Seals of Approval<\/span><\/p>\n

Repeat visitors to Edinburgh<\/strong> and St. Andrews, Scotland know that terrific golf also lies outside the famous town.\u00a0 At Elie, the starter ensures that the blind first fairway is clear by gazing through a periscope from an old submarine.\u00a0 James Braid learned to golf here, where the course sits in the middle of town.\u00a0 On the seaside 11th<\/sup> tee, seals may bark in your backswing: Take it as a compliment.\u00a0 Valuegolf.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shed Your Inhibitions<\/span><\/p>\n

A few miles beyond Elie from Edinburgh<\/strong> awaits Crail Golf Club\u2019s Balcomie Links, designed by Old Tom Morris in 1895.\u00a0 Balcomie is a pure expanse where golfers have cavorted beside the ocean since 1786.\u00a0 The stone lifeboat shed behind the 14th<\/sup> green is as picturesque a landmark as you\u2019ll find anywhere\u2014unless you hit it.\u00a0 Crailgolfingsociety.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ace in the Hole<\/span><\/p>\n

Two hours east of London<\/strong>, Royal St. Georges was the site of the first-ever televised hole-in-one, by Tony Jacklin, in the 1967 Dunlop Masters.\u00a0 Equally engaging was watching Tiger Woods four-putt the 12th<\/sup> hole in the 2003 British Open.\u00a0 Revered golf writer Bernard Darwin wrote of Royal St. Georges, \u201cas nearly my idea of Heaven as is to be attained on any earthly links.\u201d\u00a0 Thirteen Opens have been played on the course and only three of the winners recorded scores under par.\u00a0 Royalstgeorges.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Prime Ribbing<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Royal Birkdale #18.<\/p><\/div>\n

Peugeot Golf Guide describes Royal Birkdale, outside Manchester<\/strong>, as \u201cunforgettable, and like a dinner in a top hotel, this immense pleasure comes at a price.\u201d\u00a0 Said price might be that of golf balls hit into minefields of pot bunkers and other hazards.\u00a0 Singing skylarks and willow warblers have witnessed eight British Opens on the 6,290-yard venue first laid out in 1897.\u00a0 Royalbirkdale.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

To The Lighthouse<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re peering from the grand cliff-top hotel at the famous golfside lighthouse, or from the windswept links back to the warm lights of the hotel, the Westin Turnberry Resort, 80 km from Glasgow<\/strong>, is one of the poshest locations for world-class links golf.\u00a0 In addition to the Open-venue Ailsa course, Turnberry is home to the Kintyre Course and the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy.\u00a0 Turnberry.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Fast, Rush<\/span><\/p>\n

North of Belfast<\/strong> lies Royal Portrush, Harry Colt\u2019s masterful 1947 redesign of an 1888 layout.\u00a0 The course proffers holes with names like \u201cGiant\u2019s Grave,\u201d \u201cCalamity,\u201d and \u201cPurgatory,\u201d which should tell you something.\u00a0 Several holes play along cliffs above the sea.\u00a0 Royalportrushgolfclub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Portrait of the Golfer<\/p>\n

On the site of one of the earliest golf grounds in Ireland, outside Dublin<\/strong>, Portmarnock presents knee-high rough and huge, well-guarded greens with more contours than a river dancer.\u00a0 Arnold Palmer had his first links experience here when he won the 1960 Canada Cup with Sam Snead.\u00a0 The Irish Golf Institute perennially ranks Portmarnock the #1 course in Ireland.\u00a0 Portmarnockgolfclub.ie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>

Turnberry, Ailsa Course. Iconic lighthouse and where your ball may land.<\/p><\/div>\n

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A friend recently made the amusing observation that he thought \u201clinks\u201d golf courses were defined by holes strung one after… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1483,1694,2226,4907,5048,17],"tags":[944164,944161,239,5489,5490,1260,5491,5492,654,2875,141,5493,1799],"class_list":["post-1147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-kalos","category-haversham-baker","category-perrygolf","category-oregon-golf-assoc","category-alternative-golf-assoc","category-courses-and-travel","tag-golf","tag-travel","tag-links","tag-ballybunion-old","tag-crail-golfing-society","tag-royal-porthcawl","tag-elie-golf","tag-royal-st-georges","tag-royal-birkdale","tag-westin-turnberry-resort","tag-royal-portrush","tag-portmarnock-golf","tag-ailsa-course"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2010\/03\/Crail-Golfing-Society-Balcomie-Links-14th-Linksland.com-4.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1147"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1158,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1147\/revisions\/1158"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/jeffwallach\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}