Links v Parkland - my observations.

[andrue]

I've been on vacation for a week and have now played four links-style courses (in North Wales). First time ever and I wondered about the differences and impact. So this is a 21 handicapper's view :)

Short answer: Not a lot of impact on score. I broke 90 on two of them, and stayed below 100 on all of them. Fairly typical for me when visiting new courses.

Long answer: You can get some serious distances off the tee. I beat my all time record at North Wales Golf club with a strong tail wind - got 320 yards. Then dropped the ball a foot from the pin from 120 yards and walked off with a birdie (probably a seagull :( ).

 

Downsides - a lot of the time you can't see where your ball comes down because a hillock or gorse bush obscures the view. Also - because of all the bumps and stuff - your ball can do some odd things when it does actually land.

The bunkers didn't bother me other than it being ridiculously easy to get out of them. My biggest problem was avoiding sending the ball right across the green.

Other than that the greens on the North Wales course caused me problems (long putts and chips were fine but short putts went awry).

In conclusion: Links are different..but for a high capper at least the score is much the same in the end.

Addendum: One hole on that North Wales Club was really freaky. From the tee you couldn't see where the fairway was. Ahead was just scrub and a stream. Eventually I took a gamble and aimed for a fairway I could see but I still don't know if my ball actually landed on the correct fairway. It was certainly _a_ fairway but what hole it belonged to I have no idea. I launched off it and landed on the fringe of the correct green so..meh :)

[ohioglfr]

Sounds like you were'nt stymied too badly with pot bunkers. I have nightmares about those.

[andrue]

> @ohioglfr said:

> Sounds like you were'nt stymied too badly with pot bunkers. I have nightmares about those.

 

I didn't go in that many but they all had plenty of loose sand. The ball would come shooting out and learning to tone down my stroke was the main thing. Smacking the seven bells out of the sand was _not_ necessary.

[Matt J]

A lot of the classic links courses have pot bunkers that you can't clear the face so you have to play out backwards for at least a shot penalty. Guys put tee shots in unusual places trying to miss the really punitive bunkers. Part of the charm.

[Argonne69]

Depends on the bunker. Not all pot bunkers are created equal.

 


 


 

[Hawkeye77]

Bobby Jones had some very historic issues with this one! She's playing out to the side!

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

Andrue - count your blessings! I loved the sand over there, but a lot of the bunkers were pretty penal especially some of the devilish ones in the fairways on occasion.

 

Here's a couple from the first and the second at Royal Dornoch. My caddie from a few days before, who was hosting us as his guests, when the first pic was taken, played an incredible shot out of this greenside bunker on the first. I hit the green on 2 and parred the first time I played it. Second time was long of the bunker but down the hill pin high to the right. My host/previous caddie was biting his tongue as my caddie that evening (who caddied for my wife a few days earlier) was asking me to putt up the fairly steep hill, host knew I didn't mind putting off the greens but liked them where I could see what was in front of me, otherwise nothing wrong with a nice little pitch (and into a pretty good wind) which I was more comfortable with. So I tried, and it rolled back down to my feet, lol (not his fault, I just hadn't had one like that and had no sense of speed). My original guy winked and said pitch it up there, and I put the next one close (you can see it just left of the flag) and made bogey - they had some fun going back and forth about that shot for a bit, lol. He and I had been having fun talking short game when I was out with him previously, and I'd just been to Monte's clinic shortly before the trip and was really confident at that point in time with my wedge game so just one of those things. FYI, shanked a wedge a few holes later from 90 after a perfect drive, my caddied laughed when I said I should have putted it!

 

 

[andrue]

Yeah those are nasty bunkers. The ones I had to get out of had steeper lips than I've seen on parkland courses but nothing you couldn't see over.

For me I think the biggest difference was off the tee. Half the time you can't see your ball land and it can take some weird bounces when it does. That and the extra distance (must've been an extra twenty yards of roll-out) caused a few issues.

But otherwise it was basically business as usual other than those greens at NWGC.

[Hawkeye77]

> @andrue said:

> Yeah those are nasty bunkers. The ones I had to get out of had steeper lips than I've seen on parkland courses but nothing you couldn't see over.

> For me I think the biggest difference was off the tee. Half the time you can't see your ball land and it can take some weird bounces when it does. That and the extra distance (must've been an extra twenty yards of roll-out) caused a few issues.

> But otherwise it was basically business as usual other than those greens at NWGC.

 

Having got my first taste of it last summer, it is by far my favorite kind of golf now - sadly I can't play it every day, or likely even every year. It was a lot different for me because the greens really weren't "target golf" in the sense we were often playing (or trying to play) shots that landed short in the right spots then carried on where appropriate, the greens were mostly accessible for different kinds of shots, including putting off the green, lots of limited views even on approach shots depending on the holes and yes, some interesting results off the tee. I found it more "random", but that's part of learning the course I suppose to a point, but still all sorts of interesting ways the ball would behave. And love the turf and the wide open spaces aspect by the sea and without all the trees I'm used to playing in and around most of the time. I'm sure I'll appreciate more of the differences when we get back this summer, but enjoying thinking about it during our stupid April snow this morning.

[Hawkeye77]

> @Argonne69 said:

> Depends on the bunker. Not all pot bunkers are created equal.

>

> 

>

> 

>

I have a pic of me standing on the turf about 10 yards away from H-e-l-l Bunker and even standing there you don't get an idea of the true scale of it and always looks shallower than it really is (at least to me). Next time (cross my fingers) I'm getting down in there and having a picture taken so folks can really "get" the enormity of it.

 

[Argonne69]

> @Hawkeye77 said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > Depends on the bunker. Not all pot bunkers are created equal.

> >

> > 

> >

> > 

> >

> I have a pic of me standing on the turf about 10 yards away from H-e-l-l Bunker and even standing there you don't get an idea of the true scale of it and always looks shallower than it really is (at least to me). Next time (cross my fingers) I'm getting down in there and having a picture taken so folks can really "get" the enormity of it.

>

 

Yeah, the pics don't do it justice.

 

[jvincent]

Until you've had to bounce a ball off the revetted face of a bunker with an 8i (going sideways to the hole direction) to get it out, you haven't had the full links experience.

[jonnymc44]

> @jvincent said:

> Until you've had to bounce a ball off the revetted face of a bunker with an 8i (going sideways to the hole direction) to get it out, you haven't had the full links experience.

 

Or played in the driving wind and rain that you need a 3w to hit a 100yd shot.

[scott_Donald]

I was playing on Saturday here in Scotland and It was 35-40mph wind from the north and 7*C with the odd hail shower. Basically the first nine was straight in to the wind.

The group I was playing behind were really struggling and playing in the monthly medal. hole 2 one guy didn't make the fairway, hole 3, a par 3, neither of them made the fairway, hole 4 neither of them made the fairway. they then let me through, felt so sorry for them but at least they playing in the comp, I didn't bother with the terrible weather.

It was similar on Sunday but only a 25mpg wind from the North West and this was a harder day as it was in to and cross making the front nine stupid hard. Did I learn a lot yes will it help me in the future who knows with the weather here.

 

[spud3]

> @Argonne69 said:

> > @Hawkeye77 said:

> > > @Argonne69 said:

> > > Depends on the bunker. Not all pot bunkers are created equal.

> > >

> > I have a pic of me standing on the turf about 10 yards away from H-e-l-l Bunker and even standing there you don't get an idea of the true scale of it and always looks shallower than it really is (at least to me). Next time (cross my fingers) I'm getting down in there and having a picture taken so folks can really "get" the enormity of it.

> >

>

> Yeah, the pics don't do it justice.

>

 

Every bunker is deeper when you are actually standing in it...

[North Butte]

> @spud3 said:

> > @Argonne69 said:

> > > @Hawkeye77 said:

> > > > @Argonne69 said:

> > > > Depends on the bunker. Not all pot bunkers are created equal.

> > > >

> > > I have a pic of me standing on the turf about 10 yards away from H-e-l-l Bunker and even standing there you don't get an idea of the true scale of it and always looks shallower than it really is (at least to me). Next time (cross my fingers) I'm getting down in there and having a picture taken so folks can really "get" the enormity of it.

> > >

> >

> > Yeah, the pics don't do it justice.

> >

>

> Every bunker is deeper when you are actually standing in it...

 

Every bunker is deeper when you are actually standing in it preparing to try the shot for the third time.