What Is Links Golf?
Links golf is the original form of the game. The word "links" derives from the Old English word for "rising ground" — specifically the sandy coastal ground that "links" the sea to the more fertile inland terrain. These are the stretches of land the sea has reclaimed or deposited: undulating, firm, treeless, and governed by wind.
The earliest golf was played entirely on links ground. St Andrews, Royal Dornoch, Carnoustie, Muirfield, Turnberry — the names read like a roll of honour because they are exactly that. Britain's links courses represent the purest, most ancient expression of a game born on this island. To play them is not merely to play golf; it is to play the game as it has always been played.
The Nature of Links Land
Links ground has a character unlike any other golf terrain. The soil is sandy and free-draining, meaning courses play firm and fast almost year-round. The land rolls and ripples from centuries of wind and tide — there are no flat lies, no predictable bounces, and no obvious lines. Every hole requires you to think about trajectory, run, and the wind with a seriousness that inland golf rarely demands.
The rough on a links course is typically fescue grass — long, wispy, and deceptively punishing. Unlike parkland rough, which tends to grab the club and slow the head, fescue can deflect the face unpredictably. Bunkers on links courses are often pot bunkers — steep-walled, deep, and punishing — positioned not as aesthetic features but as carefully designed traps placed exactly where the natural approach shot wants to go.
The Wind
On a links, wind is not an inconvenience — it is part of the course. Designers planned for it; the best players use it. Learning to play under, into, and with the wind is the central skill of links golf.
Firm, Fast Ground
Links turf is firm and the ball runs a long way after landing. The bump-and-run shot is not a compromise here — it is often the correct play, and the best option into the wind.
Pot Bunkers
Small, steep-faced, and placed with surgical precision, pot bunkers are the links designer's primary defence. Getting out is often the only goal — playing at the flag is rarely wise.
Natural Routing
Great links courses follow the land. No earthmoving, no manufactured drama — just a routing that reads the natural ridges, valleys, and coastal contours with intelligence and respect.
Links Architecture
The greatest links courses in the world sit in Scotland and England, with Ireland now widely recognised as home to some of the finest links golf on earth. The Open Championship Rota — which includes St Andrews, Royal Birkdale, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Hoylake, and Royal Troon — represents the apex of the links tradition. These courses are built for the sport's highest level, yet they also reward the amateur golfer in ways that many modern courses do not.
Part of the appeal is variety. A links hole can play completely differently depending on the wind direction: a par 4 downwind in a strong breeze is reachable with a mid-iron; the same hole into a gale might call for two full woods and a prayer. This variability, which might frustrate the player seeking control, is exactly what the links devotee finds endlessly compelling.
Courses to Know
Britain's Finest Links
Some of the courses that define what links golf is and what it can be at its very greatest.
Planning Your Links Trip
Access to the great links courses varies enormously. St Andrews' Old Course operates a ballot system for visiting golfers; the most prestigious private clubs require a letter of introduction or a member's invitation. Many fine links, however, are surprisingly accessible — Royal Dornoch, Brora, Cruden Bay, and Machrihanish welcome visitors warmly, and part of the joy of links golf is finding the hidden gems as well as the famous names.
When playing links golf for the first time, abandon your usual strategy. Accept that the bump-and-run is a valid shot, that the wind will affect you in ways you don't expect, and that the game will ask questions your parkland routine doesn't prepare you for. That's not a problem — that's the point.
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