Links to the Old World
Nine seaside courses in Great Britain
A friend recently made the amusing observation that he thought ‘links’ golf courses were defined by holes strung one after the next like sausages. While I’m all for sausages, the true definition of a links course is that it occupies a seaside location that was once under water. Links courses tend to feature deep bunkers (originally grazed by sheep); firm, fast, undulating turf; and stiff breezes. And many of the best are located along the perimeter of the British Isles. Following is a collection that you’ll want to eat up like, well, sausages.
To the Lighthouse
Whether you’re peering from the grand cliff-top hotel to the famous golfside lighthouse, or from the windswept links back to the warm lights of the hotel, the Westin Turnberry Resort, 50 miles from Glasgow, is one of the poshest locations for world-class links golf. In addition to the Open-venue Ailsa course, Turnberry is home to the Kintyre Course and the Colin Montgomerie Links Golf Academy. turnberry.co.uk
Emerald Aisles
South of Shannon lies Tom Watson’s favorite golf course. Who wouldn’t love Ballybunion Old — an emerald stretch of tight, treeless fairways and diminutive contoured greens routed between massive dunes along the Shannon Estuary? An Irish Times article once said that playing Ballybunion “requires limitless patience and an inexhaustible supply of golf balls.” ballybuniongolfclub.ie
Save the Wales
West across the Severn Estuary from Bristol, England, lies Royal Porthcawl, the most famous golf course in Wales. Unlike many links courses, holes here play in all directions, so on windy days club selection is as much a guess as a science. Also unusual are several heathland holes routing across a high plateau above the Bristol Channel. Nine overnight rooms are available in the clubhouse. royalporthcawl.com
Seals of Approval
Repeat visitors to St. Andrews, Scotland, know that terrific golf also lies outside the famous town 50 miles from Edinburgh. At the Golf House Club, in Elie, the starter ensures that the blind first fairway is clear by gazing through a periscope preserved from an old submarine. On the seaside 11th tee, seals may bark during your backswing; take it as a compliment. golfhouseclub.co.uk
The Crail Golfing Society's Balcomie Links
Shed Your Inhibitions
Farther outside Edinburgh, a few miles beyond Elie, awaits the Crail Golfing Society's Balcomie Links, designed in 1895 by Old Tom Morris. Balcomie is a pure expanse where golfers have cavorted beside the ocean for 200 years. The stone lifeboat shed behind the 14th green is as picturesque a landmark as you’ll find on any course — unless you hit it. crailgolfingsociety.co.uk
Ace in the Hole
Two hours east of London, Royal St. Georges was the site of the first-ever televised hole-in-one, by Tony Jacklin, in the 1967 Dunlop Masters. Equally riveting was watching Tiger Woods four-putt the 12th hole in the 2003 British Open. Revered golf writer Bernard Darwin wrote that Royal St. Georges was “as nearly my idea of Heaven as is to be attained on any earthly links.” Thirteen Opens have been played on the course, and only three of the winners have broken par. royalstgeorges.com
Prime Ribbing
Peugeot Golf Guide says of Royal Birkdale, outside Manchester, England, “Like a dinner in a top hotel, this immense pleasure comes at a price.” Said price might be that of golf balls landing in pot bunkers and other hazards. Singing skylarks and willow warblers have witnessed eight British Opens on the 6,290-yard venue, originally laid out in 1897. royalbirkdale.com
Rush to the Sea
North of Belfast lies Royal Portrush, Harry Colt’s masterful 1947 redesign of an 1888 layout. The course proffers holes with names like “Giant’s Grave,” “Calamity,” and “Purgatory,” which should tell you something about the challenges you’ll face. royalportrushgolfclub.com
Portrait of the Golfer
On the site of one of the earliest golf grounds in Ireland, outside Dublin, Portmarnock presents knee-high rough and huge, well-guarded greens with more contours than a river dancer. Arnold Palmer had his first pro links experience here when he won the 1960 Canada Cup with Sam Snead. The Irish Golf Institute perennially ranks Portmarnock the No. 1 course in Ireland. portmarnockgolfclub.ie
— Jeff Wallach
Getting There: All the destinations covered in “Front Nine” can be reached by flying Continental Airlines. To book your trip, contact Continental Airlines Vacations at covacations.com.
