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One of the things which makes Golf an incredibly interesting sport is that it can be played on varied and differing terrain. Most other ball sports are played on identical open spaces. At least this gives us all something beautiful to look at when we are playing badly!

Golf courses are defined by many factors, some natural and some man-made. These factors include; location, lie of the land, soil type, prevailing wind and local weather conditions, hazards, inhabitants (grazing stock and local wildlife as well as golfers!)

There are always variations on a theme and some courses have a different ‘feel’ to certain holes but generally speaking these are some of the different types of golf course:

oLinks

oParkland

oHeathland

oMoorland

oDesert

oStadium

There are also Woodland and Mountain Golf Courses but the definition of these can be more about the location and view rather than the actual terrain of the course itself.

A Links course is the original location for the game of golf. This is literally the rough and grassy land that links the farming land or towns to the sea. It is a Scottish term which is generally applied to low lying land around a river estuary or on the coast.

With sandy soil, links drain well and provide an ideal surface to play from. The grass is generally short with deep roots searching into the sand for moisture. Off the fairways you will find the rough is usually long, thin wisps that wrap round golf club making it difficult to hit your ball far.

The ground is usually uneven because it literally is built on sand dunes shaped by the wind. You can find deep ‘pot hole’ bunkers, reflecting sandy hollows where sheep or other grazing animals would hide from the wind. It is believed that the word ‘link’ is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word ‘hlinc’, which means a ridge.

(Source http://www.scottishgolfhistory.net/links_golf.htm)

Links courses are defined and are at the mercy of the wind. On a quite and calm day they can be a pleasant experience. But, you can experience significant changes and variation in the weather. You may find the wind is behind on the front (outward nine) but against you on the way back. You may be hitting your pitching wedge 150 yards plus on the way out and your three iron less than 150 yards on the way back into the wind.

Examples of links style golf courses; St Andrews, http://www.standrews.org.uk/ Troon, http://www.royaltroon.co.uk/  and Carnoustie, http://www.carnoustiegolfclub.com/ in Scotland, Royal St Georges http://www.royalstgeorges.com/ and Royal Cinque Ports http://www.royalcinqueports.com/ in South East England.

So how do you play a Links style course?

Generally you should try and keep the ball down and low. Take ‘more club’ and swing easy e.g. hit a five instead of a seven iron. This will impact less backspin on the ball and it will not climb so high into the sky. Taking ‘less club’ e.g. taking a seven iron instead of a five and hitting harder, will conversely, create backspin and the ball will balloon up in the wind. As a result it will be affected by the wind more.

Play the ball further back in your stance and keep your swing short and compact and ‘punch’ your follow through – stopping it short and low.

When planning your strategy on attacking pins watch out for pot bunkers. They can often be difficult to see from the tee or fairway and very difficult to get out of.

Around the green – you should try and keep the ball low and running. The firm sandy greens are easier to manage with low chip and runs rather than high lob wedge shots.

Expect to get uneven lies even in the fairway. You may often be hitting shots with the ball below or above your feet.

Parkland courses – such as http://www.littleastongolf.co.uk/ otherwise known as in-land courses generally have ‘lawn like fairways’ and are smoother and generally less undulating compared to links style courses – they look like British parks. The fairways will generally be more tree-lined and the ground softer and more receptive. The trees and fairways cutting through them can cause baffling wind conditions. You may see the flag on the green going in one direction yet from the tee feel the wind is blowing in the opposite direction – this swirling effect can of course cause problems such as miss-clubbing and missed greens.

Generally Parkland courses do not have as much rough as Links courses and the in-land grasses are a broader leaf variety.

You can play the game more through the air at a Parkland course. In fact the softer ground and broader grass mean a pitched shot into a green is probably better than a running one. Due to the softer fairways you need to ensure you have good club/ball contact – it’s easier to hit a fat or heavy shot on the softer ground. Look carefully at design and shape of the hole ensure you don’t block yourself out by hitting a shot to the wrong side of the fairway and leaving trees between you and the hole.

Lastly, look carefully at what the wind is doing around your intended target. This will be where your ball is slowing down and will be affected by the wind more. Don’t be fooled by the swirling wind around the trees.

Other variations of in-land courses and terrain types include Heathland and Moorland courses which are similar in some ways, both have acidic soils with low laying shrubs and trees such as gorse and heather – Heathland is low laying land and generally warmer and drier than Moorland. Moorland is generally upland areas such as Dartmoor in the South of England. The Hotchin Course at Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire, http://www.woodhallspagolf.com/the-hotchkin-course/ is a good example of a Heathland golf course and Moortown in Leeds, http://www.moortown-gc.co.uk/ is an example of a Moorland course.

Desert Golf courses such as http://www.palmsprings.com/golf/ can, despite their location, be lush and incredibly beautiful places. You often find ‘waste’ areas where shrubs, grasses and cactus plants grow (and snakes hide!). Usually these waste areas – whilst look likes a giant bunker – are not a hazard. Therefore the golfer is allowed to remove loose impediments and ground their club when addressing the ball.

Lastly, you may hear the term ‘Stadium’ course – this refers to generally modern courses designed with the spectator in mind – viewing areas designed into the course layout. The TPC Sawgrass, http://www.tpc.com/sawgrass/ is a very good example of a stadium course in the USA and in Europe the Catalunya Resort, http://www.pgacatalunya.com/golf/en/ 

If you have played a particularly stunning golf course please visit our Message Board and tell us all about it.

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