True number of links courses

[ForkaB]

Brian

Great list. In addition to Mark's additions, I'd add:

Montrose
Scotscraig
Strathlene
Blackwaterfoot, and,in part:

Kinghorn
Burntisland
Scoonie

....there are others......

Matt

 Vis a vis "Top 10's" it really isn't close.  Once you get past the top 5 or so in Ireland and England you are struggling to find real quality.  Scotland is solid from 1-10 and beyond.

[Paul_Turner]

Matt

This is tricky enough!  I guess we could attempt a world number of links holes and divide by 18  

PS  
No such thing as a "links course" to the Sottish purist.  A links is a just a links!

[Paul_Turner]

Vis a vis "Top 10's" it really isn't close.  Once you get past the top 5 or so in Ireland and England you are struggling to find real quality.  Scotland is solid from 1-10 and beyond.

Spoken like a true plastic Scotsman  And it ain't true.

[Jack_Marr]

Hmmm, might as well do the list I've written out for Ireland, but I must have missed some. A few of these are 9-hole courses, and some are 27 hole courses

Sutton
Portmarnock
Portmarnock Golf Hotel
The Island
Corballis,
St, Annes
European Club
County Louth (Baltray)
Seapoint
Bettystown and Laytown
Arklow
Rosslare (maybe two coursesf?)
Royal County Down
RCD Annesley
Castlerock
Ardglass
Portstewart Old
Portstewart Riverside
Portstewart Strand
Portrush Dunluce
Portrush Valley
Ballyliffin Old
Ballyliffin Glashedy
Portsalon
Northwest Golf club
Dunfaghney (sp??)
Narin and Portnoo
Bundoran
Donegal (Murvagh)
Cruit Island
Mulvanney
St Patricks x 2
Enniscrone
Co Sligo (Rosses Point)
Rossapenna x 2
Carne
Connemara (27 holes)
Lahinch Old Course
Lahinch Castle Course
Strand Hill
Doonbeg
Spanish Point
Ballybunion Old
Ballybunion Cashen
Dooks
Ceann Sibhill
Tralee
Waterville
Castlegregory
And Old Head, if you count that.


And possibly on the way - 2 more near Castlegregory, One on Bantra Island, 9 more holes in Carne.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Mark. you knew this was coming.....why not Sheringham, with its wonderful cliff top holes and definate links soil, why did you omitit from the list.

This is not a criticism, just a question.
Cromer I can quite understand.

How about North Foreland, which is used as an Open qualifying site?

[Sean Walsh]

Tom,

I would have thought Australia could provide more than 3 entrants.  Leaving The mornington peninsula aside for now I would have thought we could add Barwon Heads, Peterborough (9 holes), Apollo Bay (9 holes).

As for the mornington peninsula although it does not provide the hummocky terrain of many scottish links, I would have thought that in many cases the grasses, tight fairways and green sites are synonmous with "Links golf".

A different type of links golf, but still true links.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Michael,

Sheringham isn't generally reckoned to be a links.  It overlooks the sea from its fabulous cliff-top position and more and more of the course is crumbling into the sea.  I think it's chalk, not sand, underneath.

Similarly North Foreland - chalk cliffs - very exposed, quite bleak, hard in any sort of wind, some great sea views.  But the soil isn't sandy.

Mark.

[TEPaul]

Very interesting and informative thread here but I'm surprised some of the contributors did not try to claim AGAIN, that quaint old linksland sentiment--"Nae links, nae golf".  

[Ville Nurmi]

Jack Marr,
you might want to add Royal Dublin to your list, but otherwise it looks complete. I noticed Royal Dublin missing, because it was my home course for one year while studying in Dublin!

[Jack_Marr]

Ville

Thanks - how did I miss that one, especially since I live in Dublin.

Jack