No Golden Age links?

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Paul,
Probably the sametype of critics who thought that The Clash merely ripped off the ideas of Malclom Mclaren and the Sex Pistols...who cares what critics have to say..I still think Royal Birkdale is great!!!!

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Just trying to get a jump out of someone Sean, I agree with you wholeheartedly.
Paul Weller is as talented and as underated a musician as there has ever been, is ability to change music types is legendary.
I remember seeing him show up at an Incignito gig, at the hight of the jazz fumk era..and steal the show.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Sean,
this United result has me all messed up..what was I thinking..Paul Weller was The Jam...oops....
Well right era and music type anyway...sort of!!!

[Paul_Turner]

Sean

I prefer W Ho! to Birkdale.  3 or 4 more duff holes at WHo!  But Birkdale has nowt to compare with holes like the 6th at the Ho!.  

As I just IM'd Rich:

Isn't Birkdale's big problem a lack of variety?  All the holes through valleys...just compare it with Dornoch or Rye!  No rippling fairways.  Greens aren't all that exciting either, as I recall.  The big dunes don't really come into play much unless your really start spraying it.  

mostly humdrum stuff with some big dunes in the background.

Never a bad course, just not a great one in my opinion.  Worst on the rota, although I don't know Troon.

Someone try and make a strong case for Birkdale.

PS

The appeal of the Pistols has worn thin, not like The Clash.

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

The best opening tee shot on the Open rotation..if not any course I have played.
One of the best short par 4's anywhere in #10
The best/fairest blind tee shot on the Open rota at# 9
One of the most demanding par 4's in golf at# 6
Simply a fantastic par 3 at #12..close to the perfect par 3 hole.
Great variation in wind direction due to the hole routing so that the wind affects you from all 4 directions.
Arnie won the OPEN there..thats all that matters !!!
I do however understand what you are saying, not much of that quirky stuff that alot of people like on their links courses.
That may be why alot of the pros like it so much as an Open venue, versus say St Georges.
I love the big dunes that frame the holes, but also think they could have been used as an integral part of the course a little more.

[Keith Durrant]

If the Clash were "the only band that matters", which is the only links course that matters...?!

[Paul_Turner]

Michael

I agree with your Birkdale hole choices.  Those are my favourites there too.  I also like the 15th and 16th.  The 10th is my favourite hole there...one hole where the fairway does ripple some.

The 12th is fine, but I would argue that both 5 and 7 are better at Rye (particularly 7).

Lifted the following pics from the RB website.  What did they do to those fairways?  All the interesting stuff is between the holes!











Sean

My Top 5/6 is predictably GCA friendly:  

Royal County Down, St Andrews, Sandwich, Portrush, Ballybunion, Dornoch.

[Marc Haring]

Isn't Birkdale's big problem a lack of variety?  All the holes through valleys...just compare it with Dornoch or Rye!  No rippling fairways.  Greens aren't all that exciting either, as I recall.  The big dunes don't really come into play much unless your really start spraying it.  

Paul

I have to beg to differ to a degree although yes the dunes could have been brought more into play. However, I'm sure there was a fair amount of movement on 6, 9 and 10, the 12th was set in the dunes, 16 and 17 featured them (well they did when I played it). I think the fairways ripple a bit but do agree, they are generally flat. Many of the greens were rebuilt by Steele I think after the Baker Finch disaster and I recall they've got a fair amount of movement in them now.

What fairways at Rye are especially interesting because I seem to recall that although the dunes came into play, they were mostly used to create blind shots, which although quirky can get a bit irritating.

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