I, of course can’t talk about sites in North America, but here in GB&I there are many untouched areas that could be ideal for links courses. Yet I must first wonder why in a time of falling numbers playing golf would anyone actually go to the expense of building a new links course – perhaps with the exception of Trump.
The interesting part of my on going research into course from the 19th Century is that I have found or come across many lost and closed courses that could be the starting point for new courses. Not forgetting that we have a multitude of inland closed courses that have also disappeared and which again could be the basis of new courses.
I would go one step further and advise that there are many courses out there throughout our islands that are still open and just waiting for visitors to discover them. The problem as always is everyone wants to play the well known courses yet in truth while they are more than enjoyable, there are many more small gems still lurking out there for the unsuspecting golfer to experience.
GB&I is way more than just the general 14 days offered by Golfing tours, but it takes a brave golfer who is willing to gamble with his limited time over here to decide to go off the beaten track and perhaps miss Dornoch, Cruden, North Berwick etc, etc. But I say be adventurous, plan your golfing holiday carefully and incorporate a mix of out of the way course with your favourites.
To those who have not had fun or enjoyed our courses, I would just say did you come over to play golf with an open mind or in your normal mindset and discovered it was not what you had expected. It’s a lot of money to visit our shore, so adjust your game to take best advantage of the courses and your skills. Links course have great fairways so use them in the windy conditions. We may not have long courses but that does not mean they are pussycats.
We have many sites and sections of land (new and closed) that can still be made into great courses.
Melvyn