True Links

[Shane Wright]

I have been waiting for some time to get this book.  I believe it was just mentioned on a discussion today and I see that it has recently been listed on Amazon.

Does anyone own it and have any comments?

Is it mostly pictures and a listing of the 246 "true links" courses, or is there other information? 

Very excited.......

[Jim Eder]

I just got the book. Paging through quickly the photos look very good. The write-ups are a bit more brief but he is trying to cover a number of courses. The photos seem to be well worth the cost. It will be a day or two before I can really take a look. I would guess you got your already as well but thought I would just let you know what my first impression is.

[Jim Eder]

Shane,

I took a long look early this AM.  The photos are terrific, there are many courses mentioned (a couple hundred I believe). There are some nice maps with the course locations. The write-ups of the courses probably don't mention key features and holes of each course enough for my taste but there are some interesting facts about the courses where I learned new things. I really like the book and say it is easily worth the $26 or whatever I paid. Enjoy!!

Jim 

[PCCraig]

Jim:

Thanks for the report. I saw it pop up on Amazon as a new listing and was on the fence as to if I was going to get it or not. Pepper writes (or contributes) to many books, some good and some not-so-much, and I wasn't sure which side True Links falls on. Sounds like a decent read though so I'll be making an order.

[Jim Eder]

Pat,

You are welcome. The write-ups are about 2/3s of the page and are the weakest part of the book imo.  The pictures are awesome. I think you will like it, I hope you will like. I was impressed that it included Lundin and Leven etc, it really has a lot of courses mentioned from Barnbougle to Highland Links on Caper Cod to Castle Stuart etc.  I really do like it but mainly for the pictures and the impressive list of links (in Europe as well). It brought to my attention some courses I have not had the chance to know. I hope you enjoy!!

Jim

[Matt OBrien]

I clicked on the thread thinking it was about Robb Riggs new Shoe company called TRUE Links

[Gary Slatter]

I have ordered the book.  My understanding from the authors was it would include all the legit links courses.  They did a lot of research.  Does this first book include other parts of the world?

[Jim Eder]

Gary,

The book has mentions of links courses from around the world though some of the write-ups or mentions are brief. From Barnbougle in Tazmania, to Highland Links on Cape Code, to links in the UK and Continental Europe (Falsterbo etc).  I thought is was very encompassing and quite good. I believe they consider around 260 as "true links". I really enjoy it though I have not read it from cover to cover yet.

[Shane Wright]

I did finally get my copy on Thursday.

As has already been said, the pictures are fantastic.  The write ups are short, but then again, I didn't purchase the book to get more information on the famous links courses.  The info and write ups on many of the lesser known links courses is what I'm excited to read and learn from.

They list 246 true links courses with only 5 being in North America.

I will share more info as I get further into the book, but I won't make it a contest with you Jim to see who can read the fastest    I look forward to your feedback as well.

[Adam Lawrence]

I like it a lot. George and Malcolm went through a few phases during the production process as to how they should define a links - at one point, they were tending towards a much looser definition that would have included places like Sand Hills, but eventually went for a more fundamentalist position. That being said, they've included constructed courses like Kingsbarns and Budersand while excluding, for example Chambers Bay, so I think there's still a few issue with their lst. And they haven't included any of the 'warm weather links' such as Abaco and Lykia, a decision I understand but don't entirely agree with - if Lykia, for example, isn't natural linksland then I don't know what is.

[Tom_Doak]

Adam,

I was one of about 20 people that the authors asked about what ought to be considered links or not.  It was never going to be easy but I think they did fairly well.

I believe the distinction between Kingsbarns and Chambers Bay was based not on artificial construction, but on the Puget Sound not being a sea or an ocean, and on the site not being native sand to start with.

[Adam Lawrence]

Tom - yes, I did too - George asked me for input a few weeks after I'd been to Budersand, which was fortunate - I was very pleased to see it get such a nice writeup in the book, and hope it helps attract more attention.

I agree it's a pretty good list, but inevitably it's possible to pick holes. I take your point on Kingbarns vs Chambers Bay, but if natural sand is the key, then does KB qualify given parts of it were not sand and were plated with material mined elsewhere on site. For that matter you could say the same for Cabot Links.

Eventually rules can only get you so far, and you have to fall back on the Potter Stewart defence. Which is okay, I am inclined to believe that trusting a very well informed judge will bring better results than rigid adherence to set of rules that are inevitably going to be flawed.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

I'd like to know a bit more about the book before ordering it. These types of books can be a big let down at times.

Does it cover all links courses, even the mediocre little nine-holers dotted up and down the coasts of Scotland and Ireland? I'm just wondering if my home course (Gweedore) is mentioned, as it's definitely links.

[Gary Slatter]

Gary,

The book has mentions of links courses from around the world though some of the write-ups or mentions are brief. From Barnbougle in Tazmania, to Highland Links on Cape Code, to links in the UK and Continental Europe (Falsterbo etc).  I thought is was very encompassing and quite good. I believe they consider around 260 as "true links". I really enjoy it though I have not read it from cover to cover yet.

Thanks Jim, when I talked with Malcolm they were at 425 and counting down by eliminating non-links.  I was mainly interested to see what courses made the "cut", not necessarily write-ups.

[Jim Eder]

Gary,

Their exact number is 246. The list is very interesting. In the Chapter "Rare, Rugged and Real" they go into the process of selection and mention clifftop courses etc.  Very interesting.

Donal,

Gweedore is listed on pg 292 as one of the 246.  I do not see a write-up or any picture but they do include it. They do list Achill and Bushfoot etc so it is really encompasssing. 26 9 hole layouts and 2 twelve hole layouts (Shiskine and Rosslare Burrows)

Tom and Adam,

Thanks for the additional colour, very interesting. It must not have been easy at all.  Thanks!!

The write-ups and pictures are of the bettter known courses. It is broken into chapters called Rare, Rugged, and Real, The Creators, The Crucible, The Icons, The Classics, The Exotics, The Modern, and The Future. Great stuff.

[Dónal Ó Ceallaigh]

Donal,

Gweedore is listed on pg 292 as one of the 246.  I do not see a write-up or any picture but they do include it. They do list Achill and Bushfoot etc so it is really encompasssing. 26 9 hole layouts and 2 twelve hole layouts (Shiskine and Rosslare Burrows)

Thank you Jim. Listing an obscure course like Gweedore is a good sign that the authors have done some research. I honestly didn't expect any writeup on this course as it's a very basic - but pretty - little course. It would have been worth sending the photographer over to take a few snaps, as the setting is wonderful.

[Jim Eder]

Donal,

You are welcome. They really seem to have done a lot of research. Hopefully someone will get some pics up here of the course, I bet it is gorgeous.

[Scott Macpherson]

HI,

For some inexplicable reason George Peper asked me to help with the NZ courses. What started as a simple question,'Hey Scott, how many links you got in NZ?', became quite an adventure, and an extensive research project.

As it turns out, NZ has the 2nd highest number of Links after the UK. But the key to their book, is the definition. For the NZ courses, a list of about 22 links was culled to 9 due entirely to the predominant type of grass on the fairways. i.e, the there was a dominance of warm-season grasses, the course was dropped from the list even if it satisfied all the other criteria. This made some courses – e,g, Muriwai – which are widely regarded as a Links miss out on being accepted. Others, delightful little almost unknown 9-holers, got in.

It's a thought provoking book, and beautifully presented.


scott

[Adam Lawrence]

I loved the NZ section, it was probably my favourite bit of the book. When I finally get back to New Zealand, my clubs are coming with me and I'm going to try and play as many of those smalltown courses as I can, within the limits agreed under the Acceptable Parameters of Golf on Family Holidays agreement of 2007.

[Shane Wright]

I appreciate the input and feedback.  It sounds like a lot of professionals were reached out to in order to determine the final list.  I think it is fantastic that the little 9 holers were included.  It is pretty cool to think that with over 30,000 courses in the world, only 246 are considered "true links" according to Peper and Campbell.  And there are probably a few dozen others on the fringe that didn't make the list.  A course like Ballyneal plays every bit the same, in my opinion, but I think it is excluded simply by not being on the water.

Adam, hopefully some addenda have been added to the 2007 agreement in your favor. 

[Richard Choi]

I believe the distinction between Kingsbarns and Chambers Bay was based not on artificial construction, but on the Puget Sound not being a sea or an ocean, and on the site not being native sand to start with.

I am a little confused. Are you saying you need to have an open ocean? Puget Sound is seawater afterall. What about courses built within a bay? How open does it need to be?

And all of the sand used on Chambers Bay was already there. It was a sand mine afterall.

I don't get the distinction between Kingsbarns and Chambers...

[Jim Eder]

Richard,

They basically say that Chambers meets all the playing conditions of a links but it resides almost 100 miles from the ocean therefore they excluded it (too far from the ocean).

So I think the distinction is solely the proximity to the sea.

I don't think they are saying you need an open ocean but it needs to be fairly close. Tough decisions but thought provoking nonetheless.

[Richard Choi]

But Jim, ocean water is 50 feet away from the course...

[Jim Eder]

Richard, I hear you, but I guess they are distinguishing the bay with ocean/sea water with the ocean/sea proper. I hear you, it is a fair question but their point is it is too far (almost 100 miles) from the ocean/sea proper. That seems to be the only reason for not calling it a "true links" as they do say that all other features are consistent with links golf.

[Sven Nilsen]

Richard:

Out of curiosity, how much wind does Chambers get?  Being in a bay, I would imagine it doesn't have the same type of weather an oceanside course would experience.  I've played there once, and I'd guess the wind didn't get over 5 mph during the entire round.

Not that wind is the be all/end all of the links debate, but I can understand how a course set in an inland bay (regardless of its proximity to sea water) could have very different weather patterns than its seaside brethren.