[Niall C]

I was catching up on the Cruden Bay v RA thread and it struck me how on each course many preferred the nine seaside holes on typical out and back links. Are there any courses where you prefer the inland nine on a typical out and back links ?

Niall 

[Ally Mcintosh]

The Old Course...

[David_Tepper]

Niall -

I think you could argue that some of the better holes at Royal Dornoch (#2, #4, #5, #17, #18) are the inland holes.

DT

[BCrosby]

I think the inward nine at Royal Aberdeen is more architecturally interesting, if less scenic, than the more famous outward nine.

Bob

[Niall C]

Niall -

I think you could argue that some of the better holes at Royal Dornoch (#2, #4, #5, #17, #18) are the inland holes.

DT

David,

I think I would agree with you although the inland nine does have the 7th which I personally like as i really like the green but many don't rate it because it doesn't quite have that links turf that the rest fo the course has.

Niall 

[Niall C]

I think the inward nine at Royal Aberdeen is more architecturally interesting, if less scenic, than the more famous outward nine.

Bob

Bob

Do you know, its the top of my list to play as its one of the top courses in Scotland I haven't played at least once. And it seems every speaks about the front nine as being world class and the back nine being humdrum in comparison so its good to get a different perspective.

Niall

[David_Tepper]

Niall -

I agree with you about #7 at RD.
I also think the holes on the back (inland) nine at Brora are, as a group, every bit as good as the holes on the front nine.

DT  

[Tony_Muldoon]

Deal.

(Does anyone else wonder if young JNC has been kidnapped by RSG members to prevent him completing his comparison?.)

[Gary Slatter]

Niall, I really enjoy Royal Aberdeen's golfing experience; the front nine is mostly world class, and the back nine a great test and very interesting. RD's "inland" holes are all interesting, and excepting the 7th, I didn't consider them inland.  RCD's second nine sometimes gets panned, but I also consider it a great part of the RCD experience, with several of the best holes in golf. 

[Kevin Pallier]

Troon is pretty much an out and back layout and overall I much prefer the inland holes.

[Niall C]

Gary

When I was posing the question I was thinking of links where the seaside nine have the "benefit" of perhaps more interesting duney topography compared to a flatter inland nine but clearly that doesn't always follow. Perhaps RA is one of those courses.

Kevin

Glad to hear it. I love Troon and think that perhaps one of the reasons (amongst several) that it doesn't get much love on here is because a lot of the holes are flatter and frankly I think what a lot of people want to see in a links is dunes. I think the flatter holes at Troon show you don't need wild contours to make a links interesting, challenging or fun. Also Troon doesn't fit my identikit out and back course either as the holes that are duney (is that a word ?) are at the far end of the course rather than all being on the seaside holes.

Niall

[Alex Lagowitz]

Niall -

I think you could argue that some of the better holes at Royal Dornoch (#2, #4, #5, #17, #18) are the inland holes.

DT

There are some strong inland holes, but 9,10,11,12,14,15,16 are also incredible oceanside holes.
Thats why its considered one of the best courses in the world.

[Tom_Doak]

I would second the nominations of both Royal Troon and Brora.

For that matter, although it's not as big of a difference because both nines are a bit removed from the sea, the back nine on The Old Course is further from the sea and clearly the star of the two.

[Niall C]

Niall -

I think you could argue that some of the better holes at Royal Dornoch (#2, #4, #5, #17, #18) are the inland holes.

DT

There are some strong inland holes, but 9,10,11,12,14,15,16 are also incredible oceanside holes.
Thats why its considered one of the best courses in the world.

Alex

I agree with you that there is some quality golf there although in truth not that enamoured with Foxy. But tell me this, if instead of the sea on the left hand side you just had more land, would those holes be any less good ?

Niall

[Tony_Muldoon]

This thread got me wondering why there were so many Links courses that set out along the sea and back more inland.


Speculating I thought that a designer working on foot would want to design his seaward holes first.  Once he had a good idea of them and how wide they were, he could work on the returning, inland holes?  If the outward holes were ‘discovered’ and the inland ones made to fit, it’s easy to see why on so many courses the best holes are closest to the sea.   

[Alex Lagowitz]

Niall -

I think you could argue that some of the better holes at Royal Dornoch (#2, #4, #5, #17, #18) are the inland holes.

DT

There are some strong inland holes, but 9,10,11,12,14,15,16 are also incredible oceanside holes.
Thats why its considered one of the best courses in the world.

Alex

I agree with you that there is some quality golf there although in truth not that enamoured with Foxy. But tell me this, if instead of the sea on the left hand side you just had more land, would those holes be any less good ?

Niall

Well the vistas of oceanside golf certainly add to the character of a golf course.
One could ask the question, then, if the 16th hole at Cypress was over a grassy plain instead of an ocean, would it be as great of a hole...
The answer to that is clearly no.

At Dornoch, many of the oceanside holes are played through corridors and are blocked by the ocean, but you can always feel the oceans presence and especially on a few elevated tee shots.  The view rising to the left of the 16th green is spectacular (minus the obnoxious trailer park on the far right)

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