Links Association and Malcolm Campbell

[Craig Disher]

As we heard at the Buda Cup dinner this year, Malcolm Campbell and Peter Thompson are forming the Links Association, an organization dedicated to preserving links courses (by his count, of the 34000 gcs in the world, only 170 can be truly considered links) and using the principles of their design and maintenance as a model to help keep golf true to its origins and courses more sustainable.

Malcolm has written an article for the August issue of Golf Monthly that expands on these ideas. Apparently the Association is being formed now (although the article mentions a website, I couldn't find one) with a BoD and an Advisory Panel. Clubs that fit the Association's links criteria will be invited to join and associate memberships will be offered to those who have a connection to links golf. In the future, individuals who support the Association's goals may also be able to join.

The article gives Bandon Dunes a nod - calling it "one of the few true links in the United States."

[TEPaul]

Craig:

That is very interesting. I'd suggest they take on as their motto, "Nae links, nae golf" just to shake things up as much as possible. Perhaps they should also take on as one of their primary platforms that "real golf courses" do not have trees! Perhaps they should also claim that real golf courses must be beside a sea or ocean.

With Fazio's imagination and resources this might inspire him to build a links style course beside a "faux ocean" in the Arizona desert that everyone would think is the real deal.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Thanks for this Craig. Do they have a list of qualifying criteria actually listed? Those would be more expansive than geographical and geological and would include maintenance and agronomy, yes?

Be curious to know how they certify.

Mark

[Craig Disher]

TEP,
The article takes a swipe at courses, primarily American, that grow a bit of fescue and then slap "Links" on the end of their name. Malcolm doesn't quarrel with the idea that good courses can be built on inland sites but he encourages those courses to follow the sustainable maintenance practices that are found on true links. But his target are the few links courses - if they don't adhere to the firm and fast ideal, golf will lose its touchstone and the game will change (if it hasn't already) into something quite different.

Mark, I can't find any explicit criteria the Association will use. His aim is to rally the remaining links courses to be true to their heritage and thus be a model for other courses. In general, he says what defines links courses is their history, their agronomy (native grasses, well drained soils) and a setup that allows the golfer to create shots. The last had the most relevance to me - in an earlier thread I talked about how some clubs believe that growing 3' rough adjacent to a narrow fairway or around bunkers and hazards eliminates the opportunity for a creative recovery. It's the links version of whacking the ball out from under an overgrown white pine. I'll continue to follow this and let you know if I find anything new.

[TEPaul]

"TEP,
The article takes a swipe at courses, primarily American, that grow a bit of fescue and then slap "Links" on the end of their name. Malcolm doesn't quarrel with the idea that good courses can be built on inland sites but he encourages those courses to follow the sustainable maintenance practices that are found on true links. But his target are the few links courses - if they don't adhere to the firm and fast ideal, golf will lose its touchstone and the game will change (if it hasn't already) into something quite different."


Craig:

From the way you explain what Malcolm Campbell is trying to do it sounds to me like an excellent idea. I don't know all the details of links golf and links maintenance practices that support and sustain traditional links courses and the kind of golf playability on them but it seems to me that a very clear distinction always needs to be made so as not to corrupt or homogenize those kinds of special courses and their unique playability with maintenance practices or influences from elsewhere that don't really suit them and what they should be traditionally.

Most of my IMM theories go to that very thing---eg there are a lot of different types and styles and inherent playabilities out there and around the world and all those different types and styles, including links golf, very much need to be kept DISTINCT and not HOMOGENIZED in any way.

To me that's the beauty of architecture and golf----the very different and distinct playabilities around the world. Unfortunately, there seems to be some push always around from some golfers to try to make things the same somehow---formulae, standardization, consistency, or whatever one calls it---it may come in different names and guises but it amounts to basically the same thing and it ain't good. 

[Mark Bourgeois]

A partially-complete website for the Links Association is online:
Click anywhere on this sentence for the link.


A few items of potential interest

• Peter Thomson is on the board, but the founders are Alastair Campbell and Brian Keating.  Keating is the developer behind Macrihanish Dunes, which is notable for two reasons: it's the first links built on Scotland's west coast in 100 years, and it is the first course ever built on an SSSI (didn't know that -- wow!).  Also, as far as maintenance practice, it looks like MD is going to be living the principles (no pesticides, etc).
  
  
• Here's the list of "true links" they have up so far -- probably just a placeholder as no formal criteria have been published:

1. St Andrews Old course
2. Carnoustie 
3. Turnberry
        Alisa course
        Kintre course
4. Royal Portrush
5. Royal County Down

6. Bandon Dunes
7. Ballybunion
8. Machrihanish
9. Whistling Straits
10. European Club

11. Kingsbarns
12. Enniscone
13 Donegal
14. Royal Troon
15. Lahinch

Whistling Straits?  It's not a links! On the other hand, it's a course that was manufactured and is maintained (is it still?) to links standards.  Seems like a good call to include courses that are "reasonable approximations" of links (Myrtle Beach courses need not apply).

What do you think?  Would "True Links Certification" help "protect" Chambers Bay for example from being regrassed?

• List of links architects:

1. David McLay Kidd
2. Old Tom Morris
3. Tom Doak
4. Eddie Hackett
5. Dr Alister Mackenzie

6. Pete Dye
7. Kyle Phillips
8. Pat Ruddy
9. Harry Colt
10. Greg Norman

• Can we mis-label this a ranking to wind up certain people? I see four, five people going NUTS over it, easy!

Mark

[Tom_Doak]

Well, it would be a great idea, except:

1.  It has been formed to promote a certain course or courses.

2.  They're obviously "for sale" if someplace like Whistling Straits is going to be declared a "true" links.

I understand that there will always be difficulty in how tight a definition of "true links" one insists upon.  For some, they almost can't exist except in the UK and Ireland ... even though places like Kennemer and Barnbougle would have to qualify by any technical definition, and places like Bandon Dunes have certainly got the links turf idea down pat.  But don't be surprised if their definition is looser than that, ESPECIALLY for resorts with $$$ (or sterling or euro) to contribute to the cause.

[Jason Topp]

Well, it would be a great idea, except:

1.  It has been formed to promote a certain course or courses.

2.  They're obviously "for sale" if someplace like Whistling Straits is going to be declared a "true" links.

Tom:

I have no inside knowledge about this but based on spending some time with Malcom at BUDA and what I have seen of the James Braid Society (involving similar people), I doubt either of your assertions are accurate. 

These guys are deeply concerned with preserving links golf and traditional maintenence practices.  In the unlikely event that this is motivated by commercial interests, I don't think this group would be very effective at pulling it off. 

I have no explanation for the list other than it looks to me to be a website in progress.  I would hope Whistling Straits would be eliminated from the list when it is fully up and running.

[Rich Goodale]

From what's on the website, this is all still very embryonic.  I'm willing to wait and see what transpires, although I'm not any more sure now than I was at BUDA VI, as to "Why?"

[Tom_Doak]

Jason:

The idea was from Brian Keating, who's trying to develop Machrihanish Dunes.  I like Brian, but part of the idea was to promote the rarity of a new links -- the one he's building.

[Norbert P]

 Bandon Dunes is not a "true links" in the geological definition.  I can speculate on why they put it in their list but it would be objected to as "forming a conclusion" or "conjecture."   

  True links or not - a manmade classification - it is still rare land and should be highly appreciated and cared for as such.

  I see nothing wrong with bringing rare land to the forefront of protection.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Mark

Thanks for the update and the link (no pun intended  ) to their website.

I would be interested to see their definition of a "true links" given the manufactured nature of some of the courses they consider fall within that definition.