PLAYING LINKS GOLF "under the sun "

[Nicolas Joakimides]

 hello,

About Teelal, the golf course I designed in north Morocco, Ran said in his review:
The crumpled land says Scotland; the 85 degree temperature and bright sunshine suggest otherwise!
I was wondering if this course could “claim “ to be one of the “best climate” links course ?
What other links course have good weather all year long ? Australia ? Or Asia ?
Is Danang golf club in Vietnam a real links for you ?

Teelal has Penncross grass around and on the greens ,so the ground game works well.
By “around “, I mean 10 to 30 yards around the greens !

The weather is good all year long , except in July, August: It’s a little bit hot when there is no wind. But it doesn’t happen much.

We play most of the time in a “1 or 2 club” wind .

In January, the average temperature is 53 (F)
March 57 (F)
May 65
July / August 76.5
Oct 67
December 56

[Nicolas Joakimides]

As anyone played Humewood in South Africa?
Does it play like a links ?


This is what they said in the book “ True links” by Peper & Campbell .

[Tom_Doak]

The superintendent at Tara Iti says it's the only course he knows where you can play on fescue year-round, and then go surfing afterwards.


Is Teelal fescue or [I presume] Bermudagrass ?  How will they keep the surface playing fast over time?


Also, I've played Humewood, and yes, it plays like a links.  It's windy as heck and the difference between driving downwind vs into the wind can be 100+ yards ... and there are a lot of holes that go back and forth right after one another.

[Nicolas Joakimides]

Tom,


You’are right  :Tara iti looks like a dream ...



Yes , Teelal fairway grass is Bermuda Riviera . The ball is bouncing well enough here .
We choose Pentcross ( agrostis stolonifera T1)  for the greens and around .Because this is what they have on the first course in Saidia. They were firm and fast enough .

Of course my first thought was fescue but I thought it might be too hot ...
I still don’t know if It would have worked ...
Thanks for the information about humewood . Do you know anyother links in Africa ?



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[Keith Phillips]

The Abaco Club (coincidentally on the Golf Channel right now) was advertised as a 'tropical links' when I played it a decade ago.  I really love the course but it certainly didn't play as fast as a GB&I links course.  Not sure what grasses they use.

[Thomas Dai]

There are many GB & I links courses where you can play golf and surf nearby even in the winter....goretex and wetsuits help though!


Having read Rans profile when it was initially published I googled Teelal golf to find out more but unfortunately for me the resulting website seems to be in French and there doesn’t seem to be onsite language conversion link.


Atb

[Tom_Doak]

There are many GB & I links courses where you can play golf and surf nearby even in the winter....goretex and wetsuits help though!

Your post reminds me that the full claim for Tara Iti is that you can play year-round, in shorts!


Nicolas:


I have not seen any other courses in Africa I would call a links.  I have traveled there very little, but none of my sources indicate others.  East London GC and St. Francis Links nearby are the closest I've heard of in South Africa, but the odds that a newish Nicklaus course really qualifies as a links are not in favor.


Paraparaumu Beach in N.Z. is certainly a links, though not fescue.  There are a few others there which could argue the point, but most of them are in colder weather than Tara Iti.

[Nicolas Joakimides]

Thanks Keith !


Thanks Tom !
I agree ,( from the pictures I have seen ) St Francis looks wild but also a touch of target golf ...


Tom,
Talking about Africa ,you said you have traveled there very little .Do you plan to come to discover more courses  for C.G Vol 4 ?