Links Courses - Opening Holes

[Jamie Barber]

Jamies/Scott the reason why Deal, Sandwich and Princes are far drier than the west coast links is the prevailing wind dumping the rain on western Britain.

And also the easterly winds are drier since they're continental rather than from the open sea.

I play probably 100 rounds a year at Prince's and I believe the winds are much more evenly distributed. I wouldn't say we get anything like 75% from one direction. I agree with you that east in summer is the rarest.

[Ally Mcintosh]

If a course is out and back it would seem logical to me to want to have the back 9 into the wind.  This would suggest heading out roughly South on the west coasts and North on the East?

An example of a what you suggest is Royal Dublin which is out and back with the front nine playing downwind (heading North-East) at 3,400 yards from the tips.... And the back nine heading back in to the wind at a whopping 4,000 yards from the back... It would suit your long hitting game perfectly Tony?