Out and back Links courses where the sea is shared between the two nines.

[Tony_Muldoon]

This is prompted by Niall’s excellent thread on “Links with better inland nines.”
http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,49352.0.html


I believe that one of the reasons why North Berwick West Links is so beloved is because it keep taking you back to the sea.  Standing on the first tee you are drawn to the sea.  This continues on two and too a lesser extent 3.  Then without noticing from 4 to the 9th fairway we play more inland, not on flat ground but it’s not “dunesy”  either.   From the 10th tee to the 16th it’s impossible not to have the eye drawn towards Fidra or Bass Rock.  We hardly notice that 15 has taken us inland and we get one last awe inspiring view as we get to the crest just short of the 17th green.   I think the routing is genius and totally underappreciated even on here.


Aberdovey pulls off a bit of this. We are aware of the sea on the first couple of holes( But no great views) and the only time we really interact with the sea is the 12th(?) green – a par 3.  We than play a few more holes along the Dunes and then cross back inland.

Cruden Bay sort of this by heading out in one direction and then reversing to play a few by the sea before crossing to high ground and at the far end of the course and then coming back down to play again by the sea, but in a different direction to the above, before finishing inland.  Not a true out and back but still on a relatively narrow strip of land.



Seeing  the sea appear at various times in the round, makes me wish it was done more often.


Any others?   (Any nominated will get moved up  at least 3 places on my must play list.)

[Tony_Muldoon]

I like this feature so much that I'm prepared ot consider seaside courses that arn't out and back links.

Chiberta does something similar, palyin3rd to 5th along the sea and then some later holes (12,13?) playing in the opposite direction away from the earlier ones. However the middle bit is too wide, with housing in between, to really be out and back.

Lahinch

Pebble beach.


Pennard

[Tony_Muldoon]

Final thought. 


Didthe total mess that exists on TOC crossover at 7and 11

a show how difficult to pull this off succesfully
b put off others from trying?

[Garland Bayley]

The obvious. Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Old MacDonald

[Ian Andrew]

Enniscrone

[Tony_Muldoon]

I waiting for Pat Mucci's favourite 

[Ally Mcintosh]

The most obvious configuration of holes is the basic figure-8...

North Berwick has to be the best example in Scotland but Trump Aberdeen will also be an example of this with the clubhouse in the middle rather than at one end...

I don't think Ian's example of Enniscrone is right because 2,3,4 play inside 15 and 16, even if the 2nd green is on the main dune ridge...

Lahinch is all front nine... The new 11th green perhaps but 12 plays alongside the estuary... Neither of these courses are really out and back either...

[Sean_A]

Ally

You are forgetting about the early part of the back nine along the water.

While not right on the water, St Enodoc keeps coming back to lovely sea views.

Ballybunion speads the sea holes bewteen the nines. 

Dunbar does as well.

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ally

You are forgetting about the early part of the back nine along the water.

While not right on the water, St Enodoc keeps coming back to lovely sea views.

Ballybunion speads the sea holes bewteen the nines. 

Dunbar does as well.

Ciao

Which course, Sean? Enniscrone?... In which case it's the same nine as 15 and 16 surely? You could argue that 9 is on the water but it's the estuary rather than the sea...

Ballybunion only has one hole on the front nine (the 7th) along the sea and it's not really an out and back either...

We're kind of stretching Tony's definition with both of those...

[Mark Pearce]

Balcomie sort of does this. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 along the water, then inland until 14 which goes back to the water (though you can see the sea from every hole on Balcomie), 15 plays along the water before finishing back inland.  However, Balcomie isn't really an out and back course, more an uneven bow tie.

[SL_Solow]

Might not be a true links but how about Pebble?