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Sean_A

  • Karma: +0/-0
Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers New
« on: March 05, 2006, 01:16:40 PM »
It doesn't matter why your favourite links is top dog, but it can be only one.  Also, which are the only three links that give your favourite a run for its title?

Ciao
« Last Edit: May 25, 2023, 10:08:29 PM by Sean_A »
New plays planned for 2024: Nothing

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #1 on: March 05, 2006, 01:38:03 PM »
#1 is difficult but North Berwick West Links gets the call.  The quirk, ah the quirk!

The next three are easy, TOC, Royal Porthcawl, and the Balcomie Links at Crail.  Why easy?  Those are the only other true links I've played!

Larry_Keltto

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2006, 01:43:12 PM »
Royal Cinque Ports is my tops

Contenders
Royal Liverpool
Ballybunion
Pennard

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2006, 01:50:38 PM »
Larry, I was going to somehow try to squeeze in Sean's favorite, Pennard ("The links in the sky"), but I just don't see how a course a hundred feet or more above the sea can be on true linksland.

True, it was wildly quirky and the turf was firm, but come on now, can it really be linksland if the sea didn't recede from it several eons ago?

So I'm "stuck" with the four I listed.  I'd like to be playing any one of them tomorrow morning.  ;D

redanman

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2006, 01:54:26 PM »
My favorite is the one I am playing and the three chasers are the next three on the list?   :D

I wish I had played at least 30 or 50 so that I could refine it more, and come from a better defensible position,  but TOC, Royal Do, Royal Ab and NBWL are all pretty high on my incomplete list.

Larry_Keltto

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2006, 02:15:39 PM »
Bill, I always forget that technicality about Pennard. But, for me, no links is more "linksy" than Pennard ;-)

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2006, 02:28:39 PM »
In terms of playing conditions -- don't forget the wind up there! -- that is certainly true!

Jack_Marr

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2006, 02:36:23 PM »
Forgive my lack of international experience...

Lahinch

Contenders:
Enniscrone
Royal County Down
Carne
John Marr(inan)

Chris Moore

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2006, 02:53:14 PM »
Western Gailes

Contenders:  TOC, Royal Troon (forgive me, but I really loved the course), and The New Course (probably as much fun as the Old Course, but without the aura that comes with starting and finishing in the town).

Andrew Summerell

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2006, 02:56:37 PM »
Another vote for North Berwick,

Followed by TOC, Elie & Barnbougle Dunes.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2006, 02:58:58 PM by Andrew Summerell »

Mark_F

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2006, 04:18:01 PM »
Royal Dornoch,

then

Macrihanish,
Royal Porthcawl
Silloth on Solway

wsmorrison

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #11 on: March 05, 2006, 04:32:38 PM »
TOC

Royal Dornoch
Royal St. Georges
Prestwick

ed_getka

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2006, 04:36:47 PM »
Dornoch
Sand Hills
TOC
North Berwick

I suspect this could change by next year, as my links experience is still quite limited.
"Perimeter-weighted fairways", The best euphemism for containment mounding I've ever heard.

Bill Gayne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2006, 04:47:20 PM »
This is easy:

Pebble Beach Golf Links
Harbortown Golf Links
Old Head Golf Links
Royal New Kent ;D

I love links golf!!

(Just for the record my actual response is that Royal Portrush is being chased by every other links course.)
« Last Edit: March 05, 2006, 04:49:57 PM by Bill Gayne »

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #14 on: March 05, 2006, 05:30:07 PM »
Does anyone consider either Pacific Dunes or Bandon Dunes to be a links?

Doug Siebert

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #15 on: March 05, 2006, 11:12:48 PM »
Its a tough call between TOC and Ballybunion but I have to give my nod to TOC, then:

Ballybunion
Prestwick
Lahinch

I love North Berwick too but damn I love Prestwick so, even though it kicks my ass every time I play it!

I just noticed that my chasers are all courses I have played in some monster winds, winds easily strong enough that Patrick Mucci would have a hard time believing the architecture could shine through.  Maybe I need to play North Berwick in a gale sometime and see if it moves up in my rankings.  I guess despite being an American I must subscribe to the "if there's nae wind, its nae golf" links ideal ;)
My hovercraft is full of eels.

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2006, 11:19:45 PM »
The last time I played North Berwick West Links, there was a very strong west wind, 3 or 4 clubs, so the outward half was l-o-n-g and the inward nine was tricky as hell.  That's a great set up and wind direction, because the inward holes are where the quirk is, and the outward holes need that beefing up with the wind.  It was very difficult to hold approach shots to holes like #10 (short par 3 over the front bunker), #12, #14 Perfection!, blind over the hill, the ball ran like crazy, #15 was made a bit easier as a 6-iron carried onto the very front, #16 was very slippery, #17 similar to Perfection in that the ball ran and ran.  #18 didn't make much difference as I hooked the tee shot into the underground chain link fence behind the golf shop!

"No wind no golf" really applies at the links courses.

Brendan Dolan

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #17 on: March 05, 2006, 11:50:40 PM »
Ballybunion would top my list, with a close 2nd, 3rd, and 4th going to: Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, and Lahinch.  

ForkaB

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #18 on: March 06, 2006, 02:29:51 AM »
Dornoch (no surprise.... :))

Lytham-St. Annes
Rye
Western Gailes

Richard Muldoon

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #19 on: March 06, 2006, 02:57:20 AM »
Dornoch.
Just pips Portrush because if you could only play one more links for the rest of your life then you might get beaten up too often by Portrush.
If you only had one more round then it would be reversed.

Saunton East - My awakening to the pleasures of Links golf
Royal Cinque Ports though it could be a number of others.

Sean Walsh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #20 on: March 06, 2006, 08:07:35 AM »
Port Fairy

Brora
Crail
Barnbougle

The third chaser was tough.  The first three are all great raw links and places I could actually afford to play for the rest of my life.  And there could be worse things than a holiday house in each of the villages.




Brian Phillips

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #21 on: March 06, 2006, 08:16:27 AM »
Royal Dornoch

Chased by:

Turnberry
Lahinch
North Berwick


...and many others, I don't count Sand Hills, otherwise would have won over North Berwick.
Bunkers, if they be good bunkers, and bunkers of strong character, refuse to be disregarded, and insist on asserting themselves; they do not mind being avoided, but they decline to be ignored - John Low Concerning Golf

michael_j_fay

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #22 on: March 06, 2006, 08:43:44 AM »
Dornoch

Followed by Royal Porthcawl, Dunluce at Portrush and Rye.

ForkaB

Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #23 on: March 06, 2006, 08:55:34 AM »
Port Fairy

OK, Sean

Where is this and what is this?  Royal Brokeback? :)

Brian Phillips

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re:Your Favourite Links and Three Chasers
« Reply #24 on: March 06, 2006, 09:07:19 AM »
Dornoch (no surprise.... :))

Lytham-St. Annes
Rye
Western Gailes
Rich,

Before I really started playing a lot of golf I lived a stones throw from Lytham-St. Annes and I still have not played it to this day...one of my many goals in life...

Thanks for Dornoch.  It would never have happened without you.  Ronan and I even skipped Uni to get up there that weekend!!

Brian
Bunkers, if they be good bunkers, and bunkers of strong character, refuse to be disregarded, and insist on asserting themselves; they do not mind being avoided, but they decline to be ignored - John Low Concerning Golf