Top 5 rumpled links sites

[Ally Mcintosh]

How do you like your rumples?

Started as an amalgamation of two other threads going at the moment, I thought I'd ask people which links courses give them the greatest pleasure in terms of rumpled fairways and green surrounds (looking to exclude a discussion on green contouring internally).

T'other thread has a picture of Ballyliffin Old but I'll confess that the course doesn't provide my favourite kind of rumple. Too small and uniform.

I prefer more varied rolls and swales, humps and hollows, bigger without being outrageous. Like the 4th fairway at Portrush, much of Royal St George's, the 3rd at Carne, numerous spots on TOC and some at Deal. Sometimes it's the lower lying courses, sometimes the ones with bigger dunes.

Which courses give you the most visual excitement in terms of short grass rumple?

[Thomas Dai]

Interesting question Ally.


The mogul like ones such as you've highlighted previously on the 5th at Strandhill (both fairway and green) were the first examples that came to mind followed by courses like ToC, Westward Ho! and the beforementioned Ballyliffin Old.


But then I started to ponder much smaller, subtle rumples and the course that came to mind was Dunfanaghy. The first few holes in particular, and some in the middle ones to an extent, appear from distance to be extremely flat but when you walk or play them you realise everything is tiny ripples and mini-mounds, inches rather than feet high for the most part, and quite delightful in a gentle manner. I can't quite remember but I think the second-9 on the OTM course at Rosapenna has them in places as well (need to check my photos). There are some lovely ones on the 7th hole at Golspie as well. Tain too in places. 'Thinking cap' time.


Atb

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Getting away from the usual suspects, such as TOC, I'm going to plump for Silloth - it has a great deal of movement.
I like the elevated holes at Wallasey, but the flat part is dullish.
St Enodoc is a lovely spot with some marvellous views.
Royal Porthcawl, I don't think, gets enough praise on this site. It is very good.
I love the movement in Royal Dornoch. Great course!

[Tom_Doak]

We actually produced a list of the courses with "Bumpiest Contours" -- I believe Ran wanted to call it "Best Micro-Undulation" -- in the back of Volume 1 of The Confidential Guide.  Can't tell you why we left The Old Course out, but here was our top ten:


Ballyliffin
Askernish
Boat of Garten
Machrihanish Dunes
West Cornwall
Narin & Portnoo
Fraserburgh
Machrihanish
Royal Troon (Old)
Aberdovey

[Garland Bayley]

I've only played two on Tom's list. I can certainly understood West Cornall being there, but Narin & Portnoo wouldn't make the top ten of what I've played.

Let me try.
Strandhill
Carne
Portrush
Portsalon
Portstewart
Tenby
Pennard
West Cornwall
Bude and North Cornwall
Perranporth



EDIT: Sean's post below reminded me of Burnham & Berrow to add to this list.

[Sean_A]

Like Ally, I tend to prefer lower lying links with smaller bumps and rolls and the odd bit of 5-20 foot elevation. TOC is the obvious answer, but Deal also has some beautiful terrain.  Burnham doesn't get mentioned often for this sort of thing, but its fairways are very bumpy for the most part...same for Dornoch.  With much more elevation change, Pennard too has a lot of micro movement in its fairways.  Nobody mentions it, but Princes has some superb bumpy fairways. Portrush does very well on this score as well.

Ciao

[David Davis]

How does Prestwick avoid this list? From photos I'd also think of Paraparaumu in NZ but haven't seen it yet myself.

[Marty Bonnar]

Some of my all-time favorites are at Machrihanish Dunes:



Just enough to be interesting, without any unnecessary ostentation. Perhaps that's the very measure of Scotland and the Scots!

F.

[Mark Chaplin]

Sean the 9th on the Shore loop at a Princes has the most wonderful fairway. 

[Brian_Ewen]

Does 'Rig & Furrow' count ?

[Jon Wiggett]

Does 'Rig & Furrow' count ?

Brian,


no 'Rig & Furrow' on a genuine links site would exist though I am sure some links might have some on the odd hole away from the sandy ground.


Jon

[Ryan Coles]

Two top courses that are disappointingly flat and runway like:


Royal Birkdale
Castle Stuart


I liked both, but they would be better with more rumples.


Should an architect create/shape micro undulations in fairways where none exist naturally?

[Jon Wiggett]

Two top courses that are disappointingly flat and runway like:


Royal Birkdale
Castle Stuart


I liked both, but they would be better with more rumples.


Should an architect create/shape micro undulations in fairways where none exist naturally?

Ryan,


I agree with Birkdale  but this is actually how the land is as can be seen if you explore the untouched dunes surrounding. Castle Stuart does have very smooth but not flat fairways. To get micro undulations I believe you have to hand finish which is slow but very effective.
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[/size]Jon

[Ally Mcintosh]

Does 'Rig & Furrow' count ?

Brian,


no 'Rig & Furrow' on a genuine links site would exist though I am sure some links might have some on the odd hole away from the sandy ground.


Jon

Funnily enough, we have rig and furrow on the 11th hole at Portmarnock, as genuine links land as you can get.

The land was originally home to 5 cottages, crofters who probably had to put up with whatever soil they were given in 19th century Ireland.

[Rich Goodale]

Rumples and Rigs and Furrows are two very different kettles of fish, as it were.


For the best understanding of the difference between "Rumples" and "non Rumples", compare and contrast the first hole at Ballyliffin Old v. the first hole at Ballyliffin Gleshedy.  At the latter your ball ends up roughly where you hit it.  At the former, your ball ends up where quantum mechanics chooses where it ends up, no matter where you thought you hit it.


Rich

[Garland Bayley]

Rumples and Rigs and Furrows are two very different kettles of fish, as it were.


For the best understanding of the difference between "Rumples" and "non Rumples", compare and contrast the first hole at Ballyliffin Old v. the first hole at Ballyliffin Gleshedy.  At the latter your ball ends up roughly where you hit it.  At the former, your ball ends up where quantum mechanics chooses where it ends up, no matter where you thought you hit it.


Rich

Quantum Mechanics? Really? Newton and Einstein might disagree.

[Garland Bayley]

Two top courses that are disappointingly flat and runway like:


Royal Birkdale
Castle Stuart


I liked both, but they would be better with more rumples.


Should an architect create/shape micro undulations in fairways where none exist naturally?

Add Saunton East to that list, except that you can't say I liked it.

[Thomas Dai]

The big army machines that were deployed across the course during WWII might have something to do with the lack of natural undulations currently present at Saunton.
Atb

[Jon Wiggett]

Ally,


my understanding of 'Rig and Furrow' is that it was used by small farmers/crofters working thin poor draining soil as a way of creating ridges of drier, deeper soils for growing crops especially vegetables. I suppose it might be a sign of potato crops though I would have thought this would have created much narrower ridges than is typical for Rig and Furrow'.


Jon

[Ally Mcintosh]

Ally,


my understanding of 'Rig and Furrow' is that it was used by small farmers/crofters working thin poor draining soil as a way of creating ridges of drier, deeper soils for growing crops especially vegetables. I suppose it might be a sign of potato crops though I would have thought this would have created much narrower ridges than is typical for Rig and Furrow'.


Jon

Yes Jon - That was the primary use of land on 11 at Portmarnock.

Rich - I like varied sizes, shapes and rolls in my rumple. That's why Ballyliffin Old isn't my favourite - too uniform in size and shape.

[Michael Whitaker]

Deal is just about perfect in its variety of rumples and crumples! I was sold by the third hole.

Paraparaumu is very natural and offers wonderfully crumpled surfaces. Burnham & Berrow is another naturally crumpled course.


Some "Crumples" at "Parapram"

All are wonderful!   

[Norbert P]

  Though I've never seen the course . . .


  Winstongolf Links in Germany has quite a reputation for bold contours on (and off) the course proper.


https://www.winstongolf.com/#/en/courses/winstonlinks/


M. Rowlinson had a nice presentation here a few years ago.


  (click on the "hole photos" hyperlink in the pop-up to remove the pop-up)

[Keith Grande]

Lahinch for me

[Josh Bills]

Parts like this on the New Course (7th hole) at sunset are pretty amazing.