[Ronald Montesano]

What aspect of the links concept makes it so desirable? A concurrent thread discusses the no/yes of Erin Hills, and previous ones have discussed the no/yes of countless other courses.

What do we know? We know that the idea of linksland was land that linked the farming land with the sandy beaches or the water itself. This land was undesirable for farming and building homes, so livestock tended to graze (and sometimes sleep) there.

This authentic notion of undesirable land is not enough, in today's world. Undesirable land in the USA is wetlands. No one wants to route a course around, through, over, too many acres of wetlands. Unlike linksland, however, wetlands are neither playable nor accessible, being prohibited for development by various governmental organizations.

Another type of undesirable land is landfills. We've seen plenty of courses in the USA on landfills. Bayonne, Widow's Walk, and on and on. I'm surprised we don't have one on the Love Canal land in Niagara Falls, the land that was determined to be toxic. Houses were razed, but a generation later, they were rebuilt. Now the trouble begins anew, with complaints about illness.

Landfills are certainly undesirable, at least for residential and business builders. For golf course owners, though, they are cappable and designable, so they are not off limits.

What we are seeing here at halftime, is that yesterday's undesirable land is certainly more desirable than today's undesirable land. From Wiktionary: A coastal zone of topsoil-covered sand between the beach sand and mainland soil.  From David Owen in Golf Digest: the word comes from the Old English hlinc, “rising ground” -- and in its authentic form it exists in only a few places on earth, the most famous of which are in Great Britain and Ireland. From Wikipedia: Links land is typically characterised by dunes, an undulating surface, and a sandy soil unsuitable for arable farming but which readily supports various indigenous browntop bents and red fescue grasses, that result in the firm turf associated with links courses and the 'running' game. These are not intended as irrefutable definitions; they are examples of what is out there in the sphere.

If a new term would not be seen as pejorative, it would be used by those in the golf industries. A term like Neolinks/Nulinks, or Freshlinks, or some other term altogether. I suspect that the later is the most viable. Why sully/handicap this alternate type of course that rewards the ground game, that features many/most/all of the qualities of efficient links golf play, but is not found in the spaces where links golf has traditionally been sited?

Ergo, my challenge for you: propose a term for this type of golf course, that does not use the word links inside of it.

[Tom_Doak]

Dunes course, if they are built in sand dunes but away from the sea.


The arguments about the term links are proprietary; those which are true links do not want the club to grow and their own rare value to be diminished.

[Ira Fishman]

The Pinehurst region was once Dunes, but it is difficult to picture that the term captures the courses there given the relative lack of dramatic elevation changes.

[Ronald Montesano]

Yup, that's good by me. End of thread.


Dunes course.

[Sean_A]

Dunes course, if they are built in sand dunes but away from the sea.

The arguments about the term links are proprietary; those which are true links do not want the club to grow and their own rare value to be diminished.

I don't care if there are a 1000 links...the more the better.  I do, however, think it is disengenious and confusing to call a diamond a heart.  If a course is good enough it doesn't need a descriptor such as links to push the marketing. 

Ciao

[Adam Clayman]

Inland Links

[Ronald Montesano]

You broke the only rule (see initial post.) DQ. Turn in your scorecard.

Thanks for playing, however.

Inland Links

[Jon Wiggett]

I think this is a pet subject restricted to this site and others like it. What most here seem to want is fast and firm conditions so as most think that all links have fast and firm conditions the group think is that all courses should aspire to be links. IMO this is another case of people looking at the evidence and coming to the wrong conclusion. Fast and firm is what is important not links.


Jon

[Steve Lang]

You broke the only rule (see initial post.) DQ. Turn in your scorecard.

Thanks for playing, however.

Inland Links

I thought the definition of Ganton was  "Inland Links"

[Steve Lang]

The Pinehurst region was once Dunes, but it is difficult to picture that the term captures the courses there given the relative lack of dramatic elevation changes.

Ira, ...but the general name for the Pinehurst/Aberdeen/Southern Pines area in Moore County, NC is pretty appropriate to be called "The Sandhills"

[Ronald Montesano]

Steve, might be, but I set forth my stipulation in post one of this thread.

RM

You broke the only rule (see initial post.) DQ. Turn in your scorecard.

Thanks for playing, however.

Inland Links

I thought the definition of Ganton was  "Inland Links"

[Jon Wiggett]

You broke the only rule (see initial post.) DQ. Turn in your scorecard.

Thanks for playing, however.

Inland Links

I thought the definition of Ganton was  "Inland Links"

No Steve, Ganton is it's own definition 

[Bill Crane]

The discussion should begin with the main ingredient:  Sand.

I remember the comment “scratch a golf course architect and he bleeds sand”.   (Is that Mr. Doaks observation ?)

The Pine Barrens of New Jersey are a Coastal Plain of sand that is super terrain for some wonderful courses such as Pine Valley, Hidden Creek and the Pines Course at Seaview.     

The Sandhills of the Carolinas are also located in a Coastal Plain where you can find Pinehurst, Mid Pines, Palmetto and many other interesting courses. 

The Glacial Till that created Cape Cod Mass. and Eastern Long Island NY are wonderful locales for great courses as evidence by Kittansett/MA, Eastward Ho/Ma, Old Sandwich/MA and Shinnecock/NY, NGLA/ NY and Friars Head/NY.


Erin Hills and Sand Valley in Wisconsin are located in Moraines that provide the essential sand.


Whatever the geomorphology, it is all about sand as the key terrain component enabling this subset of great non links golf courses.   So I offer this suggestion for courses located in these Sand Landscapes  =   


SANDSCAPES


Bill

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