When we were in Ireland we first heard the true definition of a Links Golf Course which was very interesting. We thought we understood what it was but found out we weren’t as knowledgeable as we thought. Because of this we thought an explanation of the different types of design may be of interest. When you think of golf courses, you probably just think of 18 holes, fairways, and greens – but there are many different types of courses. Links golf courses are one style, but there are also a few others.
Links course
I thought that a Links course meant that golf that is played along ground with lots of undulation, plenty of dunes and little to no trees. Not so. A links course is regarded today as a golf course built on sandy soil like that found in Scotland with few trees, a lot of wind, thick grasses or thick heather, and a lot of bunkers. They are often built on a coastline of a body of water.
The term “links” has Scottish origin and means “rising ground” or “ridge.” The reason for this is because links courses really do play true to the contour of the course and are not usually flat compared to other golf course types. While many courses claim to be links, call themselves links-style, or have the word links in their name, the category is more specific than that. True links courses are mostly found in Scotland, Ireland and England. We experienced several true links course in Ireland, Eniscrone and St Ann’s both founded in 1921. I must say wind was a major factor when playing both these courses. Now, architects have started trying to replicate some of these features on land that isn’t technically suitable for links courses. They will build wide-open courses and try to make the ground feel naturally undulating and windswept. These courses can still be tons of fun, even if they aren’t technically links courses. I believe we have a couple of these in Calgary.
Parkland course
Parkland courses are built inland, away from the ocean. These courses often feature lots of trees and lush grass. If you watch the PGA Tour, you’ve probably seen plenty of parkland courses. They’re called parkland courses because they look and feel like you are playing golf in a park, usually these courses are well-manicured, and are full of man-made features like dug bunkers, ponds and built-up rough. Because there isn’t as much natural land movement and undulation, much more work must be done by the course architect on parkland courses to add intrigue and excitement to the course. Arguably the most famous parkland course in the world is Augusta National.
Heathland course
Most Heathland courses are found in Britain . These inland courses are usually a bit more open than parkland courses as their style is based on links courses. The courses often have lots of gorse and heather as part of play and don’t usually look as precisely manicured as traditional parkland courses. While most of them have few trees (mostly pine trees) many of them have had trees grow in over the years. These courses came about when people were looking for places to play golf other than links land. The terrain is often undulating in a similar way to links and the sandy soil is similar as well.
Sandbelt Course
The sandbelt region is just outside of Melbourne, Australia and is home to several of the world’s finest courses. The soil in this area is surprisingly sandy compared to the surrounding areas and is perfect for golf. This soil is perfect for undulating greens and terrain with firm running ground. But the soil is also great for steep edged bunkers surrounding greens.
Par-3 course
Short courses are great because they take up less land (which makes them cheaper and environmentally friendly), are quicker to play and can be playable even for first-timers, kids and older adults. They are great fun to play and a great way to spruce up your short game.
Executive Golf Course
The short and sweet definition of an executive golf course is that it is a shortened golf course compared to the normal distance and part of a regular 18-hole golf course. The main differences between the executive and the regulation course are the length of holes and the overall par difference. An executive golf course is typically below or around 5,200 for 18 holes. For 9 holes, they are half of that length.
For a typical golf course, the average length is around 6,700 for 18 holes. That difference makes the round longer and more challenging for golfers.
The other major difference is the number to achieve par between the executive and regular golf courses. The average par for a typical golf course is 71-72 for a normal 18-hole round. The average par for an executive golf course is more in the low 60’s range. The reason for this is because there are usually more par 3’s and less par 5’s on an executive golf course to make it shorter and less time-consuming.