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Links vs Parkland Golf Courses: How the Land Changes the Game

Links vs parkland golf: how sandy coastal links and tree-lined inland parkland courses differ in turf, hazards, wind and the shots they ask for.

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Key takeaways

  • A links is the oldest style of course: built on sandy coastal land, firm, nearly treeless and exposed to the wind.
  • A parkland course is inland and usually tree-lined and lush, with man-made features such as dug bunkers, ponds and built-up rough.
  • Firm links turf favours a running game, landing the ball short and letting it roll; softer parkland turf favours flying the ball to its target.
  • Sandy links soil drains quickly, while parkland courses tend to sit on clay or silt that waterlogs more easily.
  • The Open Championship is always played on a links; GOLF.com calls Augusta National arguably the world's most famous parkland course.

The land under a golf course shapes how it plays. Two of the best-known course types sit at opposite ends: the links, the coastal ground where golf began, and the parkland course, the inland, tree-lined layout that GOLF.com says PGA Tour viewers will have seen plenty of. This guide compares them using Wikipedia's articles on links and golf courses, GOLF.com's guide to course types and Golf Monthly's explanation of why links stay dry.

Links Parkland
Where On or near a coast, on sandy land Inland, away from the sea
Ground Firm, undulating, sandy, often among dunes Softer, lusher grass
Trees Few, if any Usually plenty
Hazards Small, deep pot bunkers, thick rough; barely any water Dug bunkers, ponds, built-up rough
Typical shot Low and running, landing short of the green Flown to the target
Weather Wind plays a big part; drains quickly Clay or silt soils can waterlog

Wikipedia calls the links the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word comes through Scots from the Old English hlinc, "rising ground, ridge", and describes coastal sand dunes. Links land has dunes, an undulating surface and sandy soil that was useless for arable farming but readily supports browntop bent and red fescue grasses. Together, the soil and grasses produce the firm turf behind the links "running" game.

The landscape also explains the hazards. Wikipedia notes that links courses have barely any water hazards and few, if any, trees, partly because early courses were shaped by hand, so earth-moving and irrigation were kept to a minimum. What they have instead is uneven fairways, thick rough and small, deep pot bunkers. The category is narrower than the name suggests. GOLF.com notes that many courses call themselves links or links-style, but a true links must be on the coast with sandy soil underneath; true links are mostly found in Scotland, Ireland and England, among them the Old Course at St Andrews, Royal Troon and Lahinch.

What makes a parkland course

GOLF.com describes parkland courses as built inland, away from the ocean, often with lots of trees and lush grass, and named for looking and feeling like a park. They are usually well manicured and full of man-made features: dug bunkers, ponds and built-up rough.

Because parkland courses are often built where conditions are not ideal for golf, GOLF.com explains, the grass and soil are harder and more expensive to maintain, and with less natural movement in the land the architect must do much more work to make the course interesting. It calls Augusta National, home of the Masters, arguably the most famous parkland course in the world.

How the ground changes the shots

The two surfaces ask for different shots. On a links, Wikipedia explains, the hard ground lets balls run much further after landing, so players often aim to land the ball short of the green and let it roll on, rather than landing it on the green itself as they would on softer turf. Low, bouncing shots that skip onto greens work better than high shots with heavy backspin.

A worked example. A golfer has 140 yards to a pin at the front of the green. On a soft parkland green, the natural shot is a full, high iron that lands near the pin and stops. On a firm links green with the wind behind, the same shot could land by the pin and run through the back. The links answer is a lower shot that lands short of the green and rolls up onto it. The yardage is the same; the plan is different. Golf course management basics covers this kind of planning.

Wind, weather and the seasons

Wind is the other big difference. Wikipedia attributes it to the coastal location and the lack of trees, and notes that windy weather calls for low, accurate shots. The layout adds a twist: many traditional links play an "outward" nine in one direction along the coast and an "inward" nine back, so a helping wind on the way out becomes a headwind on the way home.

The soil decides what happens after rain. Golf Monthly explains that sandy links soil drains exceptionally well and dries out quickly even after a deluge, which is why links stay playable in winter. Parkland courses, it notes, tend to have clay or silt soils that drain less effectively and become waterlogged more easily. Coastal wind helps dry links surfaces too.

Heathland: the course in between

Not every inland course is parkland. GOLF.com describes heathland courses, mostly in Britain, as inland courses on heath, with heather, gorse and coarse grasses, usually more open than parkland because their style is based on links. Their soil is sandy, and Golf Monthly notes that heathland courses, like links, tend to stay drier through the winter.

Where the big championships are played

Course type also separates golf's majors. Wikipedia notes that the Open Championship is always played on a links, one of the main features that sets it apart from the three majors held in the United States. American majors have sometimes borrowed the style: the 2004 PGA Championship was played on a links-style course, Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, and the 2015 US Open at Chambers Bay, a links-style course in Washington.

Course conditions in a career sim

In Golf Career Simulator Pro Tour, one of our sports career games, each shot is a decision made from the hole, the lie, the distance, the wind, the course conditions and your golfer's strengths, rather than a timed swing. Its tours, events and golfers are fictional, but wind and course conditions are part of every decision, as they are on a real links. The golf career sim guide explains how a season builds, and how par is determined how a hole's par is set.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a links and a parkland golf course?
A links is built on sandy coastal land, with firm turf, dunes, few trees and plenty of wind, so the ball runs along the ground. A parkland course is inland, usually tree-lined, with lusher grass and man-made features such as dug bunkers and ponds, so shots are more often flown to their target.
Why does wind matter more on a links?
Links courses sit on or near a coast and have few, if any, trees to shelter them. Wikipedia notes that many traditional links play out along the coast and back, so golfers often face contrasting wind in each half of the round.
Is every seaside golf course a links?
No. GOLF.com notes that many courses call themselves links or links-style, but a true links needs sandy soil on the coast, and true links are mostly found in Scotland, Ireland and England. Wikipedia adds that links-style courses exist elsewhere too, such as Whistling Straits in Wisconsin, which hosted the 2004 PGA Championship.
What is a heathland golf course?
An inland course on heath, open uncultivated land with heather, gorse and coarse grasses. GOLF.com explains that heathland courses sit on sandy soil, are usually more open than parkland courses and are mostly found in Britain.

Sources

  1. Links (golf) (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  2. Golf course (opens in a new tab)Wikipedia — accessed
  3. Here are the 6 different types of golf courses, explained (opens in a new tab)GOLF.com — accessed
  4. Why Are Links Courses Drier Than Inland Golf Courses? (opens in a new tab)Golf Monthly — accessed

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