A links style golf course
Total inherent risk is involved with this style of course and is generally thought of as a avenue to dismal results when looking at the pin placement and point of attack in general. As it goes without saying if you enjoy golf being a professional doesn't mean you have to attack all the pins, especially in links style golf. Most courses offer wide fairways and severe slopes that allow the user friendly format to distinguish itself from other courses by the bunker placements and the greens are usually large to compensate for the undulations and tight fairways.
Some of the arguments of the modern protaganists is that the world is evolving with the golf game and that most amateurs propound the evidence for the links style for their vision is great in creating the course visually and not as feasible evidence from the tips or the farthest tees (usually called black boxes). Most links style courses feature elevation changes and use the yardage markers for tight landing areas as a measure to figure out why the course is set up to players that put accuracy in front of distance. The links style course usually measure and average far less distance than an average championship course but the great equalizer is the putting green, usually quick as lightning and takes a master to put the ball in the hole with great ease. The punishing set up is designed for enjoyment as a senior player would take a handicap on each hole compared to a regular amateur in a tournament or even better if you are playing for stakes like a skins game.
Do the amateurs think alike when playing courses that gear towards the foundation of all great players? In other words, don't believe the hype when playing the courses that brag about the lush fairways and bunkers when the most fun and enjoyment comes from proving you can put it where your mouth is and sink 10 foot birdies after a relatively short attempt lets say from 130 yards from the pin. After some practice with the links style you will see that it is not the stroke of genius that matter the most but the way you are managing the course. It is more important to think your way around the course rather than just gripping it and ripping it. The important aspect to remember is that the rough comes more into play in a links style course because there can be trees overhanging and wrong angles of attack as I mentioned before.
But precision is not always the same as accuracy. the two are different because you can be accurate to some degree with some standard deviation and being precise means all your shots are concentrated in one area and that could be anywhere around the green or fairway. So most good links players are ones that are both precise and accurate and use the lay of the land to make wise choices and find that their time on the course is managed by the level of play that usually coincides with the design of the course. The most improved player is one who puts the ball in a range that is good for scoring and can putt for birdie or par most of the time with an approach shot that is more closer to finding the lofty goals of a burgeoning professional. As most shots are shaped by the club so is the links course shaped to give the better player a chance and always are the top priority of the course designer.
Most course designers are ones that use a "barricading" philosophy, that allows the usual tendencies or naturalness of the play to be used as a foundation of a good players views on where the ball should go towards the target. In other words, we finger the player out as a one man army that gives us so called advantage to others in the way that gives a special meaning to a good scoring opportunity. All is won on the predication that the course is made to be played to overcome obstacles in our path give a liberating feeling to those that overlook the thinking process of the game in general. We tend to admire those things about a links style course like heavy bunkering and large putting surfaces because this is what "taking the train to freedom" is all about.
For example, when the ball free falls from great heights it is an advantage for players such as Tiger Woods and gives some level of trusting the lay of the land all that is designed on the course for putting the ball close to the pin in a links style course. Special meaning to the shots that are placed in the direction of a dogleg style hole means you have to be especially aware that your game redirects itself according to the way you can run the ball or propel it in the general direction to set up some way of scrambling for par.
This is the way all courses have been designed by great players such as Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller and they tend to give some impetus to better players with more power and more forgiveness in their iron shots. We review the possibilites of getting towards bogey free golf and a way of the weekend warrior allows us some hope in realizing the goal.
Play from the tips or the Blue Tees, have fun!
Signing off from Sin City,
Anish
