Porthmadog golf club, Gwynedd, Wales

www.porthmadog-golf-club.co.uk

White tees 71.5, slope 124

Red tees 71.9, slope 116

Porthmadog golf course lies at the mouth of the river Dwyryd as it flows into Ceredigion Bay in north-west Wales.  It was founded in 1905 as a nine hole course but expanded to 18 holes in 1911, reputedly with the input of James Braid.   

This was the start of a few days in Wales playing four true links courses. We played Porthmadog with Lynn and David Lawson on a lovely sunny day with a light breeze.  This is a course of two halves, the first nine being inland and more like a heathland or parkland course. with quite a lot of water and many trees.  Unusually these holes consisted of three par 3s, three par 4s and three par 5s.  Apart from water in front of the 1st green the first two holes were unremarkable.  The next three holes were on  parkland type terrain.  The 5th has water on both sides of the landing area for drives and is a dogleg to the right. A pretty par 3 follows with an island green.  Accuracy is required at the par 3 9th, with water hazards awaiting a short or long shot.

The island green at the 6th hole

The view from the 13th tee

The second nine holes are much more more linksland in type with crumpled fairways and harder, faster running ground.  The 10th starts with a blind drive followed by a narrow entrance to the green guarded by bunkers.  Heading for the sea, the 11th is a par 3, with runoffs around the green making accuracy essential.  We thought that the 12th was a rather contrived hole up a huge hill with very little fairway and a plateau green' which repels shots which are slightly short.  Lovely views of the beach greet the golfer from the next tee but the hole is a blind par 3 with only a glimpse of the green from the tee.  Large dunes on the right give the 14th its name, Himalayas, and with out of bounds on the right and a blind drive it is easy to lose a ball if not struck perfectly.  The par 5 17th is lined by gorse and doglegs twice from right to left.  A ditch lurks to the right of the green to catch the unwary.  It is a disappointing finish with an uninviting and nondescript 18th hole.

The second nine is true links

Worth playing?  Not in the same league as nearby Royal St David's or Aberdovey.

Hayling Golf Club, Hayling Island, Hampshire, England

                                                               

 https://www.haylinggolf.co.uk/

White tees 6529 yards, par 71, slope121
Red tees 5813, par 74, slope 130

Founded in 1883 by the Sandeman family of port and sherry fame, Hayling was initially designed by Joe Lloyd who won the 1897 US Open with major inputs over the years from Tom Dunn, JH Taylor, five times Open champion and Tom Simpson. In common with many coastal courses it was taken over by the RAF during the second World War and some of the concrete bunkers and coastal defences can still be seen. Set on a Site of Special Scientific Interest, it lies on the south-west peninsula of Hayling Island, overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight.  We played on a hot almost windless day with our son-in-law Alex after a very friendly welcome.

The par 3 5th

This is a golf course which starts quietly and then gradually and inexorably reveals itself to be a course which is a test of strategy and which can beat up the unwary player.  There are a lot of blind or semi-blind shots to narrow fairways often at an angle to the tee and long carries which makes it a difficult course to play for the first time, especially since the rough and gorse are serious hazards.  The first four holes are fairly flat and uninteresting but that changes with the par 3 5th which requires a shot to carry over rough to a narrow green, guarded by a steep faced bunker.  The 6th is a par 4 for men and a short par 5 for women with a blind drive and a wide red penalty area short of the green - a proper risk and reward hole.  The 8th is a short par 4 with a blind shot over an area of rough to the green which lies in a hollow.  Standing on the 9th tee faced with a drive over rough, heather and a sand dune you come to the realisation that there are perhaps too many blind shots and that playing with a member would be helpful!

The course is on an SSSI.
An owl box can be seen behind the 7th green.

The 10th is a delightful short par 4 hole which is unusual as the hole is laid out before the player.  It is drivable but that brings the fairway bunker on the left into play. It is followed by a par 3 which heads towards the sea, has lots of rough and a tilted green guarded by five bunkers awaiting a short shot. 

The par 3 11th

There are lovely views from the 12th and 13th tees with the 13th finishing in a dell at the furthest point of the course. Fourteen is a dog-leg par 5 from right to left with an inlet of the sea at the corner.  Unusually it has a spare green used as a par 3 when other holes are out of commission.  The 15th has a long carry from the tee and a heavily bunkered fairway which is very narrow especially nearer the green.  Another par 3 with virtually no fairway and an angled green follows.   The 17th has a narrow opening through thick gorse for the drive and has trouble on the left in the form of the lake which extends to the art deco clubhouse.  The course finishes with a fairly straightforward par 4 although again the drive is at an angle to the fairway.

The view of the clubhouse
from the 17th tee

Worth playing?  Yes definitely but if possible play with someone who knows the course

Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England

 https://www.westonsupermaregolfclub.com/

Black tees par 70, slope 123, 6169 yards
Green tees (ladies) par 72, slope 115, 5543 yards

Lying on the Bristol Channel, golf was first played on Weston-super-Mare in 1892 after a nine hole course was designed by Tom Dunn, a Scottish professional golfer and golf architect.  At the club's inception a proposal to allow ladies to play over the men's course was heavily defeated and a separate ladies' course was also laid out.   Only four years later another nine holes were added.  In 1922 the course was modernised under the direction of Dr Alister McKenzie who is probably best known as the architect of Augusta National.

Weston-super-Mare is in a good position for a true links course but lacks enough attributes to be described as such.  It lies on flat ground on which we could see no evidence of sandy soil, lacks hard and fast running fairways, has no dunes and quite a few trees.  After a friendly welcome, we played on a sunny, windy day in November when you would not expect almost all the bunkers to be flooded and sodden ground on the fairways, even allowing for recent heavy rain, but that is what we found.  The greens were in reasonable condition but the fairways were poor. 

The 4th hole has a wall across the fairway. 
 Scrub blocks views of the sea

Heading in a south west direction, the first four holes, three par 4s and a par 3, run along the beach but it and the sea are obscured from view by a high barrier of scrub.  The most memorable of these is the fourth which has a dry stone wall across the fairway.  The fifth and sixth holes are two par 4s separated from the rest of the course by a road and are the only holes with a view of the Bristol Channel.  The seventh is a par 3 named 'Four Eyes' after the bunkers which guard the green.  The next memorable hole is the fifteenth because of its name - 'Road Hole'.  We assumed this was because of the positioning of the greenside bunker likening the hole to the famous seventeenth at St Andrews Old Course.  A nondescript flat short hole follows and then a par 5 dogleg left to right which tempts the player to take a shortcut over an area of out of bounds. 

 

The 14th green is overlooked by 
the Old Church of St Nicholas  

Worth playing?  Not if you want a true links experience.

Cabot Links, Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada

 https://cabotcapebreton.com/golf/cabot-links

Men's black 6860 yards, par 70, slope 132

Ladies' orange, 4942 yards, slope 116

Lying between the town of Inverness on Cape Breton and the Gulf of St Lawrence is Cabot Links, the only Canadian true links course.  The course was first opened as a ten hole course in 2011 but soon became an 18 hole course, designed by Canadian golf designer Rod Whitman.  The course was the brainchild of Ben Cowan-Dewar assisted financially by Mike Keiser who developed Bandon Dunes in Oregon.  Cabot have also recently purchased Castle Stuart, fittingly in Inverness, Scotland.

We played Cabot Links on a day of high winds and squally showers and were accompanied by Marc and Beth Swiontkowski who braved the elements with us.  This is a stunning location in proper linksland with most of the holes overlooking or right beside the ocean.  The fairways were crumpled, the greens sufficiently sloping and the weather was certainly the course's defence!  Five par 3s and three par 5s gives the course a par of 70.  In general it runs north - south and with the prevailing wind being westerly there is usually a cross wind, like the Old Course in St Andrews.

The sixth hole has the Inverness
 harbour as a backdrop

The par 3 7th plays toward the ocean

The first hole is a straight par 5 with a wide fairway which eases the player into the round.  A long par 3 follows which has a green with a large swale running across the middle.  An accurate shot is required if the pin is on the back level.  Two par 4s follow, the third being a short hole which is driveable by the longest players in good conditions.  The fourth is a long uphill, well bunkered hole with a green which is narrowest from front to back with swales awaiting a clumsy shot.  The fifth is a par 3 from an elevated tee.  One of the most memorable holes is the par 4 sixth which doglegs from right to left
around an inlet.  Behind the green is Inverness harbour where lobster and blue fin tuna are landed. 

The infinity green at
the par 3 14th

There is a large carry over native grass from the eighth tee with a further two strategic shots required to reach the green which is shared with the thirteenth.  The 11th is a long par five which plays from and elevated tee and then climbs a steep hill with  pot bunker in the middle.  The choice is to take the longer but safer approach to the left or an approach to the green across a ravine to the right.  There are panoramic views of the course from the elevated green.  The 14th is a short par three with an infinity green which we had to play into the teeth of the wind.  There is little margin for error and no future in being long!  The 15th and 16th holes are very picturesque running along the magnificent beach.  The course finishes with a par three and then a par 4 which ends in front of the clubhouse windows. 

The view from behind the 15th tee

Worth playing?  Definitely.  An excellent course, lovely accommodation on site and a beautiful area.

Highland Links, Truro, Massachusetts, USA

 https://www.highlandlinkscapecod.com/

Men's blue/white par 70, slope 114, 5349 yds                            

Ladies red/gold par 72, slope 117, 4587 yds

Our last true links course in the United States is the nine hole Highland Links which lies on the narrow strip of the northerly peninsula of Cape Cod overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  It was constructed in 1892 as part of a resort operated by a local family, initially with sand greens.  When the greens were converted to grass Francis Ouimet, the 1913 US Open champion, played an exhibition match here.  The course was redesigned in 1913 and refurbished in 1955.  It has been owned by the Cape Cod National Seashore since the 1960s.

Looking back down
the second hole

The Highland Light dominates
the fourth green

We played Highland Links with Marc and Beth Swiontkowski on a sunny day with a light breeze.   We were disappointed by the condition of the course - the fairways were soft and hairy, the greens were bumpy and slow and the course was generally in poor condition..  It did not resemble a true links course which should have hard and fast running fairways and greens.  The first hole is nondescript.  The second is a dogleg to the left with a steep downhill drive and then runs uphill to a flat green.  The third and fourth also have significant elevation changes with the fourth green dominated by the picturesqueHighland Light, which dates to 1797 and is the logo of the course.  The next two holes have lovely views of the ocean from a clifftop situation.  The last two holes are lower lying with the 8th in particular being more parkland in nature. 

The ninth is a par 3

Worth playing?  Perhaps for its history as the oldest links course in the USA but not for its condition.

Granville Links Golf Club, Granville, France

 https://www.golfdegranville.com

White tees: 5984m, par 72, slope 136                        

Red tees: 4793m, par 72, slope 126

On a warm sunny day with a light breeze we found our way to the only true links course in France.  Granville is just north of the town of Granville in the small village of Breville-sur-Mer on the Normandy coast with views to the Channel Islands on a clear day.  Golf was first proposed on the land in 1912 and a course opened in 1914 but was almost immediately taken over by the military as a training ground for the First World War.  It wasn't until 1921 that work started on a definitive design by Harry Colt who designed many notable courses including Muirfield.

The fifth green with the elevated
6th tee behind

The course is set on true links land between the village and the sea although there are limited views of the sea but this is mitigated by the beauty of the wildflowers and the butterflies which abound. Unfortunately the course was rather worn and is obviously heavily played but it has the typical crumpled fairways and sloping greens of a links course. The quality of the greens was disappointing and they were rather slow for a links course. There was an unusual distribution of holes with only one par 3 on the first nine and the lower handicap indices mainly on the back nine. 

The bunkers have revetted faces

The first and the ninth are par fives in opposite directions. The second is a tricky par 3 which is blind to the base of the pin with a sloping green and all the others on the first nine are reasonably short par 4s.  The only proper sea views are from the elevated mens' tee at the sixth hole - it is worth the climb!  The second nine starts with a weak par 3 which has a plateau green with ravines rather than swales around the whole circumference which we felt was more like crazy golf.  The 11th is a lovely par 5 called 'the crater' for the shape of the fairway which leads to an long and narrow elevated green guarded by three bunkers.  A flat par three and a par 4 follow and then the 14th and the 15th are across a road and more parkland than links in nature. Back across the road the sixteenth is another par 3 with more huge runoffs but at least, unlike the 10th, it had a backstop.  The course finishes with two attractive par 4s.

The elevated green of the 16th hole

The 18th hole with the clubhouse behind

Worth playing?  Yes, especially as it is the only true links in France but it is a pity it is not in better condition.

Dundonald Links, Irvine, Scotland

https://dundonaldlinks.com/

Men's medal tees 6725 yds, par 72, slope 138        

Front tees 5560 yds, par 72, slope 131

Dundonald Links lies on the Firth of Clyde on the south west coast of Scotland but is separated from the sea views by another true links course, Western Gailes.  It is part of the Ayrshire golf coast with, amongst others, Royal Troon and Prestwick close by.  There was a golf course here in the early twentieth century but it was commandeered for a military camp where the D-Day landings were rehearsed in the Second World War.  The land languished until  a course was partly built intended to be called Southern Gailes.  In 2003 ownership changed hands and golf architect Kyle Phillips was engaged to design the course which is now Dundonald Links. The course has hosted both the Ladies' and Mens' Scottish Opens.

The challenging par 3 6th hole

This is a proper modern links course with the added advantage of a modern clubhouse with views across the course and accommodation in lodges and rooms.  We stayed and played with Lynn and David Lawson on a lovely Ayrshire day with light winds.  The course is well designed with many holes in valleys with dunes screening them from view.  At times it felt like a private golf course. The fairways are wide with lots of strategically placed bunkers.  Shots to the upturned saucer greens have to be accurate to avoid the many swales and runoffs.  

The 11th hole.....
....and its ultimate pot bunker!

The course opens with two good par fours.  The third is a testing par five with a ditch running up most of the right side then crossing the fairway closer to the green.  The sixth is a challenging par 3 with a ditch running across the fairway and up the left side of the green and a large deep bunker protecting a pin position on the left of the green. There is no room for anything less than perfection! Heading back to the clubhouse the ninth has penal bunkers in ladies landing area and a ditch across the front of the green.  The eleventh is a testing par three with a plateau green and the ultimate pot bunker for those going long and left.  The 12th plays towards the sea although unfortunately the view is blocked by the railway line and Western Gailes.  With out of bounds and the railway line down the left and a ditch in front of the two-tier green all viewed from an elevated tee, the thirteenth is another strong par 4. We particularly liked the 16th which is a par 4 which plays into the prevailing wind.  There is out of bounds on the right and two well positioned fairway bunkers to be avoided with the drive.  The lovely par five finishing hole has no fewer than eleven bunkers and yet another ditch across the front of the green.

The 9th green is guarded by a penalty area

Worth playing?  Without doubt.  It is a classic modern links course.

Troon Lochgreen

https://www.golfsouthayrshire.com/play/the-courses/troon-links/ 

White tees par 74, slope 122, 6784 yards
Red tees par 75, slope 133, 6077 yards

Troon Lochgreen is one of the four true links courses in the coastal town of Troon in Ayrshire, the most illustrious being Royal Troon.  Separated from the sea by Royal Troon and Troon Portland it is a municipal course which in the past was used for qualifying for the Open Championship.  In 1962, the last year in which all players, including Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, had to qualify eighteen of the thirty-six holes were played over Lochgreen. It lies on the same ground as Troon Darley and Fullarton and shares the same clubhouse although oddly Fullarton does not appear in the list of true links courses.

The island of Arran can be seen in the
distance from the 6th

We played Lochgreen with Lynn and David Lawson on a cold, bright breezy day when the gorse was in full bloom.  The condition was poor with a lot of rabbit holes, worn fairways and scruffy bunkers.  It is largely a parkland or heathland course with only the 4th to 8th holes, which lie on a narrow tongue of land beside Troon Portland, being true links in nature.  It starts with three long holes and then crosses a road to the section containing the 4th to 8th holes from which there are distant views of the sea and the islands of Arran and the Ailsa Craig.  Standout holes on this section were the par 4 5th which starts on a high tee and is bordered on the right side by the Ayrshire Coastal railway and the 6th which is a good par 3 well guarded by small dunes and bunkers.  The 11th to 14th holes are characterised by lush grass and mature trees and are definitely parkland in nature.  

The 13th is a parkland hole

The 5th is a true links hole

Worth playing?  There are better courses nearby although Troon Lochgreen is much cheaper to play

La Moye Golf Club, St Brelade, Jersey

www.lamoyegolfclub.co.uk 

White tees (men) par 72, slope 127, 6665 yards 

Red tees (ladies) par 74, slope 132, 5871 yards 

Lying in the south west corner of the island of Jersey is La Moye Golf Club, the second of our three links courses in the Channel Islands. La Moye was founded in 1902 by George Boomer, a local headmaster who was denied access to the then elite Royal Jersey where tradesmen were banned. Boomer proceeded to lay out a golf course on the west coast using tin cans, biscuit boxes and a second-hand hand mower. His passion for the sport is evidenced by the inspiration he gave to his pupils, two of whom were Harry Vardon and Ted Ray, both future Open champions. His own sons were also professional golfers, one winning the French Open and a Ryder Cup team member and the other winning the Belgian, Swiss and Dutch Opens. The course was redesigned in 1934 by James Braid but sadly destroyed along with the club records during the German occupation in the Second World War. Input from well known designers including Henry Cotton and Donald Steel influenced its subsequent reconstruction and development over the years. We were told that a further major redesign by McKenzie and Ebert is in the offing. 

The fabulous view from the 7th tee

We received a very friendly welcome from the professional, members and Mark, the golf operations manager who presented us with 'The Boomer Legacy', a book detailing the first hundred years of La Moye. Set on a hill overlooking the sea, the stylish clubhouse has spectacular views. The course was very well kept but unfortunately it was a very windy day with squally showers and there had been recent greens maintenance. We were given useful advice to keep left for almost all of the holes. The 1st is a par three into the teeth of the prevailing wind with the biggest hazard being marauding gulls stealing any food on display! The 3rd hole is a par 3 with a sloping plateau green. Other holes in the first nine were good but not outstanding. They were set on top of large rocky and sandy outcrops and were more like clifftop than true links golf but which gave panoramic views of the bay and other islands. There were also a lot of trees for a links course. However the greens were links greens with slopes and swales. We liked the par 5 11th which curved uphill and

The 11th from the tee

where the advice to keep left off the tee was very useful. The 12th is an excellent well bunkered par 3 which demands accuracy off the tee. A blind drive at 13th is followed by a downhill approach to a green set amongst trees. The 14th is a difficult long par 3 into the prevailing wind and over a valley of gorse, dunes and waste ground to a steep slope up to the green. There is a long carry at the 15th drive where it is also wise to keep left as there is a cliff on right and the fairway runs from left to right. The 18th returns to the clubhouse which overlooks the green lying in a dell.  

The par 3 12th

                                                       

 Worth playing? Yes but we were not convinced of its true links status.

Royal Jersey Golf Club, Grouville, Jersey

www.royaljersey.com

White tees (men) par 70, 6190 yards, slope 121        
Red tees (ladies) par 71, 5428 yards, slope 121

This is the start of the Channel Islands swing!  We arrived at Royal Jersey Golf Club to one of the friendliest welcomes we have had from Tony the course ranger and the rest of the staff and members and at the end of the round the club presented us with a book, signed by the captain and manager, about the history of the course and club: 'Historical Links' by Mary Phillips.  The club was first established in 1878 on land which remains common ground to this day.  Harry Vardon was born in nearby Grouville and recalls the course being built when he was eight years old: 'The natural state of the land was so perfect that.......possibly no real good golf course was ever so easily made'. A year later the club received its royal warrant from Queen Victoria.  It appears that ladies were admitted a few years later as the first lady captain was appointed in 1894.  As with many links courses the second world war was a major challenge with much damage being done to the golf course by the German forces who occupied the island from 1940 to 1945 which took almost two years to repair. 

The first drive is ideally between the fort on the left
and the two gun emplacements on the right

Lying on the south east coast of Jersey, Royal Jersey is in a beautiful location overlooked by the mediaeval Mont Orgueil castle and with views over the sea to France only 14 miles away.  We played on a bright but windy day, accompanied on the first few holes by long time members Richard and Paul.  The course is tight with the prevailing wind across most holes.  The greens were good but the fairways were in a disappointing condition although it was early in the year.  The first drive is unusual with the line for the drive being between Fort Henry and and two WWII German concrete gun emplacements. The fairway runs from left to right so any shot drifting right is liable to land on the beach which is a no play zone.  The first is a par 5 followed by two par 3s and a par 5, all of which run along the beach.   

The par 3 fourth is overlooked by Mont Orgueil castle

The fifth turns back towards the clubhouse and has a hidden bunker which catches an approach shot to the right.  The eighth is a lovely par 3 although there were a few too many trees for a links course.  We were told that recent improvements had included removal of a large number of trees.

The statue of Harry Vardon

The second nine lies to the inland side of the first nine.  We particularly liked the 10th which is a par 4 from a tee overlooking the beach and heading inland to a challenging approach into the the prevailing wind to an elevated green. The twelfth hole has a typical rolling fairway and a blind shot to a green over a hill. Unusually the 15th and 16th are consecutive par 3s which are near the entrance road and a statue of Harry Vardon.  A  carry over gorse for the drive on the 17th takes the player back up to Fort Henry and a green cut into the hill.  The finishing hole is uphill to a green with panoramic views over the sea.

The eighteenth green

The approach to the 11th green

Worth playing?  Yes if you are going to the Channel Islands