Article from the November 2013 issue of Compleat Golfer Magazine.
When it comes to defining the true links courses of the world, places such as St Andrews, Carnoustie and Musselburgh are often used as the benchmark. So how do South Africa’s links courses compare to the classic layouts in the British Isles?
Links courses have been around since the very first golf ball was struck over 500 years ago, and playing links golf is still seen as the purest form of the game. It has become so popular that, thanks to modern-day technology and earthworks equipment, these traditional layouts have been created all over the world, including here in South Africa. However, there will always be those who argue that these newer links courses don’t match up to the true classic layouts that lie along many of the coastlines throughout the British Isles and have been sculpted by Mother Nature herself.
Having been fortunate to play some of these fine links layouts throughout Great Britain and Ireland, as well as the various links layouts in our country, we at Compleat Golfer have decided to look at how our courses compare to the likes of St Andrews, Royal Portrush and even some of the newer courses, such as Kingsbarns and Old Head.
Before delving into comparisons between our local layouts and some of the classic links courses in the British Isles – and opening ourselves up to certain scrutiny from the local golfing fraternity – we need to establish an understanding of what exactly comprises a links course, for as John Botha put it in the March 2010 issue of Compleat Golfer, “a links course is not simply a layout that lies along the coast, as many golfers perceive it to be”.
Links courses are named after the areas of land that nature has reclaimed, which ‘link’ the beach and the arable land. However, to truly understand the key features and quirks of links golf, we need a quick refresher course in the origins of the game of golf, for the two are inextricably intertwined.
There are arguments about exactly where and when golf began, whether it be in the Netherlands in the 1200s or in Scotland in the 1400s, but we know for certain that the earliest form of golf was played on links terrain. Using the channels between the high dunes as the routing of the courses, the areas most grazed by farm animals were used as the original greens, and the patches where sheep lay and sheltered from the wind became the sand bunkers. Essentially, everything about the course was carved by nature in some form or another, and this made the game a pure test of how well the player could plot their way to the hole.
There are many more characteristics that make up a true links course and, with modern earthworks equipment allowing golf course designers to replicate the work of Mother Nature with ease, it has become a rather tricky task to define exactly what is and what isn’t a classic links track.
One factor, however, connects all links courses: luck. You still need precision and accuracy, but it’s not the same precision that is required on parkland courses, where you are firing at pins. On a links course, you need to be precise about where your ball must land in order to stop near enough to the pin or avoid the treacherous bunkers. No matter how well you strike the ball, you will always require the rub of the green if you want to say you successfully navigated the 18 holes. The humps and swales of the dunes, which can be so subtle at times, can also be lethal if your ball catches the wrong side, and this is where the notion of shooting at targets on the fairways and greens gets thrown out the window. That is links golf at its best.
So, how do the links courses in South Africa score against these defining characteristics and the finest classic layouts in the British Isles?
Humewood
Recognised as the most classic links layout in the country, Humewood doesn’t disappoint. Built on a relatively flat piece of land in Port Elizabeth next to the Indian Ocean, the 18 holes bear many resemblances to the Old Course in St Andrews, where the flat piece of land also has many humps and swales that tend to appear out of nowhere. The wind is a key factor on both courses and can turn easy par fours into long and terrorising par fives and vice versa.
Essentially, you need to play the course to its conditions and accept that par on some holes will feel like a birdie, while on others it can seem as if you are giving shots back to the course.
The grand old clubhouse at Humewood also gives one the feeling that not much has changed around here for many decades, except for the pro shop that now houses the latest golf equipment and accessories as opposed to the old hickory-shafted mashiesand niblicks first used on the classic layouts.
When it comes to links golf in SA, it doesn’t get better – or more authentic – than Humewood.
Milnerton
The original Milnerton track was a genuine links layout, but the development of housing around certain holes has compromised the links nature of the course.
Built on what can only be considered true links land, in that it is on a strip of land between the Atlantic Ocean and the mouth of the Dieprivier, the ‘old’ Milnerton had it all: the wind, the dunes and the fescue, and prior to the housing development, one could have comfortably compared the course to the likes of North Berwick in East Lothian, Scotland. The flattish land on both courses has its unique humps and bumps and, much like St Andrews, requires the wind to make the track a true test. However, when you talk about the classic outward and inward nines that head up and down a coast, it still doesn’t come much truer than Milnerton.
Atlantic Beach
Although commonly referred to as a links course, Atlantic Beach has a number of features that don’t quite conform to the principles of links golf. There are waste bunkers, something not found on a traditional links layout, and the par threes, while spectacularly framed by the Table Mountain backdrop, are hardly links-like in that they require you to carry the ball all the way to the green in order to have a real chance at par, rather than being able to run the ball up.
But there are still many links characteristics to Atlantic Beach that make it a unique and enjoyable experience. The blind shots, for one, play a major role, and coupled with the wind can lead to some interesting scores. Then you get the optical illusions that make certain holes look longer and others shorter than they really are.
All this being said, play the course at the right time of the year when the fairways and greens are hard and fast, and you will walk off the course feeling as if you’ve been on a layout in the British Isles. Just try to ignore the hard-to-miss fynbos everywhere.
St Francis Links
As one of the modern links layouts in South Africa, St Francis Links is a great example of how man and nature can combine to create something that feels like it has been around for decades, if not centuries. Using towering sand dunes to great effect, the course offers everything a links experience should, just with softer greens that are receptive to spin. Parts of St Francis Links bear a strong resemblance to Royal Portrush, the great links in Northern Ireland, with dramatic changes in elevation the most eye-catching feature. Both are open to the elements – and boy can it blow at both courses – with the tall dunes playing havoc with judgement of wind direction and club selection. The fairways are protected by long fescue grass and certain parts of the course offers superb views.
St Francis Links certainly qualifies as a great South African links course, and if there is one more trait it shares with Royal Portrush, it’s that it too is an exceptionally tough test of golf.
The Links At Fancourt
Despite not being on traditional links land, and built on what was previously an aeroplane runway. The Links at Fancourt plays as true as a classic links can. Gary Player was fortunate to be given free rein when designing the course and he succeeded in creating the feeling that it has been there for a very long time.
There are very few opportunities to see anyone else on the course, as it plots its way through corridors of high and low dunes covered in some very unsavoury rough. There is the odd water hazard on the course, something unusual to the classic links; however, it adds to the experience, especially when your ball runs off a green into one of these hazards, as opposed to finding a deep swale or bunker.
With its routing between high dunes, albeit man-made, The Links at Fancourt is easily compared to the likes of Ballybunion on the west coast of Ireland, where the undulating fairways are flanked by dunes that block you off from the rest of the course.
Ebotse Links
It’s not often that you find a links layout over 600 kilometres inland from the sea, but that’s exactly what Ebotse Links is. Built on an old quarry in Benoni, Gauteng, this course was quite a spectacular project to take on. Peter Matkovich was tasked with the design and moved in the region of 20 million cubic metres of earth to complete this marvel, and when it comes to playing like a true links, Ebotse has succeeded. Much like the modern design of Kingsbarns in Scotland, where the land was previously used as an artillery range for target practice during WWII, Ebotse has been transformed from an old quarry into the spectacular layout it is today, and offers the dune-like effect with pot bunkers and fescue to boot.
You may not get the wind whipping off the coast like most links layouts, but the big undulations and slopes make up for this, and it can never be considered an easy 18 holes.
Pinnacle Point
Although not often considered a links, Pinnacle Point does get special mention, as modern golf course design has given birth to what are considered clifftop links courses – places such as Old Head in Kinsale, Ireland, spring to mind. Courses like these are just as susceptible to high winds billowing off the coast and can have some interesting added quirks thanks to the rocky terrain. Pinnacle Point is just that: another great design by Peter Matkovich, where he worked with the natural contours of the land and carved undulating fairways among the fynbos while using the magnificent ocean views as a backdrop for many of the holes.
The layout offers challenges to every type of golfer and easily plays like a classic links when the wind is up and the turf is dry.
Special mention has to be given to the likes of Durban Country Club and East London Golf Club when it comes to listing South Africa’s links courses. Although neither of the two would be considered classic links layouts, they both have plenty of links characteristics and are built on dunes next to the Indian Ocean.
There may be other courses that could in some way be considered as being of the links variety, and the arguments around that could carry on well past the 19th hole. But therein lies the beauty of the links debate – and explains why so many courses, both modern and classic, claim to have links influences.
Dale Hayes’ 10 best links courses
Having played many courses throughout the world, Dale Hayes gives his 10 favourite links layouts:
- Turnberry, Scotland
- Portmarnock, Ireland
- Royal Birkdale, England
- Machrie Golf Club, Scotland
- St Andrews, Scotland
- Castle Stuart, Scotland
- St Francis Links, South Africa
- Royal Melbourne, Australia
- Victoria Golf Club, Australia
- Royal Troon, Scotlan
Ten modern links courses not to be missed
They may be modern or man-made, but many newer links courses around the world offer a great experience of how the game was played in the past.
Here are 10 modern links golf courses you should consider playing:
- Whistling Straits, Wisconsin, USA
- Lykia Links, Belek, Turkey
- Yas Links, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Oregon, USA
- The Links at Fancourt, George, South Africa
- Kingsbarns, Fife, Scotland
- Old Head Golf Links, Kinsale, Ireland
- Trump International Golf Links, Aberdeen, Scotland
- The European Club, Dublin, Ireland
- Binhai Lake, Tianjin, China
The ‘Links Route’ of South Africa
A great experience for both South African and international golfers is to travel along the coastal ‘links route’, starting from Cape Town and ending in Port Elizabeth.
On this route, golfers are able to play almost every links course in the country, except for Ebotse Links, East London Golf Club and Durban Country Club. Add to this some of the finest parkland layouts, such as Fancourt’s Outeniqua and Montagu courses, Pezula, Simola and Oubaai, and you have a golf tour that rivals many of the greater golfing trails around the world.
Compleat Golfer was given an E250 CDI from Mercedes-Benz for our links road trip. We found the vehicle to be light on fuel, comfortable and spacious. Despite having four sets of clubs and suitcases with us, the Merc’s cavernous boot swallowed it all.
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