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| |  Friday, 12 July, 2002, 10:35 GMT 11:35 UK The links effect Muirfield is open to the elements, like all links golf The Open always has been and always will be played on a links course. The likes of Muirfield, this year's venue, and Royal Lytham and St Annes fall into the category of a links course while the Belfry, for example, does not. And the major difference between a links course and parkland courses is that it is far less manufactured. Links courses are all about being at one with nature, the courses generally laid on to the natural sandy, very hard base and not too "man-made" from there. As a result, they tend to be far more undulating - there are far more sand dunes, round blind mounds and hollows. There tend to be a lot less trees and water obstacles but they are far more open to the elements.
On the whole, they are built near the sea allowing for much harsher wind conditions for the players. The harsher the weather, the higher the scores as a rule. And links courses do tend to be tough. While the hard ground - because of the underlying sand drying quickly - allows the ball to travel further from the tee, the ground off the fairway is far less forgiving. The rough areas are rougher than your typical parkland course, the fairways are often tighter and the greens are incredibly quick. Players, therefore, have to be at the peak of their game, aiming more for accuracy than brute force. The priority on a links course is to approach the green from the right spot in the fairway. But if you come in from the side, you limit the target landing area on the green. Usually, links courses have very firm greens, and it's not always possible to land the ball on the green and see it spin back. So there will be lots of low shots being bounced at the green and rolling onto the putting area. But again, you must approach the green from the right point in the fairway. Despite all these obstacles, players, as a rule, love links golf. | | Top The Open stories now:  Links to more The Open stories are at the foot of the page. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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