It confounds me that The Links was omitted this year from Golf Digest’s World Top 100. It deserves its place because this is a world class experience in every respect from A to Z. The weather when I played was fittingly cool and blowy, with an occasional brief shower, which is what is required for a true links experience. Some say The Links is too extreme for the average golfer, and certainly hitting iron shots off tightly mown fairways requires solid ball-first contact, yet all great courses pose a challenging gauntlet for any golfer, and you want a high degree of difficulty at special courses to gain satisfaction. The Links, contrary to general opinion, is very playable if you respect its strengths and play to your limitations. The rough is ferocious so the first rule is to find the closely mown areas off the tee or a ball is lost. Beautifully designed holes follow one after another, and the variety keeps you focused and entertained. I like the presence of a knowledgeable starter on the first tee, and the table of “goodies” under an umbrella. After the round a staff member comes out to the 18th green with a refreshing drink and cold towel for each golfer or, after a wild and cooler day, a glass of sherry and hot towel. Special touches like this are memorable.
