It is such a simple question, it just any course by the sea?

During golf's earliest days, it was only links. Golf didn’t move inland for centuries, and even then, the best examples in Britain are on sites that have similar characteristics to links courses.  

The classical definition is straightforward: Sandy ground that ‘links’ the agricultural land to the sea. On the face of it, this definition would comfortably satisfy the vast majority of the links courses out there.

However, are there other ways of classifying what a links golf course is? Author Sam Cooper and NCG Top 100s chairman Dan Murphy explore he characteristics that classify a links golf course.

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volumes 1 & 2 are now available to purchase from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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As a teenager, author Sam Cooper used to go on holiday to this special little piece of the Cumbrian coast. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, spent his formative years planning golf trips to Scotland with his dad that involved ambitious detours here. No wonder they have both been looking forward to this episode so much. Warning: enthusiasm overload – this episode could make you smile. 

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper makes one last stop on his journey up the Cumbrian coast before reaching Silloth. Even though host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, has been asking ‘are we there yet’ for several episodes. This course boasts a sliver of linksland between the rocky beach and the farmland so, naturally, Sam was obliged to call in for a game and learn more. 

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper likes to think that Rowan Atkinson, AKA Mr Bean and Edmund Blackadder, would once have bestrode the fairways at St Bees when he attended the school that owns this quaint and remote course on the Cumbrian coast. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, suggests he might have done so while pondering the really big questions, such as what exactly is the difference between a clifftop course and links – and does it really matter anyway? Yes. Yes it does. 

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper does not seek to avoid the Sellafield nuclear power station that abuts the links at Seascale. In fact, he embraces it – or at least he did until the moment he found himself standing over a slippery four-footer with an armed guard in the corner of his eye. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, prefers to cast his eye oceanwards at what is a spectacularly attractive course. He believes that Seascale is the real deal, especially on the lowest ground nearest to the sea where the terrain is positively rumbustious.

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper and host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, almost bring each other to tears with a nostalgia-fuelled discussion about honesty boxes. They somehow sum up 9-holers like Silecroft, on the Cumbrian coast, where the golf is simple and gets you back to the elemental contest between man and ball. And while you are playing the course, be sure to take a moment to enjoy the 360˚ views of ocean and Black Combe, on the edge of the Lake District.

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper almost drove past this jaw-dropping 10-hole layout and had to consult a map to find his way to the simple clubhouse. He was certainly glad that he took the trouble once he was striding down the fairways at a course that is well over a century old. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, is gobsmacked by Sam’s description of the par-3 5th, where the green is on top of a seriously large rock. Only one question remains to be answered: does he class this as a links?

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper drives to the end of what has been described as England’s longest cul-de-sac only to arrive in Barrow-in-Furness and discover that he still hasn’t reached the golf course. That is found across a small bridge on Walney Island. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, recalls his first visit here and his elation when boarding the 3rd tee to see the golf course unfurling into the distance and towards the Irish Sea.

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper makes a compelling case for this Lancashire links being the oldest golf club in England, albeit across multiple sites and with a hiatus in the early part of the 20th century. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, argues that the likes of Fleetwood are essential for golf trips as they provide an alternative, entertaining and affordable contrast to the nearby likes of Royal Lytham & St Annes.

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

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Author Sam Cooper delves into the life story of George Lowe, and speculates that his first thought when invited to create a course here was probably regarding his new workshop to manufacture clubs in rather than any architectural ambitions for the site. Host Dan Murphy, editor of NCG Top 100s course rankings, is struck by the unusual finish, where not one of the last three holes is a par 4. He then makes the mistake of asking Sam if he can think of any other courses that have a similar routing…

This 18-volume series Links from the Road covers every links course in Great Britain. Volume 2: Fylde Coast, Lake District and Cumbria is available to purchase now from www.linksfromtheroad.com with subscription offers also available. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.