My comments about the various courses include descriptions of the type of
course, so here are my own definitions of what I had in mind. Note, they are
only mine and many might disagree with me.
HEATHLAND - such courses are usually
old, having been built on marginal land unfit for agriculture other than
perhaps sheep grazing. They are mainly undulating, with rocks around the
course and most abound with plenty of gorse bushes, heather, pines and
springy turf. In Scotland,
I've tended to describe such courses as highland in nature as that's where
they are often found.
LINKS - the original golf courses. By
definition they are next to the sea, winding along and through sand-dunes.
You don't normally see many trees - the wind is too strong for them, the
'soil' too poor. The
fairways are often ill-defined, merging into one - another or separated by
tall, waving grasses of rough - a natural
feature of these courses. They are not very pretty - except to a golfer to
whom they offer some of the best golf anywhere.
PARKLAND - many large country estates
feature a golf course in their boundaries, as private clubs or leisure
facilities. Because the estates are very old, the courses feature many
large, splendid trees like beeches and oaks. The fairways and greens are
often very well maintained. To my dismay, lakes will be found on these
courses.
PASTURE - there has been a lot of golf
course construction in the U.K. in recent years, many have been built on
redundant farm land. At the top end of the scale,
imaginative use has been made of the available land, landscaping carried out, good fairways
built and fine clubhouses provided. At the worst level, no landscaping has been undertaken
other than to build tees and greens - play takes place up and down the
original fields with the hedge-rows still in place. Drainage is often
rudimentary. It's golf - but...
WOODLAND - some delightful courses
have been hewn through forests. Because of this they are characterised by
well defined fairways, beautiful greens set in amphitheatres of tall trees
and not another fairway in sight. Stray off-line with the shot and you will
be playing at woodpeckers amongst the trees. Who was it said 'I'm hitting
the woods fine - it's getting out of them that's the problem'.