I’m sure you must have enjoyed watching The Open Championship on TV. Henrik Stenson’s and Phil Mickelson’s amazing performances do not require any comments. I must admit that I was routing for Henrik to win. He has long been among the golfing elite. After he finally ended his quest for a major with a record-breaking performance at The Open I was pleased, very pleased. Now his career is complete.

I am quite sure that plenty of you watching The Open got inspired and would love to take part in a game on a links golf course. What are you waiting for? Just do it! You will experience a completely different type of golf and will understand and see everything first-hand.

It takes patience – a lot of patience

The style of play on a links golf course is considerably different from the style of play on other types of course. Firstly, prepare yourself for quite different weather conditions. Many links courses are frequently windy which is quite hard to deal with. You would have to be extremely lucky not to experience the unpredictable weather conditions, as even a slight wind represents quite a big challenge. But it is not just the wind which affects the style of play required. You might encounter all four seasons during a single round. It might rain heavily or it might be pretty cold.

What I particularly like about a links course is the fact that no round is the same. And the same applies to every single shot. There is a greater variation of shots that can be selected. It is necessary to use the contours of the course and play low accurate shots. Players often have to cope with opposite wind patterns in each half of their round. As a result, successful links golfers learn to control the trajectory of their shots by playing a lower ball flight. However, what is really important is the mentality.

Above all, you must be patient. However, this is more easily said than done. The nature of the courses tends to be characterised by uneven narrow fairways and thick roughs, riddled with small, deep bunkers known as “pot bunkers” which are difficult to conquer. So how do you deal with them once your ball has rolled into one? If the forward facing section of the bunker is so steep that you do not think you can get the ball up over it, do not try. Instead, consider the option of playing out left or right, or even behind. Even the best golfers in the world sometimes have to play out sideways or backwards (away from the green) from pot bunkers. Greens are another specific feature of links courses. They are small, narrow and surrounded by deeper bunkers with steep faces; often not much bigger than a table… scary!

Luck must be on your side

Patience is key when playing links golf. Just be patient and wait for the fortune to come to you. If you watched The Open you know what I am talking about. Small details decided the final results of this year’s Open Championship, the reason being that the same shots can have completely different results depending on what terrain the balls land on. Mastering the shots required to play links golf is a lot about luck and bounces. One must know how to play, and, at the same time, must be able to endure the moments when he/she fails. Whatever happens, you have to stay fully focused and calm.

Tee times also play a significant role on links courses. Playing in the morning is different to an evening game. And it is hard to say which is better as the weather often has the last say. This was especially obvious at The Open. Some players headed to the course as early as 6:30am, other players, on the other hand, at 3pm. And the differences in the weather were huge. Rory McIlroy was the unlucky one in the first two rounds, whereas Phil Mickelson and Henrik Stenson enjoyed lovely weather and thus benefited in their tee times. What a difference the time of day makes!

I have mentioned quite a few of the pitfalls of links golf. However, it is not my intention to put you off having a go on links courses. Please do not be discouraged! If the weather is in your favour (i.e. no wind, rain or cold) then it is a real pleasure to play there. Still, I recommend that you play during unfavourable ‘real’ coastal weather conditions as well. It is entertaining and challenging at the same time. It is an experience you will cherish forever and a story everyone will love to listen to with excitement and a little bit of jealousy.