Winston Links (Championship)

This course has Links in the name and designer David Krause has tried manfully to create a course with the hallmarks of seaside golf in an inland setting. Yet purists may scoff at this attempt and dismiss it. But while this new course does look manufactured (they have even arranged sleepers in a ‘higgledy piggledy’ fashion round the 11th green and 12th tee to resemble one of those familiar rickety coastal fences) it is very easy to like it. The pyramid ‘dunes’ self-evidently weren’t formed by Mother Nature and neither were the bumps and hollows round the greens. Indeed, 1.2million cubic metres of earth were moved in construction – although most of the sand used in construction came from existing terrain. Special sand was only brought in for the tees and greens. There are deciduous trees surrounding most holes too – this is not Royal Portrush, Royal Birkdale or Western Gailes. It was not shaped by the wind blowing sand into dunes. Its sister course the ‘Open’ gives an idea of what is natural to the area – it is a very pleasant parkland.Instead Winston Links resembles one of those stunning American courses built on wild land in the middle of nowhere. So while it is in part severely manicured, at other times it is rough and rugged, as the grass grows wildly over the new terrain. The back nine is more open – as in, there are less trees – and so the JCB work (the dunes) are even more prominent. Without them, you suspect this would have been a very bland piece of golfing property. And if anyone starts getting sniffy about moving earth to create a special golf course, they better not have Kingsbarns on their ‘wish list’… It will be interesting to see how Winston Links settles into its environment.

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• Course has: Bar
• Course does not have: Buggy Hire
• Course has: Driving Range
• Course has: Practice Green
• Course has: Pro Shop
• Course has: Restaurant
• Course has: Trolley Hire
• Course does not have: Dress Code
• Course has: Club Hire
• Course does not have: Handicap