Lundin Links

The wind lay in wait for us.  Whilst R&A members were halving holes in 11 on wind slicked greens at St Andrews we were smashing career best drives 170 yards into the coastal winds.  The first four holes require you to tunnel your way into the wind with sea all down the left.  Like Leven these holes are long and straight and average over 365 yards each.  The day before at Leven we played four holes into the wind along the sea and yet here we were going in the opposite direction, and again into the wind, and meeting the fourth greens of Leven and Lundin back to back.  It is like bicycling in Holland; it is always flat but always into the wind. 

As with Leven these are most of the best holes.  The course comes in three parts, the foreshore, the railway holes and the hillside holes.  The centre of the course is occupied by the old railway line which is now a footpath that is out of bounds and is somewhat disconcerting.  By degrees each part loses a little character and dilutes the absolute links feel of the original holes. 

Some of the holes would benefit from having prior knowledge as this is largely flat land with fairways running between swales and humps and gorse.  And there are burns and OOBs bordering many of them.  The bunkering was good and the greens firm and well contoured.  All proper links stuff.

We concluded that Lundin was the better of the two courses which was partially down to condition.  But overall to be a great links course they were just missing a little something.

And on 17 we were missing two little somethings; two drives hit over the marker were never found.  This brought the match square.  18; par 4 427 yards a road and out of bounds left, with a long narrow green is a great closing hole down wind.  The underdogs outdrove and used their shot to pull ahead but it might have been a different story into the wind.

Thank you for a lovely morning and for letting me pay my green fee to Alzheimer’s Society.  It is very much appreciated.