Why We Love Links Golf
And Why It Keeps Us Coming Back
Nearly a decade ago, while walking the links at Lahinch with my dad, I remember when the thought hit me for the first time: this never gets old. Not the wind, not the run-up shots, not the hunt for a ball that was swallowed by the deep stuff. None of it.
Links golf is unlike any other form of the game. And for those of us fortunate enough to travel across the pond often—whether for work, for play, or luckily in our case, both—its magic never fades. If anything, it deepens.
In this episode of our podcast, I sat down with D.J. and Connor to swap stories and talk about why links golf means so much to us. It’s a fun listen, filled with plenty of laughs and memories.
Same Coast, Different Story
You can play golf in Ireland or Scotland, drive along the same coastline, and find that every course tells a different story. Cruden Bay and Turnberry are just a few hours apart, yet worlds away in personality. Even within the same region, the terrain, the routing, the rhythm of the walk shifts dramatically from one course to the next.
In the States, even great courses tend to blur together after a while: same architects, same trees, same turf. Overseas, you feel like you’re discovering something truly unique every time.
Forever Fans
Here at H&B HQ, we still talk like wide-eyed kids about the courses across the pond. Whether it’s one of us heading over in the off-season or a Member checking off a long-awaited spot, there’s always a sense of anticipation.
The truth is, we’re still scheming what to play next. Because every time you come home, you realize there's so much more left to discover. And so many places have you plotting the return visit before you've even left. Fortrose & Rosemarkie was that course for me.
Of course, this connects to another reason we love links golf: the lesser-knowns have a funny way of becoming personal favorites and turning links golf rookies into forever fans.
At one of my favorite Scottish links courses: Fortrose & Rosemarkie
A Spiritual Walk
Ask anyone who’s walked Lahinch, Ballybunion, or Royal Dornoch late in the day with just a few clubs and no agenda. There’s something in the solitude, in the feel of the turf underfoot and the horizon stretching past the dunes, that clears your head like nothing else.
In the podcast above, Connor said it best: links golf can feel spiritual. It invites reflection. And whether you’re chasing a score or just chasing the sun, the game gives something back in those moments.
It Sharpens Your Game
Even for seasoned players, links golf demands a new kind of thinking. Over here, golf is largely target practice. Over there, it’s geometry, creativity, imagination.
Different start lines, trajectories, and strategies on every hole. You might bump a six-iron from 70 yards or putt from 50. The old Texas wedge isn't just encouraged, it’s required. And best of all, the same course will ask different questions tomorrow.
It makes better players of us. More creative ones, too.
Shots Into the Unknown
The biggest thrill in links golf?
Running to the top of a dune after striking a six-iron that might be six feet or sixty yards from the hole.
That blend of uncertainty and hope is pure links golf. If the accompanying rush doesn't turn you into a fan of links golf, I'm afraid nothing will.
There's no greater thrill than racing to the top of the hill on the Alps at Prestwick.
The People Make the Place
“How’d you get on?”
It’s a question you’ll hear in clubhouses across the pond, and it means something very different than it does here at home.
They’re not asking whether you belong. They’re letting you know that you do. And depending on the tone, it might mean any number of things: How was your round? What did you think of the fifth green? Did you sneak a par on 14?
It’s a question rooted in curiosity and camaraderie, not credentials.
There’s no pretension. Whether you're paired with the town’s mayor or a local plumber, the pride they take in their club is unmistakable. And they genuinely want you to experience it for yourself.
History You Can Feel
Stand on the 1st tee at Prestwick or the 17th at St Andrews, and you're not just playing a hole. You’re stepping into the same stories that have unfolded for centuries.
The game’s giants walked these same fairways. But so did local legends and generations of lovers of the game. The weight of it is real and incredibly humbling.
Why We Keep Coming Back
Links golf stirs something deep in us. It combines scenery, strategy, and soul in a way that no other golf experience can. Whether you shoot 68 or 108, the walk stays with you.
You return not just for the courses, but for the people, the mystery, the memories. For the feeling of standing on a windswept dune, staring down a shot you’re not sure you can pull off, and trying it anyway.
And once you’ve felt that? There’s no going back.
We can’t wait for the next walk. Hope to see you out there.
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