“According to golf purists, a links course is one built on sand, that “links” a large body of water to the land, and maintains the land’s natural qualities.”
Approach to 1st green on Spanish Bay.
“To my knowledge, no one has played all these in one fell swoop, the way I intended to. If someone has, I’d love to sit with them and swap stories. Most are public, but Cypress is as exclusive as they come. Unless you know a guy that knows a guy, you can scratch it off your list.”
The funky cool on-course Clam Bed Bar at Gearhart Golf Links.
16 D ESTI N ATI ON G OL FE R
Road Atlas off my shelf, sat in my robe on the back deck and skimmed all the way down the coast to Bandon Dunes, mentally adding up the 378 miles between University Place and Bandon. Hmmmmm, I thought. All links courses. What are the other links courses I know of on the West Coast? Pebble Beach, for sure, which I’d never played. Were there others? In that single moment, with that single thought, my next great bucket list was born. I kept skimming the map, looking at literally every square inch all the way down the coast, clear to San Diego. Surely, there had to be plenty of authentic coastal links courses that I had never even heard of. George Peper’s book, True Links, is THE bible on real links courses in the world. I checked it first, then hit up Wikipedia to see what newer courses may have been left out. Imagine my surprise, then, to find that the coastal links pipeline dries out in Pebble Beach. Despite more than 400 miles of coastline between Pebble and Mexico, there wasn’t a single authentic American links course south of those hallowed fairways. It’s probably worth taking a second to define an authentic links course. According to golf purists, a links course is one built on sand, that “links” a large body of water to the land, and maintains the land’s natural qualities. I was surprised to see that, according to Peper and Wikipedia, legendary tracks like Torrey Pines, Poppy Hills and Monarch Beach weren’t on the list, while others I’d never heard of — like The Sea Ranch Golf Links — were. I can do this, I thought. I’m gonna play ‘em all. I took out a pen and wrote the names of each the true links courses right on my map — Chambers Bay, Gearhart Golf Links, the five courses at Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald and the new Sheep Ranch), The Sea Ranch Golf Links, Half Moon Bay Ocean Course, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach, and the rarest of them all, Cypress Point. To my knowledge, no one has played all these in one fell swoop, the way I intended to. My next great bucket list was on.
