Posts Tagged Links Golf
Multiple Reasons to Love Links Golf
Posted by Olli Lehtonen in GameBook, Golf Fun, Golf Traveling on April 25, 2013
Me and The Swilcan Bridge will meet again in coming weekend! What a happy reunion it’ll be! This pic has been taken in 2008.
Hi everybody! Like wrote last time I spent last weekend in Brighton and played there two great rounds of golf. Gosh, I had already forgotten how much and why I love links golf so much on British downlands.
For a one reason or another, I play good golf at links almost always. Almost! 
Links golf allows you to be creative and that’s suits my game – a creative guy plays creative golf… In States everything is played pretty much up in the air, and fair enough to say it’s the same thing in Finland as well. In Britain you get to use the ground as an ally and hit a lot of different shots. The wind is always present.
On Sunday The Old Course is closed and free to walk by anybody. Did that in 2008 and will definitely do that in coming sunday again.
Because the hard ground and short grass on fairways (and roughs too, it’s not always The Open kind of style setup luckily) a good drive from tee can easily be well over 300 yards long to the downwind… It is neat to hit bump and runs, and to putt from 50 yards off the green, and sometimes to the upwind to hit 5 irons from 135 yards and run the ball in.
It’s not always about what most people think about a traditional links golf course, which is being able to hit the ball low. At times you will have to do that. There is a varied amount of shots, but it’s just really getting used to chipping off the turf and controlling your distance off a different turf, which most of us don’t play that often.
Season Best
I played at Seaford Head Golf Course and Seaford Golf Club in a row. Seaford Head has one of the most breathtaking views in Sussex, especially from the last hole’s tee box – Spectacular cliff-edge finish! Over all it’s an undulating downland / links style course and pretty good one. Short, pretty easy too but at the same time the greens were like stamp-sized. If you hit good drives there, you’ll only face less 100 yard approach shots on most of the holes there.
Same thing at Seaford Golf Club: Hit long drives and you have only pitch shots left to the green. I did hit good drives, and because the great bounces and good roll I succeed pretty well there.
Have to use my chance and share my card here too, once I finally got the card not to be too shy to share 
That round was played at Seaford Golf Club on last Friday. Great greens there..
On Sunday, I encountered a huge and sometimes even frightening surprise. March for England protest attracted 150 people with a counter anti-fascist protest attracting more than 1,000 against it. Street near by the Brighton beach was closed as well as many other streets, the police walled all the areas and there were cops around more than I’ve ever seen in my life at the same time. Well, I survived.
Next Destination: Fife, Scotland
You know, when you’ve tasted it, it’s hard to stop. Leaving to Fife, Scotland tomorrow to play six more rounds of links golf. Planning to play at least St. Anderws’ Castle Course and hopefully the Old Course as well (if I got lucky in Ballot), both courses at Crail, Lundin Links and Leven Links. Not the cheapest trip I can tell you, but pretty special one for the Finn at least.
I’ve written before that already played the legendary Old course in St. Andrews. The memories you can’t buy – priceless! I recall once again: invite me as your friend on GameBook and you can follow my rounds live. Some of you have done that already, I’m happy to share my play with you guys. Golf is a social game and with GameBook I can promise you it’s even way more social!
View over Brighton to the canal from the 17h hole at Seaford Head Golf Club.
New Order in our Course Data
This brings me to an important issue that I’d like you all to notice. Sometimes it happens that some particular golf course is missing on GameBook’s database. You are always able to create a new course there just by your self! Or you can contact us directly as well and we will do that for you.
As we are cleaning up our database right now because the overlapping course data, you are not able to see unofficial courses there anymore unless you haven’t created it or played on that course.
How do you recommend so-called official GameBook course? When searching the course you’ll see small GameBook logo after course’s name.
Happy to help you guys also on Twitter & Facebook as well anytime!
Appreciate your help, dear Gamebookers!
Cheers!
- Olli
@OlliLehtonen on Twitter
What Every Golfer Should Do
Posted by Olli Lehtonen in Golf Fun on August 8, 2012
View from the Old Course Hotel to 18th hole.
Have you guys ever read lists like 101 Things to do Before You Die? I have, latest about five minutes ago. On the top of the most these kind lists are things like travel around the world, see the World’s Seven Wonders, learn a new language, run a marathon, write a book etc.
All good ones for sure! But I quickly made a donkey bridge in my mind and started to think, what are the things every golfer should do before they die? In the last post I pondered, Where’s the Future Home of Golf, but this time I’ll be more traditional
Did I draw bends too straight since the idea first occurred to my mind what every golfer should do is that you really have to play a round in The Home of Golf, St. Andrews Old Course. Are there really any other options?
City of Golf
I got the opportunity to make a dream come true in late October 2008. At the same time, that was my first round at real links golf course. Any better place to take first steps on links than The Old Course, I doubt! This trip to Scotland was organized by a travel agency, so tee time was guaranteed. But if you plan to make a trip to St. Andrews by your own, there’s a daily ballot system for golfers who have not managed to secure an Old Course tee time in advance.
If you have a bad luck in the ballot and you fail to get a tee time to the Old Course, there’s absolutely no need to feel depressed. There are six other courses – all good level, and the whole St. Andrews’ small city is like Legoland for the golf lovers.
Singnboard outside the house where four-time Open Champion Old Tom Morris lived.
Old Tom Morris’ old house he lived, British Golf Museum, small boutiques full of golf stuff, friendly people who all knows, what birdie means – totally unique atmosphere there. And I couldn’t help myself thinking while having coffee, that maybe I’m sitting exact on the same chair, which has been under Nicklaus’ butt back in the days!
Why, oh why, I didn’t bought that one…
About the Old Course: visually, there are more spectacular courses around (for example Kingsbarns and Carnoustie, which I played on the same trip). Still, Old Course is Old Course. I felt cold vibes on the first tee and I dare to say I’m not the only one. Course is pretty friendly for the player in my opinion. Flat, unambiguous, friendly and rewards you for good shots. It’s a very good course, one of my all-time favorites.
From the club tee, the Old Course is an easy links course, depends how many times you will face the bottom of pot bunkers. I shot 77 and made triple bogey on 16th. Luckily I saved par on the 17th, Road Hole, which is maybe the most famous par 4 in the world. Damn you 16th, still annoys me. Working to get over that. Some day
Respectable row of tables about the golfers we all know – The Open Champions during the history of the oldest Championship in Golf.
What annoys me more is that I didn’t bought the corny souvenir from the gift shop after my round. It was a golden patch with text “I played The Old Course under 80” or something like that. Hahah, how cool that patch would be on my bag
And because every travel posts should give restaurant recommendations, I have to respect the trend too and give you one: right side of the Road Hole, where’s the famous Old Course Hotel stands too, is a restaurant called Jigger Inn. I heard that’s Tiger Woods’ favorite restaurant and place where he first went after winning his first Open in 2000. What did Tiger ordered, cannot remember – I ate fish and chips, the best I ever had in my life.
“Must-take” picture from the Swilcan Bridge on Old Course’s 18th hole. Just wanted to prove I’ve been there
- Olli
@OlliLehtonen in Twitter
The Awesome Openness of The Open
Posted by Mikko Manerus in Golf Management, Tournaments on July 21, 2012
The Open Championship is truly an open event. All golf tournaments should be like this!
We just arrived back form The Open Championship 2012 and will together with Mikko Rantanen share the experience with you. Here the first post from me – about how impressing it was to see that this huge golf event somehow manages to be reachable, exactly as it should be.
If you are a keen golfer and have never been at The Open Championship, you are definitely missing a great golf experience. You might be surprised by how accessible The Open is for the general public and how easy it is to make travel arrangements – even as little as a few weeks or days in advance.
We booked our flight tickets from Helsinki to Manchester just a couple of weeks in advance. There were hotel rooms available close to the legendary venue in Preston as well as Blackpool – reasonably priced. Rented a car and getting to course was fairly simple, keeping in mind there were “a few” others doing the same.
I must say that the “openness” of The Open was awesome to experience. For example, compared to the US Masters where it is not even possible to get tickets for the tournament rounds, The Open is truly “open” for anyone to visit and enjoy.
The organizers are doing things right – golf events should be easier to access and enjoy.
Close to the Claret Jug – unfortunately only a picture version. A beautiful piece.
Planning to participate next year?
So, if you are thinking of doing this next year, here are few tips. We strongly suggest having some sort of a GPS device to find your way around the small roads in the UK. We used iPhone Maps as the car rental was out of GPS units. Everything worked great, but indeed, Mikko needed to pay close attention while I was driving – we never got lost once, couple of wrong turns only.
After following The Open on Thursday morning, we were fortunate to have a chance to play a fine links course, Formby Golf Club. Numerous sand dunes and fine pinewoods. Those of you who know me are aware of the fact that I love challenges, so my only disappointment was that there was hardly any wind to make it more challenging. Yes, that is something you expect on every round on a links course!
You should definitely go and experience the links, but make sure to make your bookings well in advance especially if you want to play one of the more famous courses. And finally, not surprisingly, stay away from the HEAVY roughs and DEEP pot bunkers.
Cloudy Day at Formby Golf Club.
Networking – done!
Kimmo Ekroth from Golf Digest Finland (and Golfpiste) was kind enough to spend time with us, introduce us to many of his connections in the golf industry, and share his wisdom about links golf and The Open Championship. Appreciated, thanks Kimmo! Lots of interesting people and enjoyable discussions, leading to many good ideas and lots of learning.
While we had to travel back to Finland already on Friday, Kimmo stayed to play more links golf with good friends and follow the final round of The Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Lucky man!
The day at the races: Mikko ‘Mane’ Manerus with Golf Digest Finland’s Kimmo Ekroth.
Will share more stories from The Open Championship later on. Play well!
–Mane
The Traditions and The Future of Golf Shaking Hands
Posted by Mikko Rantanen in Golf 2.0, Tournaments on July 18, 2012
The Smiling Duo: Golf GameBook’s Mikko Rantanen with the British Open Champion 2009 Stewart Cink at the Royal Lytham & St Annes.
Mikko ‘Mane’ Manerus & Mikko Rantanen, both PGA members, will spend this week at the legendary Royal Lytham & St Annes, following The Open Championship and meeting with lots of interesting golf personalities. They’ll share their travel stories here. Here’s the first one, a long one – the rest of the pieces will be pictures and short notes.
Wonderful to be here again, last time I attended The Open Championship was 2009. It was also nice to meet with Stewart Cink – when we last met at The Open he ended up winning. I was happy to see The Claret Jug travel to the USA with him. Maybe it will happen again, I wish him all the best.
On our way here, I was discussing the many tradition of golf with my colleague Mikko Manerus. The Open Championship was first played in 1860, respectable 152 years ago, in Scotland at Prestwick Golf Club. The first year of the legendary tournament was, according to Wikipedia, like this “the inaugural tournament was restricted to professionals and attracted a field of eight golfers who played three rounds of Prestwick’s twelve-hole course in a single day.” At that time, before The Claret Jug and the juicy prize money the winner got to wear the Challenge Belt, a red belt with a silver buckle. Quite a difference to what we have now.
While many golf organizations often “protect the history of the game and traditions”, we usually discuss and vision the future of the game. For several years now the popularity of golf as far as rounds played and numbers of core & avid golfers has been declining. The golf industry in general has also been suffering. The PGA of America has a well thought out initiative Golf 2.0 in order to grow the game, which my colleague Kalle wrote about earlier, please read it too.
The Role of the Technology Innovations?
Mane and I were also discussing the technological developments in golf and how social media has and will affect the popularity of the game. We strongly feel social media will play a key role in creating more awareness about golf especially among non-golfers. Social media and especially mobile and online golf communities such as Golf GameBook will certainly grow the popularity as golf is such a social game. Social media will help to share golf experiences and the feeling of camaraderie with a larger network of people.
But in the recreational golf more than paper scorecards and the shared joy between four persons are indeed needed for the ‘survival’ of this sport.
Interestingly, some of the legendary golf players have recently been part of the events were the latest technology have played a part. We had an honor of providing live scoring and leaderboards (on mobile devices) for both Arnold Palmer’s Kingdom Cup (2011 and 2012), and Jack Nicklaus International Invitational (2010 and 2011).
We have been working hard with the Golf GameBook app and it makes me feel warm when the 2009 British Open Champion Stewart Cink said recently very kindly about it:
“I think that GameBook team’s creativity in utilizing social media and the latest technology is exceptional. Golf tournaments are fun and social, but they can be so much more with this golf app.”
Very generous of him. Ok, get to the point…what I was trying to point out is as follows:
I believe that the traditions and the new innovations can be combined – and actually must be combined – for the common benefit of the golf industry and all of us golf lovers. We need to make the golf experience more social (more than between the four guys on the course), we need to make it easier to share, to pep each other, trash talk, or what ever you like. Despite of the time and place. Or age, HCP or gender. I hope you agree with me. The traditions and the future of golf must shake hands.
Back to The Open - this year, as always, we are going to have so many exciting moments. Thumbs up for my friend Stewart, and all the others as well. Very glad to see many of my golf pals and colleagues from around the world, and at the same time enjoy the historical venue and many memorable moments. There’s something magical in links golf.
Play well!
–Mikko
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