How to Play Links Golf Shots
5 Shots to Practice Before Your Golf Trip
The final countdown to an overseas golf trip is an exciting time. With all of the planning and preparations behind you, it's finally time to get down to the business of enjoying the trip and making memories. But for all time and effort that goes into the planning process, one highly important question is often overlooked...
Have you prepared your game?
During your golf trip to Scotland, Ireland, or England, you're certain to encounter a range of shots and conditions that are rarely experienced back home. Whether its your first or tenth trip across the pond, learning how to play links golf takes time and practice.
To ensure that your game is as well prepared for the journey as the rest of your itinerary, we suggest spending a little time practicing how to play links golf shots before your departure.
Our friend, the late Paul Ramee, Jr., produced several outstanding videos on this very topic.
During their travels with H&B, Paul and his members at Bull's Bridge Golf Club made countless memories across every corner of the British Isles.
They also faced every links golf shot imaginable.
Paul is dearly missed by all of us at H&B. But as a great instructor, he would take pride in knowing that his lessons carried on and helped improve your game across the pond.
If you invest less than 10-minutes watching the videos below, plus a couple of visits to the practice area at the club, the scorecards from your trip are sure to show it.
How to Escape Heavy Fescue Rough
There's an important thing to remember when learning how to play links golf: When you find yourself in trouble, get out of it as quickly as possible. Hitting your ball into the heavy fescue rough is all but inevitable during your trip. In this video, Paul explains how to escape the rough on links golf courses and avoid having things go from bad to worse.
How to Get Out of Deep Pot Bunkers
As you'll quickly learn, the bunkers on links golf courses gather the ball with alarming efficiency. Escaping them can sometimes be a tall order and may even require playing the ball backwards. Like the fescue rough, if you find yourself in a deep, revetted pot bunker, make sure your first swing gets it out. Here's how...
How to Lag Putt on Giant Greens
When learning how to play links golf, lag putting should not be overlooked in your preparations. Places like The Old Course at St. Andrews, Castle Stuart, and numerous other links courses feature greens which are far larger than what we're accustomed to in the states. You may find yourself regularly facing putts of 100-feet or longer. The video below shares some valuable strategies for getting it down in two.
How to Play the Bump and Run
In addition to the enormous greens, the tight and tumbling turf on links golf courses will often require you to play the ball along the ground. If your default club near the greens is a sand wedge, we'd suggest learning how to hit the bump and run shot before you board the plane. Trust us... You're going to need it.
How to Keep the Ball Low into the Wind
There's an old saying that links golfers will experience all four seasons in a single round. While the weather from one hour to the next is unpredictable, one thing you can always count on making an appearance is the wind. Keeping the ball low is perhaps the most important thing to master when practicing how to play links golf. The last video in Paul's series shows you how.
As you're about to experience first-hand, links golf is a brand unto itself. Adjusting your game to it may take a couple of rounds, or even a couple of trips. But these videos, paired with a little time in the practice area, will give you and your game an excellent preview of what's to come.
Additional Reading
Visit the Yardage Book for More Golf Travel Resources
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