The Villages Executive Golf Trail, Sandhill Course

Golf courses are not all built the same way. The terrain, climate, ownership model, and intended audience of a course shape everything about how it plays, how long a round takes, and how much it costs. Understanding the major types of golf courses helps you pick the right one for your skill level, schedule, and budget. Links courses The original form of golf was played on linksland, the sandy, wind-swept coastal ground between the sea and inland farms in Scotland. True links courses share a set of defining features: firm, fast-running turf; very few trees; deep pot bunkers with steep sod-wall faces; and constant exposure to ocean wind. The terrain is usually rolling and uneven, with natural dunes shaping the holes rather than heavy earthmoving. In the United States, genuine links-style courses are rare because the right combination of coastal land and sandy soil is hard to find. The most celebrated example is Bandon Dunes Golf Resort on the Oregon coast, where multiple courses including the Sheep Ranch sit on rugged bluffs above the Pacific. On the East Coast, Kiawah Island Golf Resort Ocean Course in South Carolina plays along the Atlantic with wide-open sight lines and relentless wind. Whistling...