Mastering the Terrain

GOLF GOES BEYOND just green grass and on-target putts that drop in the hole—it’s a game that brings people together in the great outdoors. With a variety of globally recognized course styles to choose from, it is important to know the difference between them, how they impact play, and the obstacles each presents—from sandy deserts and breezy waterfronts to forest-lined grassy stretches.

To better understand the role landscapes have in the way people play around the world, we explored the different categories of golf courses across varying topographies.

Championship Course

As courses designed to host tournaments, championship courses are defined by their 18 holes of challenging play. The Omni PGA Frisco Resort in Texas, set to open this May, will offer the chance to play two 18-hole championship courses—Fields Ranch East and Fields Ranch West. If your skill set isn’t up to par to master a championship course quite yet, the resort also features simulation and coaching experiences, as well as a 10-hole course, a par-3 course, and a 2-acre putting area. omnihotels.com

Desert Course

With only the playing corridors—the fairways, putting greens, and tee box—consisting of grass, desert courses are a green oasis in dry, sandy landscapes. Using the natural surroundings to their advantage, the sand dunes and rugged terrain provide a formidable set of natural obstacles on the course.

By Ava Diaz

Ranked as Arizona’s No. 1 public course, the Saguaro at the We-Ko-Pa Golf Club is a year-round escape for golfers who reside in colder regions. The Saguaro—which features a oneof-a-kind course design that follows the natural contours of the land—is also prideful of its efforts toward preserving the native soil of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. wekopa.com

Heathland Course

A heath is an extensive area of uncultivated land. Although it is inland, a heathland course contains very few obstructions, and typically contains coarser soil and a spread of heather, or evergreen perennials with woody stems that either support needlelike leaves or small flowers. Heathland courses are usually less manicured and do not require as much maintenance.

While this type of course is most popular in Britain, a well-known course in the United States is the Legends Golf Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This heathland course, with its lack of dense vegetation, is inspired by courses in the British Isles. legendsgolf.com

Links Course

Known as the oldest style of golf course, links courses were developed in Scotland—the birthplace of modern golf. Being one with nature, this type of course relies heavily on the surrounding terrain to create ideal play following the contours of the land. Typically built along or near a coastline, links courses are often amid a series of natural hills, ridges, and dunes with very little water or vegetation to obstruct shots.

One of the most well-known links courses in the United States is in Pebble Beach, California. Overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the Pebble Beach Golf Links is arguably one of the best public courses in the country. Golfers play a stunning course that showcases the diversity of its surroundings with its steep bluffs and expansive seaside views. This acclaimed course has hosted six U.S. Opens and is set to host eight more major championships into 2044.

For a midwestern feel with freshwater serenity, try for one of Boyne Golf’s 10 courses spanning three resorts—Boyne Mountain, the Inn at Bay Harbor, and The Highlands—in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. This group of resorts is also part of a diverse lineup of seven resort properties in Michigan including a collection of 22 golf courses in America’s Summer Golf Capital. (Other resorts in the capital collection include A-Ga-Ming Golf Resort, Crystal Mountain, Grand Traverse Resort and Spa, and Treetops Resort.) The golf club at the Inn at Bay Harbor provides a links experience like no other along the shores of Lake Michigan. With a rugged quarry landscape and a preserve that hosts the first half of a round amid a hardwood forest, the challenging course has breathtaking views. pebblebeach.com; boynegolf.com; americassummergolfcapital.com

Parkland Course

Built inland and away from the coastline, parkland courses tend to be greener with more trees and dense grass. The well-manicured and partially constructed details like ponds and bunkers create the feeling of playing in a neighborhood park—hence its name—and provide players with a course that is suitable to various climates.

One of the most famous versions of this course is the Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. As host to the Masters Tournament, the course is most well known for its impeccable appearance for optimal play. Magnolia Lane, the road with overarching magnolia trees from the entrance to the clubhouse, leads visitors to a place that accentuates the natural beauty of its environment. To emphasize the role that trees play in the experience, each hole is named after a tree or shrub that can be found at that location of the course—honoring the land’s roots as a former fruit tree nursery. masters.com

Sandbelt Course

This course is classified by the topography found near Melbourne, Australia. Home to sandy soil, this type of landscape makes for an ideal environment to play in because, to many people’s surprise, sand is a desired element due to its light weight and ability to drain excess moisture from the course. In addition, sand can also help level out the green to create a more consistent and smoother surface for year-round play.