Modern Masterpieces
Each of these five fabulous links is a 21st-century creation that mixes the very best of traditional golf with a more modern way of thinking and design.
Dumbarnie Links
The par-3 eighth at Dumbarnie Links is beautifully framed and overlooks the firth
(Image credit: Dumbarnie Links)
The arrival of the pandemic in 2020 coincided with the opening of this remarkable new course in Fife. Following the upmarket pay and play business model in operation at nearby Kingsbarns and further up the Scottish coast at Castle Stuart, it’s a wonderfully informal and relaxed place to play with a course that is an extremely strong addition to the county’s immense golfing artillery. The brainchild of leading architect Clive Clark, it is a brilliant blend of the old and the new with risk and reward featuring very strongly all the way.
The opening hole at Dumbarnie Links sets the scene for a thrilling adventure
(Image credit: Getty Images)
This is especially so at three of the shorter par 4s – 3, 11 and 17 – where depending on the wind direction and its speed, bigger hitters may well be tempted to get as close to the green as possible. There is also a very fine quartet of beautifully framed par 3s. The pair on the front nine offer distracting, elevated views over the firth, the 14th plays over a marshy no-man’s-land, and the 16th has a rollercoaster green with the backdrop of a sea of sand and then water in the distance. The one word everyone seems to use to describe Dumbarnie Links is ‘fun’, and even if your game is off, there are glorious views to compensate.
Machynys
Machynys has a beautiful, marshy setting overlooking the estuary
(Image credit: Machynys Golf Club)
Soon to celebrate its 20th birthday, this Next 100 links was built on a marshy plot of land by the estuary, next to the Llanelli Wetland Centre in South Wales. Beneficiary of a substantial budget, it was designed by Gary Nicklaus who said at the time, “The site for the course at Machynys presents the Nicklaus Design team with a balance of luxuries and challenges which enables us to create an exciting course with great variety. We hope to have a course that features something for everyone and, most of all, is a memorable golf experience that brings players back time and time again.”
The green on the tough par-4 fifteenth at Machynys
(Image credit: Machynys Golf Club)
The course lives up to its billing and is both challenging, especially from the back tees, and very enjoyable. Considering that…
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