Links is a Scottish term, from the Old English word hlinc : "rising ground, ridge", describing coastal sand

dunes and sometimes similar areas inland.[18] It

is on links land near the towns of central eastern Scotland that golf has been played since the 15th century.[19]

The shallow top soil and sandy subsoil made links land unsuitable for the cultivation of crops or for urban development and was of low economic value.
The links were often treated as common land by the residents of the nearby towns and were used by them for recreation, animal grazing and other
activities such as laundering clothes.

The closely grazed turf and naturally good drainage of the links was ideal for golf, and areas of longer grass, heather, low growing bushes and exposed
sand provided the hazards that are familiar on modern courses. Although early links courses were often close to the sea it was rarely used as a hazard,
perhaps due to the instability of the dunes closest to the water and the high cost of hand-made golf balls precluding anything that could result in their
irrecoverable loss. The land is naturally treeless and this combined with their coastal location makes wind and weather an important factor in links golf.

Traditional links courses are often arranged with holes in pairs along the coastline; players would play "out" from the town through a series of holes to
the furthest point of the course, and then would return "in" along the second set of holes.[19] The holes may share fairways and sometimes greens (such
as at St Andrews to economize on land use, but in modern times this is rare due to the potential for injury from balls coming the other way.

Famous links courses include the Old Course at St. Andrews, often described as the "Home of Golf", and Musselburgh Links, which is generally
regarded as the first recorded golf course. The Open Championship, the oldest of golf's major championships, is always played on a links course.
[20]
Links and links-style golf courses have been developed throughout the world, reproducing the broken, treeless terrain with deep bunkers of their
Scottish prototypes.

Executive[edit]
An executive course or short course is a course with a total par significantly less than that of a typical 18-hole course. Two main types exist:

 A "9-hole course", typically the type referred to as an "executive course", has only 9 holes instead of 18, but with the otherwise normal mix of par-
3, par-4 and par-5 holes (typically producing a par score of between 34 and 36), and the course can be played through once for a short game, or
twice for a full round.
 A "par-3" course has either 9 or 18 holes, and the distance of each hole is a par 3 rating (typically 240 yards or less from the "men's" tee), with
no par-4 or par-5 holes mandating shots through the green (though, occasionally, a "par-3" course may feature a par-4 or even a par-5 hole). As
a result, the total par for 18 holes of a par-3 course would be 54 instead of a typical 68–72. Some par-3 courses still require the use of a wood on
some tee shots, and thus a "complete" set of clubs is used.
o A common standardized type of par-3 course is the "Pitch and Putt" course, where each of the 9 or 18 holes has a distance from tee to cup
of less than 100 yards, with an overall 18-hole course distance no more than 1,200 yards (so each hole averages 67 yards). This allows
the course to be played without a full set of clubs; typically only wedges are needed, possibly a 9-iron for the longest holes, along with
a putter, to play the course. The rules for formal Pitch and Putt competitions mandate a three-club limit, consisting of two irons and one
putter.

These types of courses provide a faster pace of play than a standard course, and get their name from their target patronage of business executives
who would play the course on a long lunch or as part of a meeting. They are also popular with young professionals, because during the normal golf
season, the course can usually be played in the time between the end of the work day and sundown.

The popularity of the 9-hole course has waned in recent decades; a full 18-hole course still allows for the player to play only the "front nine" or "back
nine" as a shorter game, while attracting more golfers seeking to play a traditional full round of 18 distinct holes. Many older executive courses have
been upgraded "in-place" to 18 holes and a traditional par score, or the original course was sold for other development and new land was acquired and
built into an 18-hole course. By contrast, par-3 courses, especially Pitch and Putt, are rising in popularity as a compromise between the long play time
and high skill levels required of a traditional 18-hole course, and the artificial nature and single-minded putting focus of miniature golf. Pitch and Putt,
specifically its governing association the IPPA, has received financial support and logo rights from the R&A.

In 2014, the PGA Tour held a Champions Tour event on a nine-hole par-3 course, the Big Cedar Lodge Legends of Golf in Ridgedale, Missouri, with
four (regular division) or three (over-65 division) rounds played over the par-3 course, and one round played on a nearby regulation 18-hole course with
par of 71.

Pitch and putt[edit]

Main article: Pitch and putt
 The "par 3" or pitch and putt course in Shibden Hall, England
Pitch and putt is an amateur sport, similar to golf and is also known as chip and putt. The maximum hole length for international competitions is 90
metres (100 yd) with a maximum total course length of 1,200 metres (1,310 yd). Players may only use three clubs; one of which must be a putter. The
game is played from raised artificial teeing surfaces using a tee and it has its own handicap system.[21]

Ownership and management[edit]

See also: Golf course superintendent, Greenskeeper, Turf management § Golf courses, Equipment manager § Golf, and Groundskeeping

There are three main categories of ownership and management of a golf course: private, commercial, and municipal.[22]

Private[edit]
A private course is owned and managed by a golf club on behalf of its members, on a non-profit basis. Many of the courses opened during the golf
booms in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are of this type.[23] Some courses, such as Augusta National, are highly exclusive and will only allow
visitors to play at the invitation of and alongside a member of the club. Others allow visitors at certain times but may insist on advance booking and
proof of golfing competency.

Commercial[edit]
A commercial course is owned and managed by a private organization and is operated for profit. They may be constructed to provide a core or
supplementary attraction for visitors to a hotel or commercial resort, as the centrepiece to a real estate development, as an exclusive Country Club, or
as a "Pay and Play" course open to the general public. Notable examples include Pinehurst in the US and Gleneagles in Scotland.

Municipal[edit]
A municipal course is owned and managed by a local government body for the benefit of residents and visitors. Some of the historic Scottish golf
courses, including St Andrews and Carnoustie fall into this category along with Bethpage and Pebble Beach in the US and many others of less renown.
It is increasingly common for the management of municipal courses to be contracted out to commercial or other organisations or the course to be sold
or shut down completely.[24]

Associated clubs