What is the difference between a "links" course and any other kind of golf course?

A true links course is a seaside course with a firm sandy base. The course "links" the land to the sea. Because the wind blows hard along the sea, to effectively play links courses you must know how to hit the ball lower and run up to the hole. Links courses will be typified by rolling mounds and dunes throughout, lots of bunkering and very high rough off the path. The Scots believe that trees have no place on a golf course. There are many parts of the US that have made "links style" golf courses out of rolling farmland with many of the same features, although American operators generally over water their courses, effectively taking the lower running shot out of play.

A links course is built on linksland the land that separates the farmland from the land next to the sea that has been shaped by the on shore winds off the sea. This land is usually hard packed sand and filled with dunes and was only ever used as pastureland. In its' natural state it was easy for a course designer to simply find a route plan through the dunes to act as a golf course and minimal work had to be done to shape greens and tees. Being close to the sea and so windswept there was always a lack of trees and gorse and fescue acted as the rough. Inland courses were usually well treed and even when built on open farms trees were planted to make them parkland settings. It has become popular of late to try to duplicate the barren links courses inland but they just never measure up to the true linksland courses.

this is what i found on links courses........i have often wondered the same thing but never took the time to do research on it

A links golf course is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes, and also sometimes to open parkland. It also retains this more general meaning in the Scottish English dialect.

Many links - though not all - are located in coastal areas, on sandy soil, often amid dunes, with few water hazards and few if any trees. This reflects both the nature of the scenery where the sport happened to originate, and the fact that only limited resources were available to golf course architects at the time, and any earth moving had to be done by hand, so it was kept to a minimum.

At Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh, Scotland, the course (a considerable distance from the coast) is still used for pitch and putt golf, and boasts a sign erected by the City Council which asserts that golf may have been invented there.

The challenges of links golf fall into two categories. Firstly the nature of the courses themselves, which tend to be characterised by uneven fairways, thick rough and small deep bunkers known as "pot bunkers". Secondly, due to their coastal location many links courses are frequently windy. This affects the style of play required, favouring players who are able to play low accurate shots. As many links courses consist literally of an "outward" nine in one direction along the coast, and an "inward" nine which returns in the opposite direction, players often have to cope with opposite wind patterns in each half of their round.

Links courses remain most common in Ireland and also in the United Kingdom, especially in Scotland. The Open Championship is always played on links courses, even though there are some celebrated courses in the United Kingdom which are not links, and this is one of the main things which differentiates it from the three major championships held in the United States

a true links course is one that is usually out in the open and close to the ocean so strong winds are normal. links courses are set up to play in the wind where you are supposed to hit the ball low to keep it under the wind and roll it up onto the green instead of flying all the way there like on most courses. most of the courses in europe are old school links courses with the ground being hard so it has to be played that way

Watch the Open Championship in July and you'll notice that true links courses are absent of trees and are near the sea. Links courses allow nature to help or hinder a golfer.

Pretty much the defference is That Links courses Have conected fairways and green. And a U.S. course has more breaks with rough inbetween the fairways and greens.

Links are mostly hilly and open space, no trees like the British Open.

I'm pretty sure links courses have shorter-length holes, and they may be only 9 holes total. I think par 3 courses are considered links.