Golf courses are works of art that have been carefully designed by golf course designers to create natural landscapes such as grass, lakes, sand, and trees in front of us. There are no two identical golf courses in the world. This article introduces the classification of golf courses for everyone. See which golf course is near me?
According to people’s various needs, golf courses are also divided into many types, and each type has its usefulness, which fully meets the needs of various golfers or enthusiasts.
According to the length and number of strokes of the golf course, the course can be divided into a standard course and a non-standard Course.
According to the purpose of using the golf course, the golf course can be divided into match course and a sightseeing and entertainment course.
According to the property rights and service objects of the golf course, the course can be divided into the popular private course, country club course, public course, private club course, and private course.
Different Types Of Golf Courses
According to the natural topography of the golf course, it can be divided into a seaside course (Links course), forest course, plain course, river course, mountain course, hilly course, and desert course. Here we mainly introduce the types of golf courses according to the natural topography of the course.
1.Seaside Golf Course (Link Golf Course)
The waterfront course, the links course we often hear. Link means connection, originally referring to the area by the sea in Scotland, that is, the area that transitions from the sea to farmland. The British Golf Museum believes that Links refer to a long and narrow course with one side facing the sea and one side being inland cultivated. To sum up, the landscape characteristics of the Link course are: generally located on the seashore with sandy beaches, with open venues, undulating fairways, small and deep bunkers, most of the fairways are fescue lawns, and water barriers are generally small Ditches and small rivers are the main ones, strong sea breeze, etc.

Pebble Beach Golf Course is the most prestigious Link course in the United States. As you walk on the narrow course grass, don’t forget to stop and enjoy the charming rocky beach view here-one of the views on the eastern coast of California’s Pacific Ocean. This is the blessed land of the 2007 HSBC Championship champion Phil Mickelson, who has won here three times.
2.Forest Golf Course
The forest course is surrounded by woods except for patches of flat fields. The soil quality of the course is excellent, the grass grows well, and the spring and autumn scenery is the most charming, but the terrain changes less. The ability to provide players with a distraction-free environment during play. Forest course features one: the tree is high and the road is narrow. Characteristic two: The green undulates and folds. Feature Three: Water barrier throughout the whole game. Feature Four: bunkers before the green . There are many trees in the course, and the designers will usually match the local dominant tree species to create a unique fairway style.

Pine Valley Golf Course is full of mystery in the golf industry. It is difficult to find and extremely secret. This golf course is located in the barren pine forest area that is inaccessible to New Jersey. Those who found this place say that this course is one of the top courses in the world. Only 930 people in the world can become its members, and the degree of luxury far exceeds people’s highest expectations.
3.Plain Golf Course
Due to the relatively flat terrain of the Plain course, the course landscape tends to be flat, and the requirements for designers will be higher. How can we be both natural and challenging, focusing on the harmony and beauty between hills, lakes and fairways, and greens, and rich in changes?
Designers will generally make necessary modifications to the terrain according to the actual situation to create an undulating micro-terrain to meet the drainage requirements of more than 3%. At the same time, we make up for the lack of terrain with rich and colorful plant planting designs and changing tee, green, and various obstacles.

Scotland’s St Andrews Plain course has a sacred status in the hearts of fans because the current golf traditions and rules are formulated here. The number of kickoffs in the old course is very limited every year, and reservations need to be made one year in advance.
Since the 15th century, people have been playing golf in this rich land. In addition to the old course, there are four more exciting 18-hole courses, a nine-hole course, and a training center for players of any level. Everything here is open to the public, but an appointment must be made in advance.
4.Rivers Golf Course
These courses have flat terrain and are arranged along rivers or artificial lakes. Although they lack terrain and wind direction changes, they have enough distance, wide fairways, and no trees to cover them. Try to make the design fluid and natural. The curvilinear lakes are connected, together with the ingenious stone or wooden Bridges, and the hydrophilic plant landscape along the lake, creating the warm and gentle characteristics of the course.

Vietnam West Lake Golf Club is designed by Thomson Perrett. Thomson Perrett is one of the world’s leading golf design companies. This world-class design company based in Melbourne, Australia has more than 250 successful projects around the world and is famous for its five British Open championships.
Vietnam West Lake Golf Club opened in October 2018. The layout of the first 18 holes is very challenging. It is more than 7200 yards long, and each hole has picturesque lakes and undulating fairways. In addition to the challenging length design, bunkers, and many obstacles, Zeon Zoysia grass has been used for fairways and Tiff grass for greens.
5.Mountain Golf Course
Because the mountain course can show the ups and downs and mountains, it is the most magnificent of many types of courses. The beautiful natural environment and the undulating terrain are not only its characteristics but also its advantages that distinguish it from other courses. Where, Due to the large ups and downs and abruptness, the landing point of the ball will change at any time, which requires high accuracy for the player to hit the ball.
At the same time, the mountain course has a very different microclimate environment due to the ups and downs of the terrain, which makes the maintenance of the course a lot of challenges, which is also one of its characteristics. In the design of this type of course, the fairways are usually arranged in the valley and the gentle slope of the mountainside. Each hole is arranged back and forth around one or several hills, connecting to form a whole.

South Africa’s legendary golf safari resort is located in Limpopo Province, South Africa. It can be called the “sacred palace” of golf. The so-called “extreme 19 holes” are here. It requires extremely high skills and is unparalleled in the world. The “extreme 19 holes” are the three-shot holes with the largest height and farthest distance in the world.
With a No. 1 tee, the golf ball will stay in the air for 30 seconds before landing, giving you plenty of time to watch the ball make a beautiful arc in the air. The first birdie on this extreme golf course was made by former Barbados cricket star Franklin Stephenson.
6.Hills Golf Course
The hilly course is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the terrain is naturally changeable. It can not only express the flat and relaxed style of the river course but also fully depict the ups and downs between the mountains and forests. It is not like a mountain course with a very large inclination, so it is challenging. It is safe and comfortable at the same time.
In the design, it generally does not make major changes to the current terrain but adapts measures to local conditions. When arranging the route and direction of the fairway, make full use of the original terrain, and after a little modification of some parts that hinder playing, the ideal effect can be achieved.

Shidao Bay Course, located in Shandong, China, is the most typical golf hill course. The Shidao Bay Course has 18 holes and 72 par. The course has wide fairways, large greens, obvious ups and downs, and perennial green speeds of “10 or more”. It has become the first choice for many golfers to challenge.
Shidao is a temperate monsoon humid climate, winter without cold, summer without heat, and warm air. The summer temperature is maintained at about 25℃, because of the “back mountain by the sea, everywhere is stone” named. In 2021, the fairways were completely replaced with Bentgrass, which is characterized by a soft, slender, and nearly straightforward texture, allowing the ball to roll more smoothly on it, making it easier to stay on the original course. The design of the fairway is integrated with the natural undulations, the green is surrounded by green water, the bunkers are challenging, and the fairway is world-class.
7.Desert Golf Course
The desert is an indispensable element of a golf course, but a golf course built on the desert is incredible because, in desert areas, thick grass is rare. The novelty and excitement brought by the desert courses built around the world have made fans all over the world yearn. The desert course is dry and short of water.
The design should minimize the lawn area and increase the role of dunes in creating landscapes and playing strategies. The undulating dunes can be retained in high grass areas, replacing plants as barriers. This type of course gives people a strong contrast between green and desert and has a unique course landscape.

Pacific Dunes is the first of the Banton Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon, USA. This resort has 5 golf courses. The Pacific Dune Course is one of the world’s top golf courses. It was opened to the public in 2001. It is the best golf course in the United States. Designed by Doc, it is also a very popular course in the world.
There is one of the wildest course walking routes in the golf world because the wind speed here can reach the hitting speed of iron 3 or iron 4. Huge dunes, 75-foot cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and the road only allow walking regulations to make the Pacific Dune Course a dream place for both traditional fans and artistic players.
Finally let’s see this video about Extreme 19th Hole.
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