I have no doubt the great Dr Alister MacKenzie would like the links at Albany Golf Club.
Not only does it fit the accepted definition of a links course – a strip of gently undulating, sandy terrain linking the sea with farmland or a town – but it also meets many of the 13 principles of course design he championed.
The course should be arranged in two loops of nine holes. Check.
There should be a large proportion of good two-shot holes, two or three drive-and-pitch holes, and at least four one-shot holes. Check.
The greens and fairways should be sufficiently undulating, but there should be no hill climbing. Check.
Every hole should have a diffierent character. Check.
There should be a minimum of blindness for the approach shots. Check.
The course should have beautiful surroundings and all the artificial features should have so natural an appearance that a stranger is unable to distinguish them from nature itself. Check.
The course should be so interesting that even the plus man (scratch) is constantly