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You are here: Home / Language / Why Are Golf Courses Called “Links”, What Does the Word Mean, and Where Did it Come From?

Why Are Golf Courses Called “Links”, What Does the Word Mean, and Where Did it Come From?

March 24, 2020 by Karen Hill

The word links is a Scottish reference to the coastal strips of semi-barren land between the ocean beach and the inland farming areas.

Links land was too sandy for crops so it was where the Scots put their first golf courses.

There were no trees close to the beach and the sand traps were natural with tall, reedy grass as the only vegetation.

Otherwise worthless, these narrow links of land became valuable as golf courses.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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