SELECT SCORE:
We’ll take a look at the different types of golf courses and discuss how to handicap them at top-rated sportsbooks.Â
Different Types of Golf Courses
Links
Probably the most famous type of golf is links golf, set at courses located close to the sea or ocean. These links courses are more susceptible to the natural elements and weather forecasts. The defence to these tracks often lies in the weather conditions, which means club selection can change markedly from day to day depending on wind strength and direction.
Down under in Australia, their links tracks are often located on sand belts with sandy loam soil, a slight difference.
Parkland
Parkland golf courses are normally heavily tree-lined courses making accuracy for tee-to-green fundamental to scoring well. With tree coverage, the wind factor is far less at these types of courses.
The United Kingdom is the place to find Heathland Courses, a different variant of parkland and they are found on wider terrain with fewer trees.
Stadium
Stadium courses are built for purpose track and the clue is in the word “stadium”, because the designer shapes certain holes so that they have natural amphitheatres for spectators.
Many PGA Tour events take these courses in and many of them are designed by Pete Dye, one of the best golf course architects of recent years. He has the ability to shape superb risk-reward holes, which of course are attractive for spectators who attend.
How to Handicap Links Golf
Links golf being at the mercy of the elements of nature means the playing conditions can reach extremes due to coastal winds.
The seaside breeze is always the strongest with no shelter and therefore, having previous experience of links golf is a huge advantage. It is always worth checking where golfers learnt their trade because if their early golf course experience was links based, they will make the necessary adjustments more naturally.
Ball flight is fundamental, becoming a prerequisite for the unique test links golf is. Any player growing up with links golf will already have a muscle memory of what is required, therefore strokes gained stats can be of lesser importance in links golf than any other format.
There will be many results from links type correlations to use and it is important to be sensitive to weather conditions of those events. It can be many players find golf links easy when there is no breeze or wind and can score low but once that weather arrives, their lack of familiarity is exposed
The green surfaces, like the rest of the course, play differently too and are often grainier and slower than what many PGA Tour pros are comfortable with.
How to Handicap Parkland Golf Courses
Generally, parkland courses are the tracks where most golfers start their journeys and that harks back a little as to why that makes links golf more unique.
Being set inland, the wind will be far more predictable and a lot lighter. Therefore, players who learn their craft on parkland quickly understand the need to comprehend how far each club hits the ball. As golfers become better players, this naturally reduces golf to a numbers game with fewer vagaries.
Equally, most PGA Tour tests on parkland courses find those tracks slightly shorter and require more accuracy tee-to-green. Therefore, the PGA Tour stats start to have more relevance than links golf as you narrow down those players in good nick, especially with strong tee to green accuracy.
How to Handicap Stadium Courses
Stadium courses have a very similar vibe to parkland tests with the player stats having more relevance to results.
One thing to bear in mind is that, with the courses being built for purpose, they don’t have the natural elements of links or tree-lined fairways of parkland. There is a need to pay close attention to whether the stadium course is exposed to nature or not.
Using the techniques discussed, you have the tools then to narrow the player pool down further.
What Have We Learnt About Handicapping Golfers on Certain Types of Golf Courses
Fundamentally, it is important to understand what sort of courses a player grew up playing and is the most comfortable with. Certain golfers have significant preferences for one and that is something you need to familiarize yourself with.
What we learnt was that links golf is the most unique natural test of the three and the PGA stats are not as important for those as other weeks. If you find a proven links player in good form, he has a marked advantage on many with his natural feel for the changeable conditions.
Alternatively, Parkland and Stadium golf is a more precise mathematical-based game for the professionals and therefore, the PGA Tour stats have a huge bearing on the results.
Golf betting is a hugely enjoyable pastime, and having as much information at your disposal is key for handicapping the difference between course types. Never stop collating, making notes and understanding the nuances for each golfer. That way profits will follow at the sharpest sportsbooks!
