2017 British Open in Review
The 2017 British Open Championship begins at Royal Birkdale Golf Club on Thursday, with the tough links layout and unpredictable weather sure to test the world's best players. The last seven major championships have been won by first time major champions and this trend could continue in this year's battle for The Claret Jug with Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Alex Noren and Rickie Fowler ranked in the World’s Top 10 and all vying for their first taste of major success.
Links golf is the game in its purest form. It is also golf at its most unforgiving. Links courses are typically more exposed to the elements than other types of courses. Hard, close cut and undulating fairways can provide the harshest of bounces and often see well struck drives take an undeserved hop into a pot bunker or have the ball bury itself into thick rough. Elevated greens that are unreceptive to balls flown into them, can reject the best of shots with a hard bounce, which may see the ball roll off a side slope or through the back and leave a tough up and down to save par - just as Tom Watson found out on the 72nd hole in the 2009 edition of the tournament.
But there is something about links golf that makes it the favourite with so many of the world’s greatest players. Tiger Woods loves links golf because of the creativity required to see a shot and then make it happen. Lee Trevino admitted that he hated links golf the first time he played at The British Open, but he then went on to win the event back to back in 1971 and 1972 and it is his favourite format. Links golf can have that effect on players who have yet to play the game as it was first intended, but even those who at first swear they’ll never play it again, (usually after losing a box of new Titleist’s) are almost always drawn back to its challenge.
International Golf Specialists (IGS) offer some of the best links courses in Australia for visitors coming to Perth. Located just south of the city are Kennedy Bay and The Cut. Running alongside the Indian Ocean, both these courses provide stern tests of golf on fantastic layouts. When the wind whips up in the afternoon, the courses play a little tougher and bring strategy and ball striking to the fore. The Golf Course Guide ranks Kennedy Bay at #6 and The Cut at #17 in the rankings of Australia’s Top Golf Courses. Combining these and other great courses such as Joondalup Resort, The Vines and Araluen make for an amazing golf holiday to West Australia.
One of the most popular tours IGS hosts each year is their excursion to Tasmania and the world renowned Barnbougle Dunes and Lost Farm. Ranked #2 and #3 respectively, these are two of the best golf courses in the world and part of the Tasmanian golf experience that every golfer needs to enjoy for themselves. There are few courses in the world that compare to Barnbougle and Lost Farm and IGS Managing Director Gary Allomes is always keen to talk to people about arranging their Tasmanian golf holiday.
Speak with the team at IGS today about turning your golf holiday dreams into reality.
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