Tiger Woods and Padraig Harrington discuss links golf

For anyone who isn’t familiar or has experienced links golf, its like none other. While the opportunities to play this style of golf isn’t necessarily plentiful in the US, it leaves a lasting impression for those fortunate enough to be able to sample it. The world’s #1 player admits his love affair was instant. “ I played Carnoustie and St. Andrews, my first two right out of the gate,” Tiger Woods said on the eve of playing the 2009 Open Championship. “ I fell in love with it right away,” he added. “It doesn't get much better than that.”
While the courses may not be the greatest to look at compared to a finely manicured, lush, tree lined layout that are predominant in the golf industry. But as we know, looks can often be deceiving. “ I just fell in love with being able to use the ground as a friend, as an ally,” Woods explained about his affection towards links style golf. “We don't get to do that in the States; everything is up in the air. You hit a shot that's from 150 yards, whatever it is, you have so many options of how you could play it. And back home in the States you play pretty much everything up in the air.”
Links course are built for the wind, which isn’t a constant feature both in its power or direction from one day to the next or for that matter necessarily, from one hour to the next. Woods is up against a new test in the form of Turnberry, a course that until this week he hadn’t played before. In the days leading up to the first round of the Open Championship, he has been devising a strategy to approach the unfamiliar with layout.
“You either -- you have to be committed to either putting the ball short of the bunkers or carrying them or skirting it past them,” he explained. “You have to make sure you really know what you're doing out there, especially with the cross winds in some of these fairways where they're slanted. It certainly presents its challenges. And you've got to hit some really good shots,” he continued. “As far as hitting driver, it all depends on the wind. And a lot of it, even though we've had the same general direction the last three days, they've been three different angles. I've adjusted what I've hit off the tees. That's what's so hard about links golf; it's hard to tell you I'm going to hit ten drivers or I'm going to hit zero drivers; I don't know,” he admitted.
“At Hoylake (where he won) the game plan was to probably hit about four or five. But as the ground got faster and faster and faster, and my 2-iron and 3-wood were going over 300 yards. You get to a point where you really can't control how far the ball is going to go. So the driver, I didn't really utilize it that much,” Woods continued on a topic that clearly has caught his imagination.
Padraig Harrington, who has been in possession of the Claret Jug for the last two years added his two cents on links golf and the strategy behind finding success playing it. While Woods spoke of the wind, the Irishman chose to discuss the ground and temperature as two reasons for the differences. “There's a massive adjustment to links golf. I can't explain to people the difference of hitting the golf ball, on links turf, beside the seaside,” he began. “This temperature compared to playing golf on a sunny golf course, pristine, the ball sitting up. With a 7-iron, with the same amount of wind, I'm not talking about a difference in wind, I'm talking about a difference in temperature; you're talking about 30 yards in difference. And you have to adjust for that. It takes a while. If it's perfectly sunny weather this week and temperatures in the 20s (Celsius), there's less of an adjustment,” he said. “It's not always about what most people think about traditional links golf course, which is being able to hit the ball low,” Harrington continued. “At times you will have to do that. There is a varied amount of shots, but it's just really getting used to chipping off the turf and controlling your distance off a different turf which we don't play off of that often.”
While links golf presents its differences, so too will Turnberry, a course that hasn’t been used for the Open Championship since 1994, when Nick Price won it. “As far as assaulting this golf course, (Turnberry) a lot of it is dependent on the weather,” Woods proclaimed. One thing is crystal clear in his mind with respect to the test facing the field this week at Turnberry. “ You just have to hit the ball well here, or you just can't get around,” he replied. Harrington offered a clue of what not to do when playing a links course and specifically, Turnberry. “You know, my whole links golfing life I've avoided the bunkers at all costs. Bunkers are like water hazards on a links golf course; you're chipping out. Avoid at all costs,” he said.
Turnberry will showcase links golf over the next four days on television coverage and the player who makes the least amount of mistakes is likely to have the best shot at claiming victory. Woods and Harrington have owned the Claret Jug for the last four years between them and it remains to be seen whether someone else can break their hold on it in 2009.