Links Classic Courses

Profiles of the best classic courses designed by Microsoft for earlier versions of Links that have not recieved an official update by Microsoft for Links 2003 but are convertable into the game. The 2001, VGA and 2000 versions generally contain crowds as a tournament option, the older LS ones do not.
   
Bay Hill Club & Lodge
 
Microsoft (VGA)
7204 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 1st
The Bay Hill Club & Lodge is a course designed by Arnold Palmer this fabulous course is made distinctive by the huge lake which dominates the 3rd and 6th holes. Home to the Bay Hill Invitational on the PGA Tour, water is very much the dominant feature here with many strategic shots in play throughout as you try to ease the entry into the greens at the 8th, 11th, 13th and 18th. Variety is also provided however to make this a really great course, with a series of holes set away from water hazards, but providing some testing hazards via bunkers and doglegs. This is a superbly designed course and one which tests you all the way round, including the 8th, a par 4 which requires a lay up for the tee shot with trees on the right, then offering a tough approach to a tight water guarded green, and later a 510 yard par 5 16th which offers a wonderful risk / reward shot into the green over the water. The 18th is a very hard final hole to make par on. The conversion to 2001 is extremely good and the buildings edging the lakes are excellent, although textures just cant quite match the 2003 ones. It has and remains one of my all time favourites since 1999.
5* Conversion - the vga conversion has gone particularly well, and this remains an extremely strong course design visually, with great buildings and planting and hardly anything out of place
     
Pinehurst 2 & 8
 
Microsoft (2000)
7011 yards. Par 70.
Difficulty Medium

Overall Rank 2nd
Pinehurst is a very famous golfing complex, set within the pine forests of North Carolina. The most famous of the courses there is the No.2, designed originally by Donald Ross and restored by Tom Weiskopf it hosted the 1999 US Open, and is a well established PGA Tour venue. It provides a superb all round test of your ability with teasing tee shots down the tree lined fairways, to some tricky approaches into sloped greens, which are tucked round doglegs and protected by bunkers. Balls hit less than perfectly on the greens will trickle off around the edges into dips and swales. The whole setting gives the course an air of importance and the clubhouse looks fittingly majestic. There was more than one release of this course within Links, and it was lengthened with the 2000 version with holes becoming generally quite long comprising a par 70, so woods and long irons get a lot of use here. This is an awesome and famous setting, and with the extra No.8 course included in a packaged set, it remains one of the very best to play, as the conversion to Links 2003 is very very good indeed.
5* Conversion - the conversion to 2003 is virtually flawless, and looks fantastic
     
St Andrews Old Course
 
Microsoft (2001)
6840 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Easy
Overall Rank 3rd
The St Andrews Old Course is well known as the birthplace of the game of golf. It was perhaps one of the most eagerly awaited courses for the Links game, and whilst it played easier than many others, it retained a charm and nostalgic interest all of its own, and is simply a delight to have. This course last hosted The Open in 2000, when Tiger Woods added his name to a famous winners list which recently included Nick Faldo, John Daly, Seve Ballesteros and Jack Nicklaus, and this venue and trophy is perhaps above all the most coveted of all by the Professional players. The clubhouse including the famous clock, the 18th stone bridge, the amazing 17th tee shot and greenside bunker, are all unforgettable characteristics of this course. The 2001 game version looks great, with some smart background buildings and whilst planting at ground level is acceptable, this is an aspect that has now been generally outdone by apcd designers. To get the best from the course it really needs playing in windy conditions with hard, fast greens, but many will remember the course just seemed to play its best back with the older Links 1999/2000 game.
5* Conversion - the 2003 conversion has gone particularly well, and this remains an extremely strong course design visually despite the old textures, with great buildings in the background
     
Firestone South
 
Microsoft (VGA)
7139 yards. Par 70.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 4th
The Firestone Country Club was designed by Robert Trent Jones and features what was one of the best looking courses available to Links 2000 players. The variety of colour still stands out immediately with the fairways enclosed by pretty looking tree lined hazards. Dont be fooled though, the course may look nice but it can bite with every tee shot a potential for disaster. Shot selection is of upmost importance depending on your form. The course starts very tough with a very diffcult tee shot on the 2nd although this was eased on the 2000 version as a key tree was removed. The 3rd hole is one of the hardest holes youll find in Links. The tee shot needs to go to the left edge of the fairway for a second shot through the trees to the upsloping green. Water awaits under the trees for those who dont make it. The difficulty eases a little on the back 9 but theres a tough finishing hole awaiting you. This is still a fantastic course and is recognised as possibly the toughest Microsoft one to play. Thought is required all the way around to prevent disaster. Under the conversion, the trees still look very pretty, at ground level the course texturing suffers a little, but it generally looks much better now that shadows cover the rough, and better still with the crowds turned on.
3* Conversion - the trees still look very pretty, at ground level the course suffers a little with some poor blocky rockery. Looks much better now that shadows cover the rough, and best with the crowds turned on.
     
The Belfry
 
Microsoft (LS)
7176 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 5th
The Brabazon course at The Belfry was created by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas in Warwickshire, England, and it has become a classic venue for The Ryder Cup, and an annual European Tour venue. It was the venue that saw the classic Ryder Cup finish in 1985 when Europe finally regained the trophy. This course has been around a long time in the game originally my Microsoft and is one of my most played, and still perhaps the most enjoyable under competitive conditions, containing so many tricky challenges and choices. It includes two absolute classic holes, the 301 yard par 4 10th which is reachable from a tee shot that must thread its way through trees and clear a pond, and the par 4 18th that has become one of the most famous finishing holes in all of golf, driving over trees and a blind lake to a protected fairway, leaving a long carry back over the lake to a three-tiered green. In a close game it can really make you tremble on that tee shot ! There are so many other great holes though, and this Microsoft version remains a superb design providing the older 1985 lay-out, looking bright and sunlit with a great selection of trees. Playwise this course has just never released its grip on me, the conversion still looks great, with superb main buildings, and the only real let down is the very blocky fencing around the edge of 10th green. Despite a newer APCD version, this one still has a lot to offer.
4* Conversion - still looks great with superb main buildings and beautiful trees. The only let down really is the blocky fencing around the 10th green
     
Congressional
 
Microsoft (1999)
7219 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 6th
The Congressional is a beautiful looking course and another historic venue for the US Open in 1997 won by Ernie Els. This woodland course is delighfully colourful with white and pink blossom trees interspersing the extected green foliage. This course definately tests you out with hazards of all kinds from the trees, sloped fairways, doglegs, tricky greens and water. The course features some long par 5 holes with the 9th and 15th are unreachable in 2 unless perhaps assisted by a strong wind. The 6th par 5 has a delightful challenge to approach the green in 2 with a lake protecting the right hand side of the green. The 10th par 5 is similarly protected. The 11th, a par 4, holds a difficult tee shot over the trees, with a miss hit likely to end up in the middle of them. To finish the round Congressional is one of the best. The 17th is a classic hole with an important tee shot needing to find the fairway for an approach to a green protected by water on 3 sides. It also has one of the best views off the fairway in Links Ls for a downhill approach overlooking the green, a lake and in the distance the imposing clubhouse. The final hole is a par 3 also situated at the lake edge which protects the left hand side and any short shots, as a result the right hand bunker is often a bail out shot. A great course with a great finish to test your nerve.
5* Conversion - a solid transfer, with the beautiful trees lining the fairways looking very good indeed
     
Innisbrook
 
Microsoft (LS)
7087 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 7th
Innisbrook is a bright woodland course with a variety of different greens in the trees lining fairways. This course looks good but is a tough one to play well. Lakes feature throughout your round with crocodiles being a nice touch at the 3rd hole. The par 5's are nearly impossible to reach in 2 due to length and the doglegs, and many holes feature extremely tight tee shots. The 5th, a par 5 is particlarly tricky off the tee and the second shot is hampered by a fairway tree. The 12th has a fairway split by a river with a lake down the right, and the 16th is one of the best and most difficult holes in Links. A tree left of the tee prevents a straight drive, so you have to hook the ball when teeing off towards a lake. To make things harder a tree blocks your approach to the green if you dont hook enough, but the left of the fairway is protected by a forest. The green is a tight approach even if you do find the fairway. This is a challenging course, with some great extra wildlife to look out for, and the pine areas and thick woodland help enourmously with this conversion, looking clean and bright with great shadows depth.
4* Conversion - the pine areas and thick woodland help enourmously with this conversion, which is very good, looking clean and bright with great shadows depth
     
Coghill
 
Microsoft (VGA)
6940 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 8th
Cogill is a woodland course that looks really good with a wide variety of tree speciess. It is a course that mixes up play nicely with different holes testing you in different ways. Driving on the whole needs to be accurate, as the trees will collect stray shots, and from time to time water makes an appearance to test approach shots. Dog legs are featured here too, and bunkers protect many of the greens. The most noticable holes come at the 5th and 9th which are long and hard to reach in two par 5's, and the latter being extremely narrow with it. The 8th, a par 4 needs a good positional shot off the tee for access to the green, and the 15th requires a fade off the tee to hit the fairway. Water appears late on in the round on the left of the 16th and the tricky finishing 18th hole. A good course that seems to flow seemlessly throughout the round. As with almost all the VGA courses, the conversion is good, smooth looking with planting realistic and little that doesnt look visually right.
5* Conversion - as with almost all the vga courses, the conversion is good, smooth looking with planting very realistic
     
Sea Island
 
Microsoft (2000)
6745 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Easy
Overall Rank 9th
The Cloister at Sea Island is the home course for David Love III, this is sometimes highlighted as one of the easier courses available, but it still has plenty to keep you interested. A marked contrast is evident between the front and back 9 holes. Water plays its part off the tee over the front 9 at the 2nd, 4th and 8th holes, and landing areas are tight and well protected. After the turn the course opens out and becomes easier to score well on, with some wild grassy areas creeping in, making a nice change in the style and feel of the play. This course is rarely praised it seems, but it does come into its own much more at tougher playing level when the hazards are found more often. I personally like the way this plays very much, a varied challenge and good visual style. The 8th hole is one of the best with a tee shot to a fairway protected by water along the right. The left side holds bunkers and a tree which will block a shot at the green. A good tee shot is therefore vital. A mixed course with loads of variety.
4* Conversion - a good looking conversion with nothing to really fault, a smooth and often varied look, it is still a great course
     
Valhalla
 
Microsoft (LS)
7140 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 10th
Valhalla was the venue for the US PGA 1996 & 2000 Championships, and is another Jack Nicklaus design this is another one of the great tour courses. At first glance the course seems open and airy with generous fairways, but wild grassy areas and rivers that disect the fairways cause a lot of trouble here. Trees and bunkers are placed strategically though and cause you to shape many of your tee shots. The trees thicken as you move down the back 9 and the course features many steep banks which can catch out a short approach and send you spinning into the water, or to a well placed bunker. There are some great golf holes here, with the 6th a lay up left of a row of trees and then an approach over a wide river and bunker to a small green. The 7th is a par 5 with a split fairway, the shorter route which can reach the green in 2 being a tighter drive. Wild grass will punnish any stray shots. The image left features the classic 7th par 4 with a island green and steep banks, a beautiful looking hole and not easy either. Overall it is a superb course to play with putting very much tested to the full and another really good update, with some great views across grassland areas and bright trees, with just one or two very small blocky items on the back nine.
4* Conversion - another really good update, some great views across grassland areas and bright trees, with just one or two very small blocky items on the back nine
     
Aviara Four Seasons
 
Microsoft (2001)
7007 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 11th
Aviara set in California is one of the great courses available for Links Ls. Designed by Arnold Palmer it simply looks quite stunning all the way round with nice features including creeks and splashes of colour provided by varieties of flowers, and wonderful scenic views in the background, particularly as you overlook a lagoon and the Pacific Ocean from the 7th tee onwards. Not only this, it has a huge variety of challenges to offer the golfer. A variety of fairways styles, from the generous to some pretty narrow tee shots, with many undulating lies, and a number of lakes providing some tough decisions about safe / rewarding play to the greens. The par 3's in particular are guarded by water to keep you accurate. There are many beautiful looking holes, from the very nice reflections on the lake at the 10th, to the huge variety of colour on the 11th, and a wave of yellow flowers greets you at the 15th. Tee shots are often kept fairly tight with trees to avoid near the tee on the 4th and the 12th, and a narrow fairway all the way down the 17th, a par 5 which provides yet another challenge. The 8th hole is a real beauty, another par 5 which offers a classic risk / reward approach to a well protected green over water. A course that works nicely, looks fantastic and offers nice variety in strategic play.
5* Conversion - designed for 2001 this not surprisingly is a great conversion and offers a lovely game
     
Harbour Town
 
Microsoft (VGA)
6873 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Easy
Overall Rank 12th
Harbour Town is an absolute classic course dating back in the Links game to pre 1998, the later VGA version converts extremely well to Links 2003. Home of the Worldcom Classic - The Heritage of Golf since 1969, Harbour Town was designed by architect Pete Dye and consultant Jack Nicklaus and is situated at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. As a par 71 and a total length of 6912 yards from the back tees, Harbour Town it is not particularly long, but offers superb playability. The course is set deep within a woodland environment, and the numerous residential buildings seen within the trees make this so enjoyable. The course is extremely playable, with water a very present hazard, particularly around the excellent par 3's. At the 18th, the distictive Harbour Town lighthouse will come into view as you face a dangerous hole avoiding the marshland. Overall it is often considered one of the easier courses to play in the game because of its flatter greens, but on the other hand the close proximity of the trees can make this quite dangerous too. An outstanding and very playable course with an excellent set of finishing holes, and a course really benefitting from shadows, but now replaced by a newer amd better APCD version which takes some of the shine of this one.
4* Conversion - the vga conversion is again excellent, and the buildings hidden among the trees are wonderful, only some blocky fencing on a couple of holes seems out of place, but shadows are excellent
     
Dorado Beach
 
Microsoft (LS)
6889 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 13th
A tropical island course located in Puerto Rico. This is a fairly old course for Links, but which still provides a good game of golf. Its trademark is the thick tree and bush vegetation which encloses the course, and the occasional building is lurking within the foliage. The hole signs at the tees add some extra value. The course is well designed, offering a very fair round, with some good shot choices to be found. It doesnt come across as one of the best courses by 2001 standards but it certainly looks fine once you are past the blurry trees early on. It still is a course worth the occasional visit once in a while. Used as a venue on the PGA Seniors Tour. Overall it is a good tropical course, with a thick planting of palms and green bushes bordering the fairways and once you get passed the blurry trees on the first couple of holes the thick tropical vegetation works pretty well and the 2003 conversion is a marked improvement.
4* Conversion - once you get passed the blurry trees on the first couple of holes the thick tropical vegetation works pretty well and the 2003 conversion is a marked improvement
     
Kapalua Bay
 
Microsoft (LS)
6594 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 14th
Kapalua Bay was the first links course i ever played, packaged with Links LS 98, and therefore i will always retain a soft spot for it. It is a beautiful course, set on the tropical island of Kapalua. In fact it is my favoured of the 3 Kapalua courses and i was disappointed that this one was ommitted from the 2003 update in preference to the Village course. One of the more unique aspects for the game is that there is more colour than usual on this venue with trees of white and pink foliage dotted all around the edges of the fairways. There is plenty of elevation in play here too, and your game will certainly be tested in many ways. The par 3's are great, including a short hole with a church, one that plays out over the bay cliffs, and another longer and tougher hole over wasteland to an elevated tee. This is always an enjoyable venue, visually it is still very good, and the variety in hole lay outs via elevation, doglegs and distance make it an extremely interesting place to play.
4* Conversion - a good conversion of quite an old course, with some nice colour and loads of variety, trees and planting works well
     
Frankfurter
 
Microsoft (2001)
6749 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 15th
A course designed by Harry Colt in 1913 and located on the edge of Frankfurt, Germany, this course is beautifully brought to life. It is a tight woodland venue, featuring narrow fairways and framed by oaks, beeches and pines. The course is a pretty tricky one to play well, bunkers are well placed and the narrow drives may well cause some trouble. At ground level the course is excellent with grasses and bushes all looking very realistic around the trees. This is simply a natural course, nothing bold in terms of colour, just variations of greens, but it really should appeal to real life players, particularly those from Europe who will feel right at home here in this setting. There are 3 long par 4's to start the round, and the 18th is ranked highly as a good challenging hole. Objects are not imposing, with noteworthy ones comprising the small hole description boards at the tees, some benches, the 3 flags at the back of the 9th and 18th holes, and some small hut buildings here and there. The panorama occasionally offers a view of the Frankfurt skyline. All in all, this is a very enjoyable and well presented course, although not perhaps a big name course to pull you back too often.
5* Conversion - a course designed for 2001 which still looks great in the 2003 game with loads of underplanting
     
Valderrama
 
Microsoft (LS)
6814 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 16th
Valderrama is a rare European course for the Links game, set in Spain, and another famous Ryder Cup venue. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, this course has the history to keep you interested, and provides a very tough challenge by virtue of the dark brown cork trees which line the fairways. Overhanging branches often cause trouble on approach shots, and hitting a wild shot can spell disaster. Whilst the course has its unique look, it can be a little bleak in appearance, with holes perhaps looking a little similar, but this reflects the dry setting it is found in. The par 3's are all island greens with no fairways, and are surrounded by many bunkers. The holes that stand out are the 2nd with a tree hazard growing in the centre of the fairway, a very narrow par 5 at the 4th, and the most famous the 17th, a par 5 with water protecting a green that slopes down towards the lake making putting very hard indeed. The tee shots here will really worry you, and require much strategy to find a line into the greens. An extremely good challenge and not for the faint hearted. Due to its hosting of the Ryder Cup it is now considered an historic venue, beset with cork tree hazards which encroach into and overhang the fairways making life very difficult. Tee shots require accuracy and strategy. The conversion does a reasonable job, the spoilers include some blurred trees at some tees, poor water defenition, and some blurred rockery and plants at the 17th, all of which is a shame on such a great course, although shadows have improved things.
3* Conversion - a conversion which does a reasonable job, spoilers include some blurred trees, poor water defenition, and some blurred rockery and plants at the 17th
     
Castle Pines
 
Microsoft (2000)
7559 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 17th
Situated at a lofty 6,400 feet in elevation among Ponderosa pines, boulders and scrub oak, this 7,503-yard up-and-down hilly golf adventure is one of the toughest walks the tour players face. Castle Pines is a Jack Nicklaus design located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado and was opened in 1981. It is one of the highest altitude courses on the circuit, and is home to the annual PGA Tour International event which is played under stableford scoring, and is one of the tour highlights among the players. The links 2000 version offers its best rendition of the course which will feature a severe degree of elevation changes from tee to green. Water will also be in play on occasion via streams and small lakes, and the greens also contain some very difficult slopes. A challenging course then to play, and visually with some great buildings dotted around and a fairly unique panorama, it makes the course look pretty good too. It is somewhat dated by todays standards of textures and there are some minor blocky rockery areas, but it still plays really well with many greens tucked away behind bunkers or lakes, and hardly a flat lie in sight on the fairways. It will i am sure remain a popular course that people return to now and again for the test it brings, and its PGA Tournament status.
3* Conversion - a mixed conversion where the forest areas look good, as does the panorama, but the lakes and rivers let it down
     
Mauna Kea
 
Microsoft (LS)
7114 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 18th
Another course designed by Robert Trent Jones, this is perhaps not the most striking course in Links but it is probably the most difficult of the island courses, where palm trees and sea horizons are the distinguishing feature. Most noticeably here the greens are particularly difficult with huge slopes to overcome and putting will be placed at a premium to keep scores down. Tee shots are not too tricky, as fairways are on the whole fairly generous and the trees are more strategically placed than forested, but shot selection will be important to reduce the difficulty of the putting. The signature hole par 3 at the 3rd features a wonderful tee shot over the sea. The course also contains some good elevation changes and offers a different challenge to many other courses available with tough greens.
4* Conversion - another acceptable conversion, with some good views, some decent planting at ground level
     
Prairie Dunes
 
Microsoft (LS)
6670 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 19th
A rolling prairie course from Hutchinson, Kansas. This design has a bright green look, with fairways surrounded by tall grass which has actually converted quite well in the game. Not an overly long course, it is in fact quite a tricky one as trees are affecting a number of drives near the tees. The key here of course is not to miss the fairways, as the long grass is nigh on unplayable. Adding to the difficulty is the rolling nature of the course, nothing too dramatic but enough to make approaches a little harder. The real nasty spot though is the greens which are among the hardest in the Links game, being very highly sloped indeed. Your putting will be the telling point of your round and on a bad day, scores can escalate quickly. Some of the buildings and wooden signs around the course are nice to look at, but sadly the panorama is very much a let down becoming very blurred in the conversion.
2* Conversion - a bit of a mixed bag with the wild grasses looking poor, the panorama is blurred but the trees look quite good
     
Pebble Beach
 
Microsoft (LS)
7204 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 20th
Pebble Beach is another course which is steeped in history and one of homes to the US Open championship, last held here in 2000 and won by Tiger Woods. This coastline course makes superb use of the natural cliffs and beaches to provide the hazards, and features many great holes. Pebble Beach appears to ease you in gently with a fairly straightforward 1st hole and then a generously short par 5 at the 2nd (made into a par 4 at the 2000 US Open). The heat is then increased significantly around the turn, with a series of long par 4's played alongside the cliff edge. Stray on the beach and it’s very hard to get back. In addition the greens are extremely tricky with many nasty slopes to negotiate. Pebble Beach also finishes with a couple of great holes, the 17th a par 3 with a green surrounded by bunkers and the sea off to the left, and then the 18th's classic tee shot, and one of the best finishing holes available. You tee off over the sea aiming towards a tree growing in the centre of the fairway. There is little margin for error here, and you are then given a risk / reward choice of going for the par 5 green in 2 shots. This was one of the earlier course released and graphically shows its age in places, with some blocky hedges and fencing and some odd planting, but the buildings look good and the course plays so well you'll forgive most errors. Apcd replicas have surpassed this one now and will be unlikely to load this up.
3* Conversion - graphically this course is showing its age, with some blocky hedges and fencing and some odd planting, but the buildings look good and the course plays so well you'll forgive most errors
     
Riviera
 
Microsoft (LS)
6951 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 21st
The Riviera Country Club is a bright and generally good looking course designed by George C Thomas, with a tricky start to your round and some careful play required. This green woodland course makes great use of trees to provide the difficulty, with many tight tree lined drives particularly after the turn. Your game needs to good right from the start here, with trees down the right at the first, and a tough 2nd hole, a par 4, featuring out of bounds down the left and a green that is hard to reach in 2, especially when windy. The 5th needs a good drive to the right of the fairway to avoid a well placed tree protecting the entry to the green. The 6th features a bunker in the middle of the green, and the 8th has a tall tree to drive over, to find a safe place on the fairway to easy your approach to the green. The back 9 features a drivable par 4 at the 10th assuming you are assisted by the wind, before a number of tight tree lined drives begin to make life difficult again. Visually lacking a little now it still plays among the very best. This bright woodland course has many difficult drives and some well placed tree hazards, and is a strategically very strong course, although the trees do not come out that well in the conversion due somewhat to its age, it remains a superb one to play, and is a PGA regular venue too. A newer apcd version has now relegated this intoo the annuals of history.
3* Conversion - the trees on this course do not come out that well in the conversion due somewhat to its age, but it remains a superb one to play, and is a PGA regular venue
     
Latrobe

Summer & Fall
Microsoft (2000)
6281 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Hard
Overall Rank 22nd
Latrobe Country Club is a course that dates back in Links to the 1998 version, and was updated in 2000 with an additional release in autumn fall colours. This course, designed by Deke & Arnold Palmer became an early favourite for Links players, being cleverly designed and one where you needed to know where the safe places were to play. Cleverly placed trees will often affect your tee shots, with a lot of thought required to score well. In fact it is a course to be learnt in order to overcome it. This is a thickly planted woodland course, and is a very strategic challenge. Numerous holes are very tricky indeed, with the 8th and the 14th tee shots in particular causing all sorts of difficulties. The fall course offers an identical lay out, but the colours are much brighter and the trees seem to work better together, and is the preferred choice of the two versions.
3* Conversion - the conversion is solid and quite acceptable, with the fall version looking the better of the two
     
Oakland Hills
 
Microsoft (LS)
7105 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 23rd
Oakland Hills falls somewhat between a woodland and parkland style and is another majors venue. The trees, featuring some nice firs and some nice variety, are present at every hole but are not forested close together. The distictive feature of the course is the design of the fairways which are shaped to narrow on many holes just where you would like to aim your tee shot. The hazards are formed by the rough and bunkers and so you will not find yourself over punished, however accurate tee shots are needed to make your life easier. The cleverest holes are at the 7th which needs an accurate tee shot as a small lake is on your right, and the hole also doglegs right. The entry to the green is protected by a tree. The 12th is a long par 5 which normally wont be reached in 2 shots, and the 15th features a bunker in the middle of the fairway just where you would play your tee shot. You cant play left as the trees will prevent a shot to the green. The 16th is a par 3 which has a very nice looking lake inset with stones along its banks. Overall this course plays strategically really well, and will reward good thoughful play, but sadly no crowds are available here for this majors and Ryder Cup venue. A better apcd version is now available.
3* Conversion - this is a great course lay out, the conversion is quite satisfactory and trees are looking great although there are some noticable duplications
     
Bountiful
 
Microsoft (2000)
6456 yards. Par 71.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 24th
A woodland style course set in the hills which features a fabulous backdrop of the redwood forests of Utah. This is a fairly generous course off the tee, with comparatively wide fairways, but which are heavily sloped. This tests your approach shots to the greens, and youll find yourself with a variety of different lies over the course of a round. The course is very pleasant to play, with the backdrop adding to the atmosphere of the rolling fairways. Out of bounds do feature at some holes so watch out for these. The 10th hole is perhaps the best with a big left to right slope all down to the hole. A wooded bank to your left, a slopey fairway down to a road and then out of bounds right of the tee. The 13th features a long par 5 with a risky 2nd shot over trouble if youre feeling brave.
2* Conversion - this course is by no means perfect containing numerous edge shadows, but it wins points for one of the most impressive panoramas seen in Links, and some well positioned buildings
     
Bighorn
 
Microsoft (LS)
6881 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 25th
Bighorn Golf Club is a very early release for the Links game and is another dramatic golfing venue, a splash of green sat within the stark dry canyons and rocky outcrops of the Palm Desert in California. I can remember it as a really popular venue for more seasoned players of Links, the elevation and dramatic views making this a challenging and enjoyable location to play. However, since the release of the newer Canyons course for Links 2003, this one, like its real life counterpart on the PGA Tour, has been overshadowed in the game. It should be made clear though that this is a different course venue to The Canyons and is known as The Mountains course. The early holes here climb up through the mountains, and the signature hole at the 6th features a drop of 76 yards from tee to green. Looking at it now you can see it has aged, the textures and planting are not quite so polished due to the conversion, but it can still be considered a great course to play as it offers many clever holes. In particular the 5th hole is awesome, a par 4 of 317 yards but dropping 44 feet. You can, if you really feel brave, take it on from the tee. Overall, I certainly feel it is still worth an occasional visit, and helps me reminisce of my Links playing days of a few years ago.
2* Conversion - a conversion which does a pretty good job, the rock texture is blurry but the panorama and planting are very nice
     
Three Canyons
 
Microsoft (2000)
3909 yards. Par 58.
Difficulty Easy
Overall Rank 26th
Three Canyons is a short fictional desert course, a par 58, and built around a crater lake. It uses sandstone rocks and canyons to provide nice effects around this short course and generally looks very good with an excellent panorama. Clearly as a short course it offers a different challenge to other courses released by Microsoft, but is overall useful in offering something a little different, and testing your short iron play.
4* Conversion - a lovely conversion with a superb panorama
     
St Andrews New & Jubilee
 
Microsoft (1999)
6598/6805 yards. Par 71/72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 27th
The St Andrews New & Jubilee courses were packaged with Links 1999 and made a neat set alongside the more famous ‘Old’ course venue. Clearly they don’t have the pulling power of the more famous venue but converted remain decent enough courses to play. They are longer and often narrower than the ‘Old’ course which makes them a tougher proposition, especially the New course. As with the ‘Old’ course, the buildings are pretty good but the gorse and grass planting is now somewhat dated by current apcd standards, and this means you are unlikely to return too often to replay them.
3* Conversion - acceptable conversion but the grass and gorse planting is dated by current apcd standards
     
Phoenix
 
Microsoft (1999)
7073 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 28th
Phoenix is host to the Dunlop Phoenix Tournament and was a stand alone add-on course disk from 1999, largely released for the benefit of the Japanese market, and provided a rare world course venue. For this reason alone it was welcome, but to be honest it lacked any real appeal to most players of the Links game. As a Japanese woodland course it contains native planting and hedges, but the lay out itself is rather unexciting and there is little in the way of dramatic visual appeal to make you want to return for another game. The conversion to Links 2003 remains acceptable, although some of the hedging does seem repetitive at times. Overall, it sadly just doesn’t have enough to be inspiring and will probably only be used to fill up an Asian venue on tour.
3* Conversion - a decent enough conversion although some of the hedges and bushes can appear repetitive
     
Torrey Pines South
 
Microsoft (LS)
6989 yards. Par 72.
Difficulty Medium
Overall Rank 29th
Torrey Pines South is another older venue packaged in the 5 course disk series with Links LS. Situated atop cliffs towering above the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, California, the views of the coastline and deep ravines are key defenitions of a great course that hosts the annual Buick Invitational on the PGA Tour and is now set to host the 2008 US Open. This is an older course for the game, and recent renovations will not be reflected in this version. The blurry panorama and poor rock textures let it down in the conversion to Links 2003, although the planting looks generally fine. Thankfully Chuck Clark has produced a 2001 re-creation using the APCD which is far superior, and really consigns this old LS version to the shelf.
2* Conversion - a blurry panorama and poor rock textures let it down and a newer apcd version is far superior