The original style of golf course, built on the sandy, dune-covered strip of land that links the sea to farmland — St Andrews in Scotland is the classic example. Because the soil drains fast and almost nothing but hardy grasses grow there, links courses play firm and bouncy with few trees, so the ground game (running the ball along the turf) and the wind matter far more than on a typical American course. If a hole plays dead into a sea breeze, a 150-yard shot can need two extra clubs.