The best links courses in the U.S. (or at least ones that look the part)

Below are excerpts from an article that originally appeared in Golf Digest.

The definition of a links course fluctuates wildly depending on the golfer. Some apply the strictest criteria: hugging the coastline, built on the sandy terrain that links farmland to the sea, holes cut primarily by wind and saltwater. And there are those with looser parameters: few trees, some wispy fescue, occasional bagpipe music in the grill room.

In the U.S., where the vast majority of golf is played inland, the courses in the conversation could be divided primarily into two categories: those that play like a links, and those that at least look the part. Both have their appeal, but only one would allow you to attempt the ground game on display each year in the Open Championship.

Below is a list of some of our favorites.

South Course at Arcadia Bluffs

The challenge at Arcadia Bluffs for architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka was to create a course that guests would want to play as often as they do the original course. But how can golf built on non-descript farmland compete with a course set on dramatic bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan? The answer? Do something entirely different. Channeling another famous but rather indifferent site, the designers turned to Chicago Golf Club and the architecture of C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor for inspiration. The South Course is a throwback in time, a jigsaw puzzle of intersecting bunkers, centerline hazards, alternate routes of play and geometric shaping. It interprets the strategic spirit of Raynor and Chicago Golf Club without replicating any specific holes. Where the Bluffs Course is a feast for the eye, the South Course is a treat for the intellect.

Click here to read the full article on golfdigest.com.