links

The word “links” means a golf course, especially one built on grassy dunes near the sea. In plain terms, a seaside golf course, traditionally built on sandy, rolling ground.

“Links” is pronounced lihngks (/lɪŋks/ in IPA).

Here is “links” used in a sentence: “They played a round on the famous Scottish links.”

“Links” is a noun.

The word “links” comes from Old English. From Scots links, "sandy, rolling ground near the seashore," from Old English hlincas ("hills, rising ground").

“Links” is a very common word in modern English.

All links are golf courses, but not every golf course is a links. "Links" refers specifically to a seaside course laid out on sandy, dune-covered coastal land, with firm turf, few trees, and natural undulations. Inland or parkland courses, though also golf courses, are not true links.

The word comes from the Old English "hlinc," meaning rising ground or ridge. It described the sandy, grassy coastal dunes — unsuitable for farming but ideal for golf — where the game first developed in Scotland. These stretches of linksland gave the courses built on them their name.

The Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland is the most famous links, regarded as the home of golf. Other renowned examples include Royal Troon, Carnoustie, and Ballybunion in Ireland. Many Open Championship venues are traditional seaside links laid out along the coast.

Although it ends in "s," "links" in the golfing sense behaves as a single place — you play "a links" or "the links." It is unrelated to the plural of "link." This unusual grammar reflects its origin as a collective term for coastal dune land.