Skylinks at Long Beach
August 7th, 2012 by Tyler Pringle
Skylinks is not like the other golf courses in Long Beach. At almost 7,000 yards from the back tees, it has the length to challenge longer hitters. But the course is also riddled with bunkers, so wayward shots can easily find trouble. With undulating greens and stiff afternoon breezes, Skylinks offers a stern test of golf from start to finish.
A view of the par 4 17th hole.
The key difference Skylinks has on the rest of the Long Beach courses is right beneath your feet – the grass. Unlike the rest of the courses that feature Kikuyu fairways and Poa greens, the fairways at Skylinks are blanketed with a thick layer of Bermuda and the greens are comprised of Bentgrass. Bermuda grass offers significantly more roll than Kikuyu, and it also tends to roll more consistently. For this reason, a lower trajectory shot is typically favored here, especially when the winds pick up.
Additionally, Bentgrass tends to offer a truer roll than Poa, which can become a bit bumpy as temperatures rise. Although there are plenty of humps and bumps on the putting surfaces, the reads are rather straightforward since the general layout of the surrounding area is fairly flat.
With closely mowed Bermuda surrounding the greens, golfers tend to utilize low running chip shots in the short game.
The tee shot to the par 4 7th hole, the No. 1 handicap.
