text: what is the difference between golf links and golf course?   golf is played on a tract of land designated as the course. the course consists of a series of holes. a hole means both the hole in the ground into which the ball is played (also called the cup), as well as the total distance from the tee (a pre-determined area from where a ball is first hit) to the green (the area surrounding the actual hole in the ground). most golf courses consist of nine or eighteen holes. (the "nineteenth hole" is the colloquial term for the bar/grill at a club house).  a links golf course, sometimes referred to as a seaside links is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in scotland, where golf originated.