Must-play Courses: November edition

Links legends ready to experience indoors

Some courses don’t just live in golf history — they shape it. With their wind-carved dunes, cliff-top fairways, rugged coastlines and rich traditions, these are the places golfers daydream about. The ones that feel almost mythical, until you finally stand on the tee.

Thanks to Trackman simulators and Virtual Golf 3, you don’t need a passport to see what all the fuss is about. This month we’re spotlighting three of the most celebrated links on earth — each with its own personality, each recreated with striking fidelity, and each ready for your next indoor round.

Let’s tee off.

Turnberry’s Ailsa Course sits on a coastal headland with the lighthouse, Ailsa Craig, and miles of shoreline defining the horizon. Four Open Championships have unfolded here, including the famous Duel in the Sun — and you can feel that energy in every contour, carry and corner.

In VG3, the setting is unmistakable. The ocean runs alongside you, the cliffs frame your line, and the routing opens up into one of the most dramatic closing stretches in golf. Indoors, you get the full sense of elevation and exposure without braving the Scottish elements. The wind simulation brings the links to life, making club selection just as thoughtful as it would be on site.

It’s the rare blend of beauty and bite — and a can’t-miss course for anyone who wants to sample true links golf without the long haul.

Perched above the Norwegian Sea, Lofoten Links is one of the most visually striking courses on the planet. Fairways press up against beaches and rock outcrops; holes dive toward the water; and in summer, the sun famously refuses to set.

Indoors, that remoteness becomes part of the magic. We’ve captured the rugged coastline, the wide-open horizons, and the sense of playing on a different planet. You’ll see waves crash beside par-3s, work your ball against unpredictable crosswinds, and test your game on a routing that rewards creativity as much as precision.

For players looking to escape the ordinary, Lofoten is an ideal choice — a course you’d never stumble upon in real life, now right there in your local bay.

Royal County Down is often ranked near the top of every world list — and once you see it, you understand why. Towering dunes guard the fairways. Heather lines the corridors. The Mountains of Mourne rise behind the greens. Everything feels deliberate, ancient and unforgiving.

In VG3, the challenge comes through immediately. Narrow tee shots demand a plan. Reads on the green require commitment. Misses aren’t softened. But the payoff is huge: a world-class test, rendered in sharp, immersive detail, available any time you want to sharpen your game indoors.

For players craving a serious mental and physical test, this is the one.