According to "True Links," there are only four links golf courses in the U.S.

If you’re a fan of links golf like I am, then you might be interested in a new book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell. It’s called “True Links - An Illustrated Guide to the Glories of the World’s 246 Links Courses.”

The term “links course” or “links-style course” is thrown around pretty loosely these days, and I, too, have been guilty of it on occasion. True Links is a little more exacting in its definition of what constitutes a links course: It must have sea views, sandy, dune-like terrain with fast-running fairways and ever-changing maritime winds.

The 246 courses they identified represent less than 1 percent of the world’s 30,000 golf courses. And as you might or might not guess, Peper and Campbell found just five links golf courses in North America, four of them in the United States and three of them in one location at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Not on the list ? Pebble Beach Golf Links. It doesn’t fit the definition.

According to True Links, I’ve only played six links courses in my life, although I profess it to be my favorite form of golf.

What I have played are plenty of courses that are almost links. They have a couple of the elements, but not all of them. The Rawls Course at Texas Tech University immediately comes to mind. Obviously, there are no ocean views in Lubbock.

Anyway, True Links is a coffee table read full of big color photos and lots of great info. Links lover Tom Watson (five British Opens) wrote the forward. Peper, a former longtime editor-in-chief at Golf Magazine, and Campbell, a member of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, did plenty of research, traveling the globe to identify the courses.

It would probably make a great holiday gift for any avid golfer. You can order it on Amazon.com here.