To be honest, first-time course designers usually meet very limited success. The exception to this rule is Back Creek Golf Club. It came in as number 98, but hey, it's still in the top 100. The property on which Back Creek is located was once a farm owned by Delaware's first governor, Joshua Clayton. More courses should take the same approach, as far as I and duffers everywhere are concerned.
Back Creek has a quirky but wholly attractive appearance.
The rest of the holes are linksy, but American linksy. By this I mean that, yes, houses provide a relatively distant backdrop for a number of greens, and yards do run along some fairways. It is hard to imagine executive lots lining Carnoustie. In addition, ponds come into play on six holes, which isn't very links-like, either. But if you want authentic links golf, go to Scotland.