About the course
Carnoustie Championship Course lies on flat, open links ground on the Angus coast, a short drive east of Dundee and across the Firth of Tay from St Andrews. There are no towering dunes here. Instead, the course is defined by long, narrow fairways, wiry rough and two watercourses, the Barry Burn and Jockie’s Burn, which wind through the property and come into play far more often than first-time visitors expect.
Golf has been played on these links for centuries. In 1842 Allan Robertson laid out a ten-hole course, Old Tom Morris extended it to 18 holes in 1867, and James Braid remodelled it in the 1920s into something close to the championship layout of today. Carnoustie first hosted The Open in 1931 and has staged it eight times. Ben Hogan won his only Open here in 1953, Paul Lawrie came from ten shots back in 1999 after Jean van de Velde’s collapse on the last hole, and Francesco Molinari won in 2018.
The holes point in almost every direction, so there is no settled rhythm with the wind and every club choice has to be thought through again. Bunkers are placed precisely where good drives tend to finish, and the burns cross several fairways at awkward distances, so laying up is often the sensible choice. The par 3 16th, a long shot to a raised, narrow green, is regarded as one of the hardest short holes on The Open rota, and it is only the start of a very difficult finish.
Why we recommend it
Carnoustie is for golfers who want to test themselves on what is widely regarded as the toughest course on The Open rota. The closing stretch, with the Barry Burn twisting across the 18th, is one of the most demanding finishes in golf, and the 6th, Hogan’s Alley, is a hole every golf fan knows. We recommend it for low and mid handicappers, ideally as a counterpoint to the gentler St Andrews courses.
Photo gallery
| World ranking | 45 |
| Architect | Old Tom Morris, James Braid |
| Year of foundation | 1842 |
| Par Course | 72 |
| Number of holes | 18 |