CARNOUSTIE PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has introduced a special winter deal that enables visitors to book a tee time on its venerable Championship course for under £100.
The new £99 deal means a group of four golfers can play the famous Open Championship course for under £25 each.
Carnoustie’s latest winter deal comes into effect on November 15, 2004 and runs through to March 31st, 2005 subject to availability. During the whole of that period winter rules (including the obligatory use of mats) will apply.
“We believe this new winter deal offers visitors outstanding value for money,” said Graeme Duncan, the General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “Obviously, it reflects the fact that golfers have to play off mats but it still gives them the unique opportunity to play an outstanding Open venue for less than £25.”
Golfers who want to book a winter tee time should contact the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee on 01241 853789. Times can be booked either in advance or on the day, subject to availability. There is no additional booking charge.
More information about the offer is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has announced a special offer enabling golfers who are members of golf clubs in the United Kingdom to play the famous championship course for £240 per tee time. This allows a group of four to play one of the world’s greatest golf courses for only £60 per head.
Carnoustie was recently announced as the venue for the 2007 Open Championship. The famous Angus links has previously staged six Opens, most recently in 1999 when Scotland’s Paul Lawrie defeated Frenchman, Jean Van de Velde, and American, Justin Leonard, in a play-off after one of the most dramatic finales the Championship has ever witnessed.
Carnoustie is without doubt one of the world’s greatest tests of golf and a course all golfers have to play at least once in their lives. Under the terms of this new offer, members of British golf clubs can secure a tee time for a special price of £240. This is subject to availability. Tee times cannot be booked more than four weeks in advance. Payment is taken at the time of booking.
Golfers interested in this offer should call Carnoustie Golf Links on 01241 853789
More information about the offer is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links, on Scotland’s east coast is delighted to announce that it has been confirmed by the R & A as the host venue for The Senior Open Championship in 2010. This marks the first occasion that this prestigious Senior Major Championship will be played over the famous Scottish Links.
Carnoustie, which hosted a truly unforgettable Open Championship this year, won by the mercurial Irishman Padraig Harrington, will become the ninth different venue and the sixth Open Championship venue, after Turnberry, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal Portrush, Muirfield and Royal Troon, to host The Senior Open Championship.
Commenting on the announcement Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded such a prestigious event as The Senior Open Championship; I believe that this honor is testament to all the hard work and preparation that went into hosting what was a truly memorable Open Championship back in July.”
“In 2010 we will be aiming to present the Championship course in the same outstanding condition as it was for this year’s Open Championship, offering a stern but fair test to such legends of the game as Faldo, Langer, Watson, O’Meara and others who will be competing.”
Amongst the many of Carnoustie’s challenges the Senior’s will have to negotiate will be the closing stretch, encompassing holes 16, 17 and 18, all offering no let up even for the professional golfer. These tough and demanding holes will undoubtedly see the tournament won or lost, as was evident both in 1999 and this year’s Open Championship. Who would bet against another thrilling Carnoustie finale?
To book tee-times online and general information about Carnoustie Golf Links go to www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
For further information regarding this release please contact Phil Craghill or James Lovett at GMS on 01438 718399 or email
phil@gmsgolf.co.uk / james@gmsgolf.co.uk
The Golf Channel’s hit reality series, The Big Break, this summer will travel across the Atlantic to Scotland to capture the Home of Golf’s rich traditions for its next series installment, The Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe.
The Big Break IV will feature contestants from both the United States and Europe competing for a chance to play in select events on the PGA European Tour, and producers already have begun auditioning qualified candidates on both continents.
The Golf Channel has chosen Carnoustie Golf Links, site of the 2007 Open Championship, to be its base of operations for the scheduled 14-day production. Carnoustie is linked with some of the most memorable moments in Open Championship history, from Tommy Armour’s victory in 1931 to Jean Van de Velde’s famous collapse in 1999. Producers also are expecting to utilize other popular golf destinations in the St. Andrews region, including the Old Course Hotel’s newly redesigned Duke’s Course.
As one of the most-watched original programme’s in the history of the 24-hour golf network, The Big Break series has entertained audiences by showcasing a new way to watch golf on TV. Highly skilled golfers compete against each other in a variety of challenges that test their physical skills and mental toughness. One golfer is eliminated from the series each week, with the last contestant standing awarded his/her “Big Break,” a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in select professional tournaments. The Golf Channel plans to debut The Big Break IV worldwide this autumn.
In cooperation with sponsors of the European Tour international schedule, the winner of The Big Break IV will receive exemptions into select tournaments during the 2006 season. Winners of previous Big Break series have won a chance to compete on the Canadian Tour and Nationwide Tour. The victor of the recently concluded Big Break III: Ladies Only will compete this week in the first of two LPGA Tour events to which she earned entry by winning the show.
More information on Carnoustie can be obtained from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) General information about Carnoustie can be found on www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
One Carnoustie Open Champion will be honouring another on Wednesday September 24th when Paul Lawrie will officially rename Carnoustie Golf Links’ famous 6th hole "Hogan’s Alley" after the late, great Ben Hogan.
It was Lawrie, of course, who memorably clinched the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, arguably Britain’s toughest links course, after Jean Van De Velde momentously dumped his ball into Barrie Burn at the 18th, but the Scotsman will be helping to mark an even more celebrated Open Championship victory in the history of this famous golf links.
Lawrie is to honour Hogan’s remarkable Open Championship win of 1953 by playing a practice round, during which he will officially unveil a plaque in the fairway of the 6th hole dedicated to Hogan and renaming the hole.
A small presentation party will be present consisting of Committee members and club officials. There will also be a longest drive contest off the 6th tee consisting of Lawrie and a number of special invitees, with a prize of a magnum of champagne. The players will be using 1953 equipment - both clubs and balls and Sky Sports will be providing coverage.
The par-5 6th hole, officially called "Long", became inextricably linked to Hogan for the daring way the American played the hole during the 1953 Open. No other player in the field successfully aimed his drive between the 6th hole’s imposing fairway bunker and the out of bounds posts on the left – a line that gives the best angle of approach into the green. Legend has it he even played his ball out of the same divot marks on subsequent days!
No wonder the local spectators dubbed it "Hogan’s Alley" and him "Wee Ice Mon” - a nickname that stuck with him for the rest of his career. Hogan’s Open Championship victory was also historical because it meant he had clinched three major Championships in one calendar year (he’d already won the US Open and Masters). It was a feat not to be repeated until Tiger Woods won three Major Championships in one calendar year in 2000.
More information about Hogan’s win is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie’s Eric Ramsay has become the 100th Australian Amateur Champion.
Ramsay, 25, a semi-finalist in last year’s British Amateur and member of the Carnoustie Golf Club, defeated Australian, Andrew Tampion, 6& 5 in a 36-hole final, staged over the famous West course at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Victoria.
He follows Jack Doherty as the second Scot to win the title in the last three years, and also joins an impressive list of Carnoustie golfers who have tasted international success overseas.
Ramsay, a plus-4 handicap member of the Carnoustie Golf Club, began his quest to win Australia’s most prestigious amateur title when he recorded rounds of 70, 70, 73 and 70 to finish fifth in the 72-hole Qualifying tournament. He went on to defeat Australian, Dean Van Kampen in the first round, then New Zealanders, Kevin Chun and Josh Geary, before beating leading qualifier, Korea’s Sun Hoon Kang, by one hole in the semi-finals.
Tempion, from Kingswood Golf Club in Victoria, made a fast start to the final, firing birdies at the second, third and fourth to open a three-hole lead. However, Ramsay battled back, finishing the morning round two ahead before storming home to win the title of the 31st hole.
“It’s a fantastic achievement and something that everybody in Carnoustie can be justifiably proud about,” said Willie Gardner, Chairman of Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee.
“Eric is already a stalwart in the Scottish international team and, hopefully, this victory will increase his chances of winning a place in the GB & I Walker Cup team that comes up against the Americans in August.
“In the meantime, we are looking forward to welcoming him back from Down Under, added Gardner. “I am sure there will be a huge celebration.”
Ramsay comes from one of Carnoustie’s best-known golfing families. His father, David, and his grandfather, Willie, both won the Club Championship at the Carnoustie Club and his uncle, Willie, is a former champion of the Carnoustie Caledonia Golf Club and is currently captain of the Carnoustie Golf Club.
Ramsay also joins a long list of Carnoustie natives who have made a name for themselves in the game of golf.
At one time or another, Carnoustie natives have won the Open Championships of Britain, America, Canada and South Africa, as well as numerous other prestigious titles.
The best-known of Carnoustie’s ambassadors were the Smith brothers, Willie Alex and Macdonald. Willie and Alex won three US Opens between them. In 1899, the former became the first to win America’s national title, when he emerged victorious at Baltimore GC. Seven years later, in 1906, Alex finished first, one place ahead of Willie, and then in 1910 he was to win again at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, this time after an 18 hole play-off against Johnny McDermott and his brother, Macdonald.
Another famous Carnoustie ex-pat was Stewart Maiden who, today, is renowned as the teacher of the great Bobby Jones.
The story goes that Stewart and his brother, James, emigrated to America together. James became professional at East Lake, in Atlanta, and Stewart succeeded him there in 1908. It was while working at the East Lake club that Stewart, often called “kiltie” by his friends, came in contact with Jones. Although the young Jones did not copy Maiden’s swing, he developed one that strongly resembled it and, in later life, often called on the Carnoustie man to help him iron out the faults that developed from time to time.
Colin Montgomerie
“I was at an R&A Patrons Day six weeks ago, and it was very fair then. You had a fair amount of rain so the rough will be heavier than the norm, just through nature. But the fairways are a lot more generous than they were in ’99. I think the lessons have been learned and I think that the course will be in fantastic condition. I’ve never played on a better fairways and links course, and the greens will be superb. They were left a bit long for obvious reasons six weeks ago, but they have cut them down and firmed it up and it should be a great Open”
Darren Clarke
“I drove up to Carnoustie on Sunday and it’s in magnificent shape. It’s nothing like the course we played the last time The Open was there. We’ve got a chance at finding our ball this time if it goes in the rough. If there’s a bit of wind it’s going to play tough, but it’s going to play fair.”
Phil Mickelson
“I didn’t realise what a wonderful golf course it is. It’s terrific. I was excited to see how Carnoustie would be set up. It’s very challenging but there are lots of opportunities to separate themselves through good play.”
Luke Donald
“I played there back in early May. Caught a reasonable day, it was quite chilly, but the course didn’t look like they were setting up with huge amounts of rough. It looked like they were going to let the weather dictate scoring this year rather than how it was in ’99.”
Angel Cabrera
“It’s a tough course. If you play badly, you’re going to shoot over par, and the weather conditions are going to play a factor in the tournament.”
Ernie Els
“I haven’t played Carnoustie since the Dunhill last year, but I’ve spoken to Darren Clarke, who was up there on Sunday, and he says it’s in great shape. It’s the only links course where you always have wind. At St Andrews you sometimes have it calm but, at Carnoustie, there is always a breeze, I think that absolutely plays to my strengths.”
“The golf course is hard, but it's fair. I think it's a fantastic test.” Tiger Woods
“I didn’t realise what a wonderful golf course it is. It’s terrific.” Phil Mickelson.
“One of the toughest and best links courses that we have in the world,” Colin Montgomerie
“It's got length. It's got great bunkering. You've really got to have your wits with you to play this golf course. It's probably the best bunkered course that you'll ever find anywhere in the world.” Ernie Els
“There isn’t a player who didn’t find this course a test and enjoyed that test. Credit to Carnoustie, it’s one of the best in the world,” Padraig Harrington
Carnoustie Golf Links received the 2005 Golf Course Secretariat of the Year Award at the annual Scottish Golf Tourism Industry Dinner held at the Westin Turnberry Resort.
The venerable Open venue was also cited in the industry’s Golf Course of the Year category and its caddie master, Martin Roy, reached the shortlist in its Caddie Master of the Year award.
“We are delighted to win the Scottish Golf Tourism industry’s Golf Course Secretariat of the Year award and also to be recognised in the other two categories,” said Colin McLeod, Carnoustie Links’ Golf Services Manager.
“We have worked hard to provide a top quality service for visitors to Carnoustie and feel this award is a fitting tribute for what has been achieved.
“2005 has proved to be a tremendous year for the Carnoustie Golf Links,” added McLeod. “The much-publicised launch of our on-line booking service helped us to attract a record number of visitors and we are hopeful we can attract even greater numbers both in the lead up to the 2007 Open Championship and beyond.”
McLeod (second from the left) received the Scottish Golf Tourism Industry award on behalf of the Carnoustie Golf Links from Olympic sprint champion Alan Wells (right). Also in the picture are TV presenter Dougie Donnelly (second from right) who hosted the annual dinner and prizegiving.
More information about the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee is available from Colin McLeod on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) or from Phil Craghill at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 (neil@gmsgolf.co.uk). Tee times can be booked by logging onto Carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk.
The town of Carnoustie is just over an hour’s transfer from Edinburgh or Aberdeen airport and is only a 15 minute drive from Dundee making it very easily accessible. When you get there the course lives up to its legendary status as one of the finest and most beautiful layouts in the world. The sea can be glimpsed from a couple of holes and the breeze coming off the North Sea only adds to the excitement.
Carnoustie’s championship course has become regarded as one of Britain’s finest, and most challenging, tests of golf. Today, Carnoustie is visited by countless thousands of tourists, both from home and abroad. What they find is a course that is difficult but still eminently playable, provided the golfer hits the right shots at the right time. It is, in short, a wonderful test of golf, and one that, thankfully, still has not been made obsolete by advances in modern equipment. The good news is the rough has been cut back considerably since the 1999 Open Championship so there is no need to be too afraid.
The course is run separately from the hotel but guests can still enjoy a guaranteed tee time. To make the most of your visit we strongly recommend a caddie as Carnoustie, like so many links golf courses contains many hidden dangers that only an experienced hand can guide you through.
The hotel itself is a bright modern four star resort which is superbly positioned right behind the 18th green and 1st tee. The bars and restaurant have a great feel to them and don’t have any of the stuffiness so often associated with hotels of a similar stature. In particular the Calder bar offers a fine selection of malts. If you are travelling with non-golfer the hotels other facilities are excellent and include a spa and an excellent sized swimming pool.
The hotel bedrooms all beautifully appointed, but it is worth paying a little extra to get a view of the course. There is a good selection of suites available, but the standard rooms offer an excellent level of accommodation.
The Carnoustie Hotel prides itself on the quality of its catering and the Head Chef in the Dalhousie Restaurant, Paul Whitecross was recently a finalist in the Chef of the Year contest so you will be enjoying some of the finest cuisine in Scotland.
A visit to Carnoustie will give you a unique opportunity to play a memorable golf course whilst enjoying the finest surroundings of the hotel and spa, we are already planning a return trip.
For reservations call 01241 411999 or visit www.carnoustie-hotel.com
Amateur golfers will have the unique opportunity to compete on four of Scotland’s finest links courses when the fourth annual Carnoustie Country Classic gets underway in Angus next May (16th-19th).
The 72-hole Stableford competition includes rounds over Montrose, Panmure, Monifieth and a round over the famed Carnoustie Championship Course, venue for the 2007 Open.
The Carnoustie Country Classic was inaugurated in 2000 and since then has developed into one of the most prestigious events on the men’s and ladies’ golfing calendar.
No other event enables amateurs to take part in a competition staged over one Open venue and three open Qualifiers – and few offer such fabulous value for money either.
Entry fees for next year’s Carnoustie Country Classic have been pegged at £175 (incl green fees and daily prizes) and for just £205 more competitors can also sign up for a special £380 five night package that includes one round at each of the four courses, five nights bed and breakfast at a 3-star hotel (based on two sharing), transport to and from the courses, daily and overall prizes across all handicap sections, fun social programme including tours to local tourist attractions, a Scottish evening and a quiz night plus Prize Giving Dinner.
Packages for non-golfing partners are available for £205, incl. daily trips and activities.
“We firmly believe that packages for the Carnoustie Country Classic represent outstanding value for money and so are not surprised that the tournament has built up a loyal following with repeat bookings coming from all parts of the UK and beyond,” said Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager at Carnoustie.
“We anticipate next year’s event will prove more popular than ever so recommend that potential entrants book quickly to avoid disappointment.”
Golfers seeking to enter the event should contact The Secretary, Montrose Golf Links Ltd, Trail Drive, Montrose, Angus, DD10 8SW. Tel. 01674 672932. E-mail secretary@montroselinks.co.uk. Please note the maximum handicaps are 24 for men and 36 for women.
Some of the European Tour's leading golfers were confounded by old technology while they practised at the Championship course at Carnoustie ahead of this week's Alfred Dunhill Cup.
Paul Lawrie, Colin Montgomerie, Adam Scott, Vijay Singh and Ian Woosnam were among a number of leading Tour golfers who achieved varying results while attempting to hit an old 1.62-inch Uniroyal Plus-6 golf ball, using a persimmon Hogan driver, off the Championship course's sixth tee.
This group of eminent Tour players all took part in the special drive-off as part of the official ceremony organised to re-name the Championship course's 6th hole "Hogan's Alley" in memory of Ben Hogan's historic Open win at the course 50 years ago. Earlier, Lawrie, the 1999 Champion at Carnoustie had also been on hand when a new plaque, situated in the middle of Hogan’s Alley was unveiled.
"We would like to thank all the professionals who took part in the ceremony," said Willie Gardner, Vice Chairman of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. "It was a lot of fun and I can't help but think it made them all exceedingly thankful for the new technology they have at their disposal nowadays."
The winner of the drive-off was India's Arjun Atwal who managed a drive of 251-yards using the old equipment. Atwal, the winner of this year's Carlsberg Malaysian Open, out-drove Lawrie by six yards and Scott by 20 yards. Ian Woosnam and Vijay Singh produced drives of 220-yards and 219-yards but Montgomerie could only manage a drive of 203 yards, although Monty’s effort was into the fiercest of the day’s wind.
More information about Carnoustie offer is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
In 1953, exactly 50 years ago, Ben Hogan achieved the third leg of the Grand Slam when he won The Open at Carnoustie with a performance that is still revered today.
Fifty years ago this month, when Ben Hogan arrived at Carnoustie to compete in the 1953 Open, he had already won his second Masters title and his fourth US Open earlier that summer. The Texas came to Scotland in search of the third leg of the elusive Grand Slam and he was determined to leave nothing to chance.
That year, The Open was not scheduled to start until July 8th but that did not stop the meticulous American arriving as early as Monday June 22nd, determined that he would be ready for what was to be his one and only attempt to win the title.
In previous years, Hogan had always studiously avoided The Open but, persuaded by Gene Sarazen that he could not be considered to be a complete player until he won the world's oldest professional title, he relented. It was a decision neither he, nor his legion of Scottish fans, was to regret.
In the lead up to his arrival in Scotland, Hogan had played some of the finest golf of his life. At the Masters, for example, he shot a record 274 for 72 holes, breaking the old mark by five strokes and setting a new standard that would last 12 years. More success was to follow. In his next four tournament appearances he was to win three times, culminating with a 3-3-3 finish to wrap up his fourth US Open victory in six years. He was a man at the top of his form, and that despite the fact that he was still suffering from the appalling injuries sustained in a serious car crash five years earlier.
Hogan decided to come to Carnoustie a fortnight early in the hope that would give him sufficient time to get used to links conditions. He also wanted to try the smaller 1.62" British ball that most of his competitors would be using and soon made up his mind that he would use it, too. "Frank, you must be joking," he was heard to say to his friend, Frank Stranahan, when he heard that the American amateur was going to stick with the larger 1.68" American ball. "You have got to use the small ball. Compared with our ball, you virtually hit it out of sight."
For two weeks, Hogan practised assiduously, watched by a growing army of fans, increasingly impressed, not just by his diligence, but also his incredible accuracy. One afternoon at the 6th, a par 5 hole of 567 yards, he hit a long drive between the out-of-bound fence and the bunker in the centre of the fairway. Once at his ball, in what was soon to be labelled "Hogan's Alley", he instructed his caddie, Cecil Timms, to go ahead to the green and to watch as he hit three shots to the green, one to the front left, one to the right front and one to the centre. Typically, he wanted to find out how each ball would react when it landed. Equally predictably, he proceeded to hit all three shots exactly as he described.
In those days, all competitors had to qualify for the Open, which Hogan did with ease, recording rounds of 70 and 75 over Carnoustie's Burnside and Championship courses. That night, when asked to name the favourite, Hogan plumped for Argentina's Roberto De Vicenzo. By that time, though, few of the locals were taken in by his modesty, preferring to wager considerable sums on the American instead.
As it turned out, Hogan did prevail, watched by massive crowds that included Frank Sinatra. Starting with a 73, he improved on that score in each subsequent round, posting 71, 70 and 68 to finish four shots ahead of Stranahan, Antonio Cerda, Peter Thomson and Dai Rees, De Vicenzo, despite his billing came sixth, a further shot behind.
That night, as Hogan prepared for the long and arduous journey home, via an exhibition match in Paris, Carnoustie's populace celebrated what is still regarded as one of the finest performances ever seen at an Open. In the following weeks, numerous golf writers wrote tributes to the American, none more glowing than the one written by Tom Scott, the Editor of Golf Illustrated.
" There is not one man, woman or child who saw Hogan's triumph, but will swear he is the finest alive, and one of the finest who has ever adorned the game," he wrote.
"We had all read about the Great Man. Our American friends had told he was the greatest American player. Such experienced and authoritative experts as Francis Ouimet and "Chick" Evans swore than not only was Hogan a magnificent striker of the ball, but he above all other golfers could place the ball practically where he wanted to place it."
"The world is full of sceptics," wrote the golf writer in the local Guide and Gazette. "Some reading of Hogan's golf have asked; 'Is he really that good?' Carnoustie knows the answer. It is 'Yes - and better.'"
More information about Hogan’s win is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
Tournament organisers have announced that this year’s Carnoustie Country Classic has sold out five months before it is scheduled to start.
Interest in the unique four round Stableford competition due to be played over Carnoustie, Monifieth, Montrose and Panmure on May 16th to 19th has been so great that organisers are already handling enquiries for the 2006 event.
This year’s event has attracted a total of 160 entrants some of which come from as far afield as Sweden, Canada and the United States.
“Interest in this year’s Carnoustie Country Classic has been incredible,” confirmed Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee.
“We believed that the chance to play one Open venue and three Open Qualifiers for a package price of £380 represented great value for money and it would seem that the public at large agree.
“It’s going to be a fantastic week,” added McLeod, “and it will be great to welcome back all those competitors who have played in it before.”
The Carnoustie Country Classic was inaugurated in 2000 and has since developed into one of the most popular events on the men’s and ladies’ golfing calendar.
This year most of the competitors plumped for a special five-night package that included one round at each of the four courses, five nights bed and breakfast at a 3-star hotel (based on two sharing), transport to and from the courses, daily and overall prizes, plus a social programme that includes a Welcome reception, a Scottish evening, quiz night and Prize Giving dinner.
Golfers who want to find out about the 2006 Carnoustie Country Classic should contact Margaret Stewart on +44 (0) 1674 672932 (secretary@montroselinks.co.uk). The event is scheduled to take place on May 15th to 18th.
This summer Irish golfers will need to fork out just £125 to follow in the footsteps of Padraig Harrington.
That is the cost of a green fee on Carnoustie’s Championship course and for just £20 more you can upgrade to a Combination Ticket which allows you to play a round on each of Carnoustie’s Championship, Burnside and Buddon Links courses for a mere £145 provided you play all three rounds in a three day period or less.
“It would be fair to say we have noticed a significant increase in the number of Irish visitors since Padraig Harrington won The Open last summer and we expect that trend to continue over the summer months,” said Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager.
“It seems the Irish all want to play the course where Padraig won the Open title and the good news is that it is relatively easy to arrange now there are regular flights from Dublin to both Edinburgh and Aberdeen.”
Harrington was one of a large number of golfers who heaped praise on the Carnoustie Championship course during last year’s Open Championship.
“There isn’t a player who didn’t find the course a test and enjoyed that test,” said the Irishman who closed with a five under par 67 to tie Sergio Garcia and then beat him in the subsequent play-off.
“Credit to Carnoustie, he added, “it’s one of the best in the world.”
More information about Carnoustie’s 2008 green fees can be found by logging onto www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or by calling the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee offices on +44 (0)1241 802270. Tee times can be booked on-line.
For further information regarding this release please contact Phil Craghill or James Lovett at GMS on 01438 718399 or email
phil@gmsgolf.co.uk / james@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee (CGLMC) has committed £100,000 to Junior Golf Development over the next five years.
This latest commitment reinforces current initiatives that have seen over 175 youngsters, aged between nine and 18, receiving a minimum of five lessons funded by the CGLMC.
CGLMC established its Junior Development programme seven years ago in order to nurture talent in the local community and it has already enjoyed considerable success with one of its graduates winning the Scottish Boys Matchplay Championship and others going on to represent Scotland at Boys and Girls level.
Last winter the scheme was intensified with almost 100 youngsters receiving regular indoor coaching from resident PGA professional Colin Sinclair at the Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort & Spa.
Sinclair and his team also took time out to visit several primary schools in the Carnoustie area where they introduced children to a game that is pivotal to the whole local economy.
"Carnoustie has a history of producing fine golfers and we would like to think that the latest development plans will help to bring on a few more," said Sinclair.
"This winter the youngsters on the scheme have been receiving regular indoor lessons funded by the CGLMC and we have been delighted with the progress many of them have made.
"Just before Christmas we took a group of 40 children over to the Scottish National Golf Centre at Drumoig. This month, we invited Duncan Weir, the R & A's development officer, to come over to the Carnoustie Golf Resort & Spa to give the children a talk on the Rules and other aspects of the game."
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee sees the Junior Development programme as a vital part of its operation.
" A couple of years ago, The Scottish Executive declared that by 2009 they wanted every nine year-old in the country to have had a golf club in their hands," said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee.
"Well, I delighted to say that here in Carnoustie that has almost become reality already. This winter, helped by Colin Sinclair and Kate Martin, the local council's active sports co-ordinator, we have visited six local primary schools, enabling children aged nine and younger to have had a chance to see what golf is all about."
During the Easter holidays, activities will be move outdoors to the Links practice area and the three-hole course designed created specifically to introduce youngsters to golf etiquette and course management. Junior tees have also been introduced on the Buddon course for the under 12s and beginners.
Further information about the Junior Development programme, including details of its future activities, is available from Junior Convener, Gordon Wilson, at the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee Offices (01241 853789).
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee celebrated a major milestone last month when its ground-breaking Online Tee Time Booking System clocked up its first £1 million in sales.
That milestone was reached almost four years to the day since Carnoustie became the first Open Championship venue to launch its own fully automated online tee time booking system and it comes at a time when its online bookings now account for more than 20% of all visitor bookings.
“We launched our online booking service back in March, 2004, but, for the first year or so, the vast majority of visitors continued to book tee times using the traditional methods, said Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager at the CGLMC.
“However, last year, online bookings shot up to almost £375,000 and all the signs are that over the next few years they will continue to rise at a significant rate.”
The CGLMC launched its online Tee Time Booking System in order to provide visitors with an easily-accessible, round-the-clock booking service.
“Currently, somewhere around 60% of our overseas visitors come from the USA and so are faced with a time difference of anywhere between 5-10 hours when they want to book a tee time,” said McLeod.
“Our online system enables us to be open 24 hours a day for all our customers. It simplifies the booking process, which has increased our green fee revenue and also benefited the local and national economies as well.”
The success of Carnoustie’s Online Tee Booking Systems has been one of the key factors in the CGLMC winning Golf Tourism Scotland’s prestigious Golf Secretariat Award twice in the last three years. There are also plans ahead for an upgrade of the whole website and visitors will soon be able to book a tee time in several different languages.
“Carnoustie identified an early opportunity to bring a competitive advantage to the Links and approached Business Gateway for assistance”, explains Business Gateway advisor, Lynn McCabe who initially gave technical and professional advice on the project.
The system can be accessed by logging onto www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk and following the simple instructions. Tee times on all three of Carnoustie’s 18-hole courses can be booked online. No booking fees or credit card fees apply.
For further information regarding this release please contact Phil Craghill or James Lovett at GMS on 01438 718399 or email
phil@gmsgolf.co.uk / james@gmsgolf.co.uk
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has applied for planning permission to build a state-of-the-art new 18-bay driving range close to the first hole of the Championship Links.
The new Range, situated on the existing first fairway of the Buddon Links, is designed to augment the exiting practice facilities, located two miles away at Barry, and will provide local and visiting golfers with a convenient place to warm up prior to a round of golf.
It is expected the new Range will create a minimum of five full-time jobs and another two part-time positions. Subsequent development of the Buddon Links could also boost the town and have a positive effect on the local community.
“The new Driving Range is designed to upgrade facilities at Carnoustie and put us on a par with St Andrews, Kingsbarns, Turnberry, Gleneagles and all the other leading golf resorts in Great Britain and elsewhere around the world,” said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee.
“Currently, of all the top class golf venues in Scotland, Carnoustie is the only one without easily accessible warm-up facilities. The provision of the new Range will address that anomaly and will also provide a top class amenity where local and visiting golfers can practise their games in all sorts of weather conditions.”
Colin Sinclair, professional at the Carnoustie Hotel, who is responsible for the Carnoustie Golf Links junior programme, commented
“Our junior coaching programme, which currently has 154 young golfers getting professional tuition, would benefit enormously from the new driving range. The junior coaching programme is fully funded by Carnoustie Golf Links and is therefore completely free to all the participants. Carnoustie Golf Links intend that all the facilities of the Driving Range, including use of the video analysis equipment, would be provided totally free to the members of the junior coaching programme”.
“It will be a massive step forward to be able to provide coaching in a modern, safe, warm facility, compared to the outside area we
currently use” said Sinclair.
The new Driving Range will be housed in an attractive, modern building (see artist’s impression) and will be kitted out with modern video equipment and other hi-tech teaching aids. Plans also include the provision off a spacious seated area where patrons can sit and relax with excellent views of the Championship course.
Plans for the new Driving Range were finalised after extensive discussions with the Carnoustie Community Council, local golf season ticket holders and other interested parties.
“Right from the start, it has been our intention to keep the local people of Carnoustie and Angus fully informed of what we were planning to do,” said Duncan. “We set out to invite feedback from as wide a cross-section of local people as possible and that feedback was utilised when we put the final touches to our plans.”
When the idea to build the Driving Range was first mooted, it was envisaged a 10-metre fence would have to be built around the facility. However, following discussions with local residents, and advice from safety experts, the fence has been deemed surplus to requirements. Likewise, plans to erect traditional floodlights have been shelved, replaced by a less intrusive low level floodlighting system similar to the one installed at the new St Andrews Links Golf Academy.
“The decision to install a modern, low level floodlighting system is a great example of our desire to build a facility the whole community can be proud of,” said Duncan. “It provides excellent lighting for golfers but, as anyone who has driven past the St Andrews Links Golf Academy at night will know, it is not intrusive and does not impinge on the surrounding area at all.”
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee see the introduction of a new Driving Range and the subsequent development of the Buddon Links course as part of a concerted plan to persuade visitors to spend more time in the town.
“Obviously, if we get the go-ahead to build the new Driving Range, we will need to replace the current first hole on the Buddon Links,” said Duncan. “However, it also gives us the opportunity to be a bit more ambitious. Instead of simply replacing the first hole, we could develop a number of new holes out at the southwest end of the existing Links making it a much more attractive proposition to visitors.
“At the moment, the vast majority of visitors drive to Carnoustie, play the Championship Links and leave,” said Duncan. “We can’t develop the current No 2 course, the Burnside because of lack of space. However, by upgrading the Buddon Links, we might persuade visitors to stay around for a day or two, thereby benefiting the local community as a whole.”
Plans for the new Driving Range were lodged with the Council on Tuesday February 13th and can be viewed by members of the public at the Carnoustie Library. Should planning permission be granted the earliest that construction work could start would be after The Open Championship in July.
Carnoustie is about to become the first Open venue to offer visitors a free online booking service.
The new service comes on stream on March 1st and will enable golfers to use their credit card to book tee times up to six months in advance.
Visitors can access the service by logging onto Carnoustie’s website at Carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk. They will then be able to check what tee times are available on any particular day before securing a starting time through a simple and secure credit card transaction. No booking fee will be charged.
“We are delighted to announce that as of the week beginning March 1st visitors will be able to book tee times on our Championship course by accessing our website at Carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk,” said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee.
“We have spent a great deal of time refining the system and are confident that potential visitors will find it simple to use.
“It takes only a matter of minutes to make a booking and we will confirm it by return.”
Carnoustie was recently announced as the venue for the 2007 Open Championship. The famous Angus links has previously staged six Opens, most recently in 1999 when Scotland’s Paul Lawrie defeated Frenchman, Jean Van de Velde, and American, Justin Leonard, in a play-off after one of the most dramatic finales the Championship has ever witnessed.
Further information about the new booking service is available from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk)
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has introduced a brand new Combination Ticket that will enable golfers to play all three of the town’s courses for just £113.
This outstanding offer – which runs from April 1 to October 31, 2005 - means that golfers can play the Championship, the Burnside and the Buddon Links courses for a mere £15 (check) more than the standard cost of a green fee on Championship course.
The only stipulation is that all three rounds have to be played in three days or less.
“We have introduced the new Combination Ticket in an effort to get visitors to stay in Carnoustie for a little bit longer and the initial response suggests that it could well work,” said Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager.
”Since we introduced the concept several people have bought Combination Tickets as Christmas presents for their relatives and a number of others have bought two Combination Tickets which they plan to use over five or six consecutive days.”
The new Combination Ticket entitles the purchaser to 18 holes on each of Carnoustie’s three courses.
The Carnoustie Championship course needs no introduction to golfers. Since 1931 it has hosted a total of six Open Championships and the world’s oldest Championship is set to return for a seventh time in 2007.
The Burnside course has been used as an Open Qualifying venue on a number of occasions and it was there that the legendary Ben Hogan began his successful quest to win the Championship back in 1953. At 6,020 yards it is not long by modern standards but is still a fine test for amateur golfers of all levels.
The Buddon Links is Carnoustie’s newest course. It was designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas in the 1980s and has since been extensively upgraded. It measures 5.420 yards and has a par of 66.
“It would be fair to say that in the past the reputation of the Championship course has tended to mask the fact that we have three fine courses here in Carnoustie,” said McLeod.
“We like to think the introduction of the new Combination Ticket will help us to overcome this hurdle and will do a great deal to enhance the reputation of the other two.”
More information about the offer is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie looks all set to welcome a record number of visiting golfers during the 2006 season.
Advance bookings made by March 31st 2006 were 77.5% higher than on the corresponding day the previous year while accumulated green fee revenue had risen by a staggering 90%.
“Advance bookings suggest that we are going to have an extremely busy 2006 season and the figures are all the more impressive because advance booking a year ago were pretty good too,” said Colin McLeod, the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee’s Golf Services Manager.
“The announcement that the 2007 Open Championship is to be played at Carnoustie has given us an enormous boost but I’d like to think that our decision to introduce a state-of-the-art on-line booking service and to peg the Championship course green fee just £105 (the lowest of all the Open venues) also have also increased advance sales.”
“I believe word of mouth is also an important factor,” added McLeod. “We received literally hundreds of compliments about the condition of all three of our courses during 2005 and word would seem to have spread.”
Carnoustie became the first Open Championship venue to offer a fully-automated on-line booking service for it’s premium course in early 2003 and it has proved to be an outstanding success with the number of bookings trebling since it’s launch.
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee’s decision to introduce a special Combination Ticket has also proved popular with visitors who want to spend a couple of days in the Angus town.
The Combination Ticket enables golfers to play all three of the town’s courses for £120 – just £15 more than the cost of a standard green fee on the Championship course. The only stipulation is that all three rounds have to be played in three consecutive days or less (including weekends).
“We introduced the new Combination Ticket in an effort to get visitors to stay in Carnoustie for a little bit longer and the initial response suggests it has worked well,” said McLeod.
“Several people have bought Combination Tickets as presents for their relatives and a number of others have bought two Combination Tickets to use over five or six consecutive days.”
The new Combination Ticket entitles the purchaser to 18 holes on each of Carnoustie’s three courses.
More information can be obtained from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk)
General information about Carnoustie can be found on www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Your chance to bid for a work of art signed by Padraig Harrington, Tiger Woods and all of the other 154 competitors at last year’s Open Championship at Carnoustie
Golf fans and memorabilia collectors are being offered a rare opportunity to bid for an attractive Rodger McPhail print signed by all 156 competitors at the 2007 Open Championship at Carnoustie.
The signed print – which depicts the famous par-5 6th hole at Carnoustie – is one of just two in existence and is to be auctioned by the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee to raise funds for a number of local charities. This rare piece of golfing history is expected to attract bids of upwards of £5,000.
“Last July we asked all 156 competitors to sign the two prints,” said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “We donated the first to Sports Relief but wanted the second to benefit a selection of deserving charities here in our local area.”
The CGLMC invites interested parties to submit written bids for the attention of its Golf ServicesManager, Colin McLeod. These can be sent via e-mail to colin@canoustiegolflinks.com or by post to the CGLMC’s headquarters at 20 Links Parade, Carnoustie DD7 7JF. All bids must be submitted before midnight on May 31st, 2008, after which the print will be awarded to the highest bidder. A reserve price of £3000 has been set.
“We believe our auction will be of great interest to golf fans and to collectors of golfing memorabilia,” said Duncan.
“It isn’t every day you get the chance to bid for a work of art signed by Tiger Woods, Padraig Harrington and all the other leading golfers and we believe that will be reflected by the quality of bids we receive.”
The signed Rodger McPhail print is currently on display outside the Professional’s Shop within the Carnoustie Golf Course Hotel & Resort.
For further information regarding this release please contact Phil Craghill or James Lovett at GMS on 01438 718399 or email
phil@gmsgolf.co.uk / james@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has announced a special offer enabling golfers who are members of golf clubs in the United Kingdom to play the famous championship course for £200 per tee time. This allows a group of four to play one of the world’s greatest golf courses for only £50 per head.
The famous Angus links, established over 400 years ago, has hosted many national competitions, including five Open Championships since 1931. It was there, exactly 50 years ago for example, that Ben Hogan won on his one and only appearance and there, more recently, that Jean Van de Velde infamously came to grief on the difficult eighteenth hole, allowing Paul Lawrie to take the title in a play-off in 1999.
Carnoustie is without doubt one of the world’s greatest tests of golf and a course all golfers have to play at least once in their lives. Under the terms of this new offer, members of British golf clubs can secure a tee time for a special price of £200. This is subject to availability. Tee times cannot be booked more than eight weeks in advance.
Golfers interested in this offer should call Carnoustie Golf Links on 01241 853789
More information about the offer is available direct from Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 neil@gmsgolf.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee is giving golfers the chance to play a round over each of its three courses for £135 with its Combination ticket.
This outstanding offer – which runs from May 1st 2007 - means that golfers can play the Championship, the Burnside and the Buddon Links courses for just £135. That represents a saving of £41 over the cost of purchasing individual green fees on Carnoustie’s three courses. The Combination Ticket is £135 for the remainder of the summer.
The only stipulation is that all three rounds have to be played in three days or less. Three rounds in two days are permissible. The ticket can be used on both weekdays and weekends subject to availability.
The Combination ticket aims to attract golfers who want to spend a couple of days in the famous Angus town which will host this year’s Open Championship. Two Combination Tickets may be purchased if golfers plan to play over five or six consecutive days.
“We believe the new Combination ticket gives visitors a great chance to sample all three of our fine courses,” said Colin Mcleod, Golf Services Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “The Championship already enjoys a high profile thanks to its status as an Open venue but we genuinely believe the Burnside and the Buddon courses do not get the plaudits they deserve.”
The Carnoustie Championship course needs no introduction to golfers. Since 1931 it has hosted a total of six Open Championships and the world’s oldest Championship is to return for a seventh time in 2007.
The Burnside course has been used as an Open Qualifying venue on a number of occasions and it was there that the legendary Ben Hogan began his successful quest to win the Championship back in 1953. At 6,028 yards it is not long by modern standards but is still a fine test for amateur golfers of all levels, not least with a host of strategically-placed pot bunkers that are a trademark of all three of Carnoustie’s layouts.
The Buddon Links is Carnoustie’s newest course. It was designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas in the 1980s and has since been extensively upgraded. It measures 5.420 yards and has a par of 66.
“It would be fair to say that in the past the reputation of the Championship course has tended to mask the fact that we have three fine courses here in Carnoustie,” said McLeod.
“We like to think the Combination Ticket will help us to overcome this hurdle and will do a great deal to enhance the reputation of the other two.”
More information on the £98 Combination ticket can be obtained from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) General information about Carnoustie can be found on www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee is giving golfers the chance to play a round over each of its three courses for £120 just this summer – a deal that represents saving of £44 over the cost of purchasing individual green fees on the three courses involved.
The new Combination Ticket, which is available from April 1st to October 31st, 2006, entitles a golfer to play a round each on Carnoustie’s Championship, Burnside and Buddon Links courses for just £120, provided those rounds are played in a three day period or less. The Combination Ticket is available on week days and at weekends (subject to availability).
The idea behind the new Combination Ticket is to persuade golfers to spend a couple of days in the famous Angus town.
“We believe the new Combination ticket gives visitors a great chance to sample all three of our fine courses,” said Colin McLeod, Golf Services Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “The Championship course already enjoys a high profile thanks to its status as an Open venue but we genuinely believe the Burnside and the Buddon courses do not get the plaudits they deserve.”
The Carnoustie Championship course needs no introduction to golfers. Since 1931 it has hosted a total of six Open Championships, with the world’s oldest Championship set to return for a seventh time in 2007.
The Burnside course has been used as an Open Qualifying venue on a number of occasions and it was there the legendary Ben Hogan began his successful quest to win the Championship back in 1953. At 6,028 yards it is not long by modern standards, but it is still a fine test for amateur golfers of all levels, not least because of a host of strategically-placed pot bunkers that are a trademark of all three of Carnoustie’s layouts.
The Buddon Links is Carnoustie’s newest course. It was designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas in the 1980s and has since been extensively upgraded. It measures 5.420 yards and has a par of 66.
“It would be fair to say that in the past the reputation of the Championship course has tended to mask the fact that we have three fine courses here in Carnoustie,” said McLeod.
“We like to think the Combination Ticket will help us to overcome this hurdle and will do a great deal to enhance the reputation of the other two.”
More information on the £120 Combination ticket can be obtained from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) General information about Carnoustie can be found on www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Play all Three Carnoustie Courses for Just Over £100
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has introduced a brand new Combination ticket giving golfers the chance to play a round over each of its three courses for just £110.
That represents a saving of £40 over the cost of purchasing individual green fees on Angus town’s Championship, Burnside and Buddon courses.
The new Combination ticket has been introduced to attract golfers who want to spend a couple of days in the famous Angus town where Paul Lawrie won the 1999 Open Championship.
It entitles the golfer the opportunity to play a round over each of Carnoustie’s Championship, Burnside and Buddon courses at any time between April 1st and October 31st 2004 provided those rounds are played within a maximum of three days. (Three rounds in two days are permissible).
The ticket can be used on both weekdays and weekends subject to availability.
“We believe the new Combination ticket gives visitors a great chance to sample all three of our fine courses,” said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “The Championship already enjoys a high profile thanks to its status as an Open venue but we genuinely believe the Burnside and the Buddon courses do not get the plaudits they deserve.
“They are both fine courses,” he added. “In fact the Burnside has been used as an Open Qualifying venue in the past.”
Carnoustie’s Championship course was once voted as Britain’s No. 1 course by a leading consumer golf magazine. It has staged five Open Championships (in 1931, ’53, ’68, ’75 and ’99) and will welcome the world’s oldest Championship for a sixth time in 2007.
The town’s Burnside course is also a fine test although at 6,020 yards is considerably shorter than the Championship course.
Its fairways are narrow and protected by both heather and whins. It also features a host of strategically-placed pot bunkers that are a trademark of all three of Carnoustie’s layouts.
The Buddon was opened some 20 years ago but has since been radically upgraded and has become extremely popular with local golfers. It measures 5,420 yards from the regular tees.
More information on the new Combination ticket can be obtained from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) General information about Carnoustie can be found on www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has introduced a brand new Combination ticket giving golfers the chance to play a round over each of its three courses for just £110 (approx 1505 SKr).
That represents a saving of £40 over the cost of purchasing individual green fees on Angus town’s Championship, Burnside and Buddon courses.
The new Combination ticket has been introduced to attract golfers who want to spend a couple of days in the famous Angus town where Paul Lawrie won the 1999 Open Championship.
It entitles the golfer the opportunity to play a round over each of Carnoustie’s Championship, Burnside and Buddon courses at any time between April 1st and October 31st 2004 provided those rounds are played within a maximum of three days. (Three rounds in two days are permissible).The ticket can be used on both weekdays and weekends subject to availability.
“We believe the new Combination ticket gives visitors a great chance to sample all three of our fine courses,” said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “The Championship already enjoys a high profile thanks to its status as an Open venue but we genuinely believe the Burnside and the Buddon courses do not get the plaudits they deserve.
“They are both fine courses,” he added. “In fact the Burnside has been used as an Open Qualifying venue in the past.”
Carnoustie’s Championship course was once voted as Britain’s No. 1 course by a leading consumer golf magazine. It has staged six Open Championships (in 1931, ’37, ’53, ’68, ’75 and ’99) and will welcome the world’s oldest Championship for a seventh time in 2007.
The town’s Burnside course is also a fine test although at 6,020 yards is considerably shorter than the Championship course.
Its fairways are narrow and protected by both heather and whins. It also features a host of strategically-placed pot bunkers that are a trademark of all three of Carnoustie’s layouts.
The Buddon was opened some 20 years ago but has since been radically upgraded and has become extremely popular with local golfers. It measures 5,420 yards from the regular tees.
More information on the new Combination ticket can be obtained from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk) General information about Carnoustie can be found on www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk
Tiger Woods will be chasing a rare treble when he tees up in the 2007 Open Championship over the Championship course at Carnoustie on July 19 to 22.
The undisputed world’s No. 1 will arrive in Angus having won the title in each of the last two years and harbours high hopes of becoming the first man since Peter Thomson (1954-‘56) to win the world’s oldest Championship three times in-a-row.
Wood started his winning sequence when he put together rounds of 66, 67, 71 and 70 to win the 134th Open Championship at the Old Course, St Andrews, and he secured his third Open title 12 months later when he closed with a majestic 67 to finish two shots ahead of the field over the Royal Liverpool Golf Club at Hoylake. That impressive victory set him up with the chance to go for the hat-trick at Carnoustie and it has already intensified interest in next year’s Championship.
“We have seen a huge increase in interest since Tiger won at Hoylake,” said Graeme Duncan, General Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “Clearly, that victory has struck a chord because we have been inundated with phone calls asking about next year’s Championship.”
Woods hopes to become the fourth man to achieve three successive Open Championship victories. Tom Morris Jnr (1868-’70) was the first man to achieve the feat eventually going one better, winning the title for a fourth time in-a-row in 1872 (there was no Championship in 1871). Since then, two other golfers have also won the Open Championship on three successive occasions, Jamie Anderson (1877-79) and the aforementioned Thomson (1954-’56).
Further information about the new booking service is available from Colin McLeod, Carnoustie’s Golf Services Manager on 01241 417015 (colin@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk)
The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee has bowed to popular demand by reintroducing one of the best deals in golf.
Under the terms of its special Winter Deal, a fourball can play the Carnoustie Championship course, venue for the 2007 Open Championship, for just £99 – under £25 per person.
The deal runs through to 31st March 2006, subject to availability. During the whole of that period winter rules (including the obligatory use of mats on fairways) will apply.
“Last year, when we introduced our Winter Deal, we thought it might prove popular, but we would have to admit we were surprised by the interest it attracted,” said Colin McLeod, the Golf Services Manager of the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee. “Obviously, the price reflects the fact that golfers have to play off mats, but it still gives them a great chance to play a revered Open venue for around a quarter of the normal price.”
The Championship Course at Carnoustie is widely regarded as one of the world’s finest links courses and will host its seventh Open Championship in 2007.
Golfers who want to take advantage of this special winter offer should contact the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee on 01241 853789 or book direct on line at carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk. Times can be booked either in advance or on the day, subject to availability. There is no additional booking charge.
Two hundred and fifty six of the world’s leading junior golfers will tread in the footsteps of greatness when the Boys’ Amateur Championship starts at the Championship course at Carnoustie on Monday August 12th.
It marks the first time the world’s premiere junior championship has been held at Carnoustie but is almost the 30th time the course has been used as the venue for a national or international championship.
The Championship course at Carnoustie received international recognition for the first time when it was selected to host the 1931 Open won by Tommy Armour and since then it has gone on to be used as the venue for five more Opens, two Scottish Opens, four Amateur Championships, the Home Internationals, nine Scottish Amateurs, two Scottish Amateur Stroke Play Championships and four Scottish Ladies Championship.
It was also one of three courses used as venues for last year’s inaugural Dunhill Links Championship, won by Paul Lawrie, the Scottish golfer who also emerged victorious when Carnoustie staged its most recent Open in 1999.
“Carnoustie is extremely proud to host the British Boys Championship. We have, in recent years, invested heavily in our own junior program and this will be a great opportunity for us to see the best young players in Europe perform in a major event.”
“We feel that the condition of the golf course in second to none and will be very interested to hear the views of the competitors. Hopefully a successful Championship will encourage the R and A to consider Carnoustie for another Open in the not too distant future.”
David McNicoll, Chairman of Carnoustie Golf Links
The field at this year’s Boys Amateur Championship is one of the strongest that has been assembled for years.
It is headed by Spain’s Pablo Martin, who emulated Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia by becoming Spain’s third Boy’s champion when he defeated compatriot Rafael Cabrera 3 & 2 in last year’s final at Ganton.
The impressive Cabrera also tees up as do Welsh junior champion, Chris Cole, his Irish counterpart, Michael McHugh, 2002 R & A Junior Open winner Cian McNamara, and England’s Matthew Richardson, who led his country to victory in this year’s World Junior Championship in Japan and also won the individual title.
Scottish golfers, Steven O’Hara (1998) and David Inglis (2000) have won two out of the last four Boys’ Championships and this year there are high hope of a repeat with current Scottish Boys’ champion, John Hempstock, and Mark Lamb, winner of the recent Nike Golf Scottish Boys Open Stroke Play Championship, leading the entries.
This year’s championship has attracted entries from no less than 21 nations, some as far afield as the United States, Egypt, Poland, Morocco, Russia and the Golf Coast.
More information about Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee, is available direct from Committee on 01241 853789 (include e-mail number) or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 (neil@gmsgolf.co.uk).
Carnoustie has hosted five Opens and they include some of the most memorable Championships ever staged
Armour Wins Carnoustie’s First Open in 1931
Tommy Armour was a popular winner when Carnoustie staged its first Open Championship in 1931.
Armour, who was born in Edinburgh in 1896, but who emigrated to America in the 1920s, produced rounds of 73, 75, 77, 71 to finish one shot ahead of Argentina’s Jose Jurado and two in front of England’s Percy Alliss and America’s Gene Sarazen. However, he might not have won it had his Argentinian rival not miscalculated what he needed coming down the last.
Jurado, the first of the great Latin America golfers, came to the last thinking he needed a five to tie. After hitting a good drive, he elected to play short of the water, rather than go for the carry over the burn, and it was to prove to be a costly decision because he later found he needed a four to tie Armour on 296.
Armour, known as the Silver Scot, lost an eye in a mustard gas attack while fighting in the British Army during the World War 1 but that did not stop him compiling a fine record as a Tour professional. In addition to the 1931 Open, the Scot also won the 1927 US Open and the 1930 USPGA. Later, he went on to become one of the game’s finest teachers, penning the instruction classics, How to Play Your Best Golf All The Time and A Round of Golf With Tommy Armour.
At the 1931 Open, the Scottish émigré missed a short putt on the 71st hole and had a similar putt on the last. “I took a new grip, holding the club as tightly as I could and with stiff wrists,” he recalled. “From the instant the club left the ball on the backswing I was blind and unconscious. I do not know how the ball went into the hole.”
Carnoustie native, MacDonald Smith, who, like Armour emigrated and became a naturalised American, shared fifth place at the 1931 Open with Johnny Farrell, thus perpetuated his series of near misses in Major championships. Between 1910 and 1936, MacDonald came within three shots of the winner in eleven different Opens and US Opens. He was runner up in two Opens, in 1930 and 1930, but never won the Major title he craved. His brothers, Alex and Willie, won three US Opens between them.
Cotton Claims his Second Open Title at Carnoustie
In an age when no British golfer won the Open more than once, Henry Cotton stood out like a colossus. He won the world’s oldest championship three times, elevating him into a position alongside Nick Faldo as the two greatest British golfers of the modern age.
Cotton’s first Open win came in 1934 when he won by five strokes at Royal St George’s despite closing with a 79. Three years later, he came to Carnoustie and won again, this time with one of the finest rounds ever played in an Open.
The records show that Cotton returned a 71, to finish two shots clear of Reg Whitcombe on 292 but that bald statistic gives no indication of the conditions he and the rest of the field had to endure.
Cotton’s 71 was compiled in torrential rain on a water-logged course and, for that reason, it can be considered to be one of his greatest achievements, surpassed, perhaps, only by the course record 66 that gave him his third Open title at Muirfield in 1948.
Certainly, few of his rivals coped nearly as well in the dreadful conditions. Horton Smith and another American, Charles Lacey, did return 72s on that final afternoon but Byron Nelson had a 74, Sam Snead carded a 76 and Densmore Shute and Henry Picard both ballooned to 80s.
Meanwhile, Cotton seemed almost oblivious to the conditions. He started 4, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4 and was out in 35. Suddenly, after being three shots behind at the start, he now had a one shot lead and he was soon to go three in front before dropping a shot at the last when it did not really matter.
Hogan Completes the Third Leg of the Grand Slam
Ben Hogan only ever competed in one Open Championship but, when he did play, he certainly did not disappoint.
Nowadays, almost 50 years later, Hogan’s win at the 1953 Open at Carnoustie is still remembered as if it was yesterday, not just for the manner in which he won, but also for the meticulous way he prepared for his sole appearance in the world’s oldest golfing event.
The story goes that Hogan only came to the Open because Gene Sarazen, and one or two others, told him he could not be considered to be a true great until he won the world’s oldest title. Be that as it may, because when he did come, there was no doubting his determination to succeed.
Hogan came to Carnoustie a full two weeks before the championship started and proceeded to use that time to practise, to get to know the Carnoustie course, and to acquaint himself with the smaller British golf ball.
To no real surprise to anyone, Hogan’s diligence paid off. After opening with a 73, he then produced round of 71, 70 and 68. That gave him a then-record Open aggregate of 286 and a four shot winning margin over an international foursome comprising America’s Frank Stranahan, Argentina’s Antonio Cerda, Australia’s Peter Thomson and Wales’ Dai Rees. It also made him the first, and, to date, only man to achieve the first three legs of the Grand Slam, having previously won the Masters by five strokes and the US Open by six.
Sadly, Hogan was denied the chance to win the fourth leg of the Grand Slam because the US PGA clashed with his trip to the Open. That was a huge shame but has done nothing to dilute his reputation. To this day, the wee ice mon, as he was labelled, is still regarded with awe by those who watched him win a Carnoustie. Sadly, he did not return, but he certainly was not forgotten.
Player Produces Wonder Shot to Win 1968 Open
Gary Player won on four Continents during the 1968 season but there is little doubt that the high spot of his year came when he won the Open at Carnoustie.
It was the South African’s second Open title and was achieved with the help of a wonder shot during his final round.
“”The shot”, as it is still described in the Angus town, came at the par five 14th hole. Player had gone ahead for the first time in the Championship at the sixth but, by the time he reached the Spectacles, he was back in a tie with America’s Billy Casper and New Zealand’s Bob Charles on two under par.
A play-off was starting to seem inevitable but that was before the fearless South African grabbed his 3-wood and used it to despatch his ball to within two feet of the hole before putting out for a decisive eagle three.
The South African went on post a final round of 73, for a four round one over par aggregate of 289, two in front of Charles and Jack Nicklaus and three ahead of Casper. England’s Maurice Bembridge closed with a 74 to finish alone in fifth place on 293 and Scotland’s Brian Barnes, England’s Neil Coles and America’s Gay Brewer were one place further back on 295. Alone among the challengers, Player completed the 72 holes without recording a six, and only twice did he three putt, no mean feat on Carnoustie’s treacherous greens.
The Carnoustie course, lengthened to 7,252 yards, was, at the time, the longest ever presented for an Open. That year, the championship rules were also altered to introduce a cut after 36 holes. Under the rules, the top 80, and those tied on 80th place, were eligible to continue. After the third round, the field was further reduced to the top 45 and ties.
Love at First Sight for Watson
For most mere mortals, its takes a while to learn all about the nuances of links golf but not for Tom Watson. The American had never played a links course before when he arrived at Carnoustie for his first Open in 1975 but, like Hogan before him, that did not stop him heading home having won the biggest title of them all.
Nowadays, Watson freely admits that he no idea what links golf was all about when he arrived at Carnoustie for his first Open but, with the help of his faithful caddie, Alfie Fyles, and some strangely subdued weather, he soon found his feet.
Over the first three rounds, Watson recorded rounds of 71, 67 and 69. That left him just three shots behind leader, Bobby Cole, and in the frame alongside an eclectic group comprising Jack Nicklaus, Jack Newton, Neil Coles, Johnny Miller, Hale Irwin and Andries Oosthuizen.
The following day Watson returned a 72, for a four round aggregate of 279 and then watched as, one by one, the other leaders failed to mount a charge. Some, such as Coles, Oosthuizen, Mahaffey, Coles and Irwin moved backwards. Nicklaus could only replicate Watson's 72 and when Miller failed to get out of a fairway bunker on the 72nd hole it was left to Newton to two putt to tie, necessitating an 18-hole play-off to decide the title.
In 1975, Watson had arrived in Carnoustie with the reputation as something of a “choker”. Previously, he had let several prestigious titles slip from his grasp but this time he was to come of age.
Not unusually, the 18-hole play-off, the last of its kind in the Open, turned out be strangely muted. The American went one ahead when a four iron shot bounced kindly for him on the second and then doubled his advantage when Newton, disturbed by a child, mishit his tee shot on the next. The crucial point for Watson came at the fifth where, twice bunkered, he got down in two to avoid losing the lead. Newton did move ahead with a four on the 12th but his advantage lasted just one hole. The Australian lost the 13th. He lost the 14th to an eagle but then squared the match and on the 16th when, for the fourth time that week, Watson failed to secure a par. Under pressure, the American then did well to hole from five feet for a halve before claiming the Claret Jug with a regulation par down the last.
In the end, Watson recorded a 71, one better than Newton, thereby starting a sequence that would see the American win five Opens over the next nine years. Watson’s love for links golf affair had been kindled. It turned out to be an enduring affair.
Lawrie Picks Up the Pieces
Over the years, Carnoustie has staged more that its fair share of great Opens but when it comes to sheer drama none compares with the 1999 Championship, won by Paul Lawrie, but lost by Jean Van de Velde.
The 1999 Championship, Carnoustie’s first since 1975, featured a climax so extraordinary, so unexpected, that it will never be forgotten. It resulted in Lawrie becoming the first Scotsman to win the Open on native soil for 68 years but also made Frenchman, Van de Velde, headline news all over the world.
The records show that Lawrie became the first qualifier to win the Open since the R & A started to give exemptions in 1963 after recording a four round aggregate of 290 and then beating Van de Velde and former champion, Justin Leonard, in a subsequent four hole play-off. However, what the bare facts don’t explain are the incredible scenes witnessed on the 72nd hole.
To set the scene, Lawrie, then ranked 159th on the official World Rankings, had started the final round ten shots out of the lead. Despite a fine four under par 67, he was still three shots behind Van de Velde as the Frenchman mounted the last tee but could only to watch, aghast, as Van de Velde self-destructed right in front of him.
Lawrie deserves huge credit for the manner in which he played, both during the last round and in the resultant play-off but, in the end, he still could not have prevailed had it not been for Van de Velde perpetrating one of the biggest collapses in sporting history.
Needing only a double bogey six on the final hole to become the first Frenchman to win the Open for 92 years, Van de Velde ran up a catastrophic triple bogey seven, even having to hole a brave 10-foot putt to get into the play-off.
What transpired left the eloquent BBC golf commentator, Peter Alliss, almost lost for words. The Frenchman hit his drive right off the tee, finding dry land, albeit on a peninsula guarding the Barry Burn. From there, he could have hit wedge, wedge onto the green but, instead, elected to go for the green in two. Sadly for him, his second shot did not come off as he had envisaged. Instead, it hit the upper tier of a grandstand and rebounded into the deep rough.
That was the start of Van de Velde’s problems. Next, the horrified gallery watched as his third shot came out softly and went into the burn in front of the green. After that, the episode became almost surreal. To begin with, the Frenchman chose to take off his shoes and roll up his trouser legs before jumping into the water to see if he could hit his submerged ball. Finally, as the water lapped around his ankles, sense prevailed. Van de Velde took a drop in the rough but then hit his fifth shot into the bunker guarding the right of the green. Under the circumstances, he displayed exemplary fortitude to blast his sixth shot out to ten feet and then hole the resultant putt.
Sadly, though, Van de Velde’s chance to win the Claret Jug had gone. On the first play-off hole, clearly still in torment over what had happened ten minutes earlier, he hit his tee shot into a gorse bush leaving Lawrie and Leonard, the 1997 champion, to battle it out.
In the end it was the unheralded Scotman who prevailed. He moved into the lead when he holed a 12-foot birdie on the 17th, the third play-off hole, and then sealed his first major title when he hit his second shot to three feet for another birdie on the 18th.
All in all, it was an admirable performance from Lawrie, albeit one that is often forgotten as a result of Van de Velde’s unforgettable collapse.
More information about the appointment, or about the services offered by the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee, is available direct from Committee on 01241 853789 (include e-mail number) or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 (neil@gmsgolf.co.uk).
Four Scottish Golfers left the Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort and Spa at 3.50 a.m. last Friday (June 21st) at the start of a unique marathon that saw them play six Scottish Open Championship venues in one day.
Mike Balfour, Chris Cowan, Mark Little and Alan Williams started their golfing marathon with a round over Carnoustie’s Championship course before jumping into a helicopter to make the short hop to St Andrews. After a round on the Old Course, they played Royal Troon, Turnberry and Prestwick before ending the 108-hole marathon with a round at Muirfield.
The Midsummer’s Day Golf Challenge raised in excess of £60,000 for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation, a charity that helps children with autistic spectrum disorder.
“When we heard about the Challenge, we felt the least we could do was to offer Alan, Chris, Mark and Mike a free room for the night,” said Martin Delaney, the Chief Executive of the Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort and Spa.”
“After all, with such an early start, they needed accommodation close at hand so where better than at our hotel overlooking the first tee.”
The intrepid marathon men started out in near darkness at Carnoustie and ended their Challenge 18 hours hours later when they putted out at 8.55 pm on the 18th green at Muirfield.
“It was an amazing experience, but one that will take us a while to get over,” said Cowan, a 2-handicap member of Elie, the R & A and Muirfield.
“The whole thing worked to amazingly well. The night before, when the helicopter pilot saw the forecast, he told us didn’t think he would be able to fly us to the Old Course in time for our 6.30 starting time. Obviously, that was a bit if a downer, but when we got up at 3.00 am the following morning we knew would be OK.
“The weather turned out to be quite remarkable,” he added. “The forecast was dreadful but, in the end, it was wet for a total of only three out of the 108 holes.”
The four marathon golfers had a tight schedule to keep as the day progressed. After starting out at Carnoustie at 3.50 am, they then teed up at 6.30 am at the Old Course, 9.30 am at Royal Troon and 12.20 pm at Turnberry before making the short hop to Prestwick for a 3.20 pm start. After that, all that was left was another helicopter trip over to Muirfield where their final round started at 6.30 pm and ended at 8.55 pm.
“It was an absolutely fantastic experience, but one we could not have achieved without the support of all our sponsors,” said Cowan.
More information about the Sick Kids Open Golf Challenge, or about the services on offer at Carnoustie and the Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort and Spa, is available from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 (neil@gmsgolf.co.uk). The Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort and Spa can be contacted direct on 01241 411999. The Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee telephone number is 01241 853789.
Golf in Carnoustie
The game of golf has been played in Carnoustie for well over four centuries. The first indication that the game being played there can be found in the Parish Records of 1560 when the game of gowff was mentioned and there is every indication that the game has played an important part in the town’s life ever since.
Carnoustie’s first golfer might well have been a gentleman called Sir Robert Maule (1497-1560), a local landowner who was described as “a gentleman of comlie behaviour, of hie stature, sanguine in colour both of hyd and haire,” and who was “given to leicherie” and other sports such as “hawking, hunting and the gawf.”
Unfortunately, nobody knows how proficient Maule was at “gawf” or, for that matter, “leicherie”. As with so many of the older Scottish golf towns, the history of Carnoustie is not well recorded. We do not know where Maule and his colleagues “exercisit the gowf” in the 15th century but we do know that by 1839 the Carnoustie Golf Club had been formed, making it the oldest artisan club in the world.
To begin with, the Carnoustie course consisted of 10 holes, laid out by Allan Robertson, the greatest golfer of his time and the man generally acknowledge to be the first golf professional. Later, in 1867, Tom Morris extended the course to 18 holes but it was not until 1926, when the great James Braid was brought in to overseas sweeping changes, that the course became ready to receive the Open Championship.
Since then, Carnoustie’s championship course has become regarded as one of Britain’s finest, and most challenging, tests of golf. Occasionally, from time to time, the course was allowed to deteriorate but, under the watchful eye of current Course Superintendent, John Philip, it has been restored and is now, not just a formidable challenge, but also one of the best-conditioned courses in the country as well.
Today, Carnoustie is visited by countless thousands of tourists, both from home and abroad. What they find is a course that is difficult but still eminently playable, provided the golfer hits the right shots at the right time. It is, in short, a wonderful test of golf, and one that, thankfully, still has not been made obsolete by advances in modern equipment.
Championship Course Guide (all yardages taken from the back tees)
Hole No. 1
Cup
435 Yards
Par 4
Right from the start, the visitor to Carnoustie learns the importance of hitting the tee shot into the right place. Here, the ideal drive is down the left, albeit not too far left that it goes out of bounds, thereby affording a sight of a sunken green built behind a sand dune. In contrast, if you hit a drive down the right you will face a blind second shot, over a mound, and over a deep bunker to a green that is difficult to hit from that angle.
Hole No. 2
Gulley
435 Yards
Par 4
The second hole features one of the tightest landing areas on the course, protected by Braids bunker in the middle of the fairway and others to the left and right. Then fairway sweeps slightly to the right to a long narrow green that measures 50 yards to front and back, and is guarded down both flanks by bunkers and rough.
Hole No. 3
Jockie’s Burn
337 Yards
Par 4
The third is the shortest par four on the course, but a hole where accuracy is essential if the golfer is to secure a par. In normal conditions, it is best to hit a long iron down the left side of the fairway. If you miss the fairway bunkers, you are then faced with a short iron shot over Jockie’s Burn to a tight and undulating green.
Hole No. 4
Hillocks
375 Yards
Par 4
Into the prevailing wind, the fourth hole requires a good drive to carry a bunker built into the corner of the dogleg. The second shot then has to be hit to a flat green protected by bunkers to the left and right of the green. The fourth is the only double green on the course, shared with the 14th.
Hole No. 5
Brae
387 Yards
Par 4
The fifth is a left to right dogleg protected by two bunkers built into the left and the right of the landing area. Down wind, Jockie’s Burn can also be a problem as it crosses the fairway 300 yards from the Championship tees. Like on the second, the green is over 50 yards long and also features two distinct tiers.
Hole No 6
Long
520 Yards
Par 5
The fifth is one of Carnoustie’s most formidable holes, a hole that does give a good golfer a birdie opportunity but can be a potential nightmare for someone who does not hit the ball straight. From the tee the golfer has a choice. He can either hit right, away from the out of bounds fence, or else aim left into the area called Hogan’s Alley. In 1953, Hogan took the latter route in all four rounds and it is easy to see why because, from there, you have a more straightforward second shot down the fairway. A drainage ditch narrows that fairway about 80 yards short of the green. The green itself is heavily contoured and protects by bunkers at the front and rear.
Hole No. 7
Plantation
394 Yards
Par 4
Like on the sixth, there is out of bounds all the way down the left. The tee shot has to avoid bunkers built into the left and right of the landing area and the second then has to be threaded between two other bunkers into a shallow green. On the face of it, the seventh does not seem as demanding as some of Carnoustie’s other holes but beware, it provided all sorts of problems to competitors in the 1999 Open.
Hole No. 8
Short
167 Yards
Par 3
Club selection and a cross wind cause the biggest problems on this tantalising little hole. Here, a sea of heather and gorse obscure the view of the green and club. Sometimes, when the wind is left to right, you have to send your tee shot out over the out of bound fence and back to a green protected by bunkers to the left and right. The green itself falls away at the back and front, making it even more difficult to hit.
Hole No. 9
Railway
413 Yard
Par 4
Carnoustie’s front nine closes with a classic par four that was rated as the toughest hole during the 1999 Open Championship. Here, the tee shot has to be accurate or else. The fairway is well bunkered in the driving area and further protected by trees to the left and a ditch that meanders its way down the right rough. The hole also has a long, narrow green, measuring 43 yards from back to front and protected by bunkers on both sides.
Hole No 10
South America
446 Yards
Par 4
Carnoustie’s back nine starts like its front nine ended, with a tough par four. As on the ninth, bunkers pose the biggest threat from the tee. The second shot then has to clear the Barry Burn, which crosses the fairway 30 yards short of the green, and then meanders behind a sole tree to the right of the putting surface. The hole is called South America. It got its name from the exploits of a local caddie who announced he was emigrating to South America, but who got no further than this hole before deciding to stop and sleep off the effects of the whisky he had consumed at his farewell party.
Hole No. 11
Dyke
362 Yard
Par 4
The 12th is another hole that demands great accuracy, both from the tee and into the green. Bunkers eat into the left and right of the landing area, and four other traps also protect both sides of the green.
Hole No. 12
Southward Ho!
479 Yards
Par 5
On the 12th, the second of Carnoustie’s par fives, the tee shot has to be hit down the left, away from two bunkers and an unseen ditch. The approach then has to be threaded between two mounds, both protected by bunkers, to a green built below the level of the fairway. The putting surface is wide but also surprisingly narrow, making it even more difficult to hit.
Hole No. 13
Whins
161 Yards
Par 3
The 13th is the shortest hole at Carnoustie but is certainly no pushover. The green, which narrows in the middle, rises from front to back and is protected by two bunkers, one on the left and one on the right. There is also a large horseshoe-shaped bunker to the front of the green. It catches anything that is under-clubbed and also masks the fact that the green is 40 yards in length.
Hole No. 14
Spectacles
483 Yards
Par 5
On the 14th the golfer faces a blind drive over an expanse of gorse and rough to a landing area protected by three bunkers on the left and another on the right. Then, he has an option, either to lay up or to hit a long second shot over two huge bunkers situated about 50 yards short of the green. These bunkers, known as the “Spectacles” completely obscure the view of the green. They also hide two bunkers that guard the entrance to the double green.
Hole No. 15
Luckyslap
456 Yards
Par 4
The 15th starts what is sometimes considered to be the toughest closing stretch in British Championship golf. Here, the fairway slopes from left to right, throwing any loose tee shots towards two bunkers. Then, the second shot has to be guided over a nest of bunkers to a green that is largely hidden from view.
Hole No. 16
Barry Burn
245 Yards
Par 3
The hardest par three in golf. Downwind it is difficult, into a easterly wind it is practically impossible to hit the green from the tee. The green itself is long but slopes off on all sides. It is also protected by five bunkers, situated short and to the left and right of the putting surface.
Hole No. 17
Island
433 Yards
Par 4
Revered golf writer, Bernard Darwin, once described Carnoustie’s Barry Burn as “the ubiquitous circumbendibus” and it is easy to see why once you reach the 17th hole. Here, the burn loops backwards and forwards across the fairway creating an island into which the tee shot should be hit. The second then has to be hit to a green that is protected by a mound on the left and bunkers on the right. Paul Lawrie birdied this hole during the play-off for the 1999 Open. For most others, a par would be considered to be an excellent result.
Hole No. 18
Home
444 Yards
Par 4
Carnoustie’s 18th hole will always be remembered as the scene of Frenchman, Jean Van de Velde’s amazing capitulation during the 1999 Open. Leading by three, he needed only a six to win the title but contrived to take seven and then lost the ensuing play-off to Scotland’s Paul Lawrie. On that occasion, Van de Velde drove left but avoided the Barry Burn. Sadly for him, however, his second shot struck a grandstand and rebounded into the rough on the right side of the fairway. His third found the Barry Burn where it crosses the fairway just short of the green. Dropping out under penalty, he hit his fifth shot into the bunker that guards the right of the green before blasting out and holing a 10-foot putt for his triple bogey. It was arguably the greatest catalogue of disasters that any golfer has ever experienced on one hole and could only have been worse had he also hit a ball over the out of bounds fence that is situated all the way down the left of the hole.
More information about the appointment, or about the services offered by the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee, is available direct from Committee on 01241 853789 (include e-mail number) or from Neil Gray at Golf Marketing Services on 01438 718399 (neil@gmsgolf.co.uk).
The Carnoustie Hotel Golf Resort and Spa is offering a range of luxury Hospitality Programmes at the forthcoming Dunhill Links Championship to be played at the Championship course at Carnoustie, the Old Course at St Andrews and Kingsbarns on October 3rd-6th.
The Hospitality Programmes give corporate clients and other visitors the chance to come to Carnoustie to watch some of the world’s top professional golfers, teamed with leading celebrities, and at the same time be wined and dined in Luxury Suites overlooking the 1st tee and the 18th green of Carnoustie’s famous Championship course.
The first programme has been designed with small groups in mind and offers guests the chance to have a wonderful day out for as little as £55.00 plus VAT per person.
This programme is to be housed in the palatial Dalhousie Suite between 11.00 am and 6.00 pm during each of the first three days of the Championship.
The day starts with a mid-morning coffee and bacon rolls on arrival. Visitors can also enjoy a Champagne Reception before or after sitting down to a spectacular three-course lunch complete with a bottle of wine per person. After lunch you can then watch the professionals and their celebrity partners in action on a Championship course where Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Gary Player, Tom Watson and Paul Lawrie have all won Open Championships before returning to the Dalhousie Suite for afternoon tee.
This programme accommodates small groups who will enjoy the prospect of mingling together with other visitors in the Dalhousie Suite but if it is more privacy you are after there are still a number of premium packages available.