Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course: Review, Tee Times and Key Info

Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course Key Information

There’s a strong case for saying that Carnoustie’s Championship Course may be the most challenging in our Top 100 golf courses UK&I rankings.

When it comes to quality, it is certainly one of the best golf courses in Scotland and one of the best links courses in the UK. It delivers a complete test of golf as displayed each time a Major championship visits, whether that be The Open Championship, or the AIG Women's Open.

Francesco Molinari won over baked fairways in 2018 with the ball running like a scalded cat upon landing. Padraig Harrington came through an epic tussle with Sergio Garcia in 2007. But, for many Carnoustie will always stir memories of 1999, Jean Van de Velde’s 72nd hole collapse, and Paul Lawrie’s famous comeback victory. Anna Nordqvist won a memorable AIG Women's Open at Carnoustie in 2021.

There may be no views of the sea around the course at Carnoustie but the terrain is pure links. The turf is firm and sandy over natural bumps and hollows. The narrow fairways are protected by gorse, streams and magnetic bunkering as they pick their way carefully towards the vast, supremely maintained, greens.

There are no weak holes on the course, with each demanding excellence. Whether the requirement is solid, accurate ball striking, as on long par-4s like the testing 2nd and 15th, or a more strategic approach, as on the short but very well protected 3rd. That's a combination I think shows the quality of this track.

Golf at Carnoustie began in the 16th century but the first course didn’t appear until 1850 when legendary St Andrews professional Alan Robertson designed a 10-hole track. It was Robertson’s protégé Old Tom Morris who extended the layout to 18, but the Championship course as we know it didn’t really begin to take shape until 1926 when James Braid oversaw extensive modifications.

Prior to the Open Championship of 1931 it was decided the finishing holes were not challenging enough so, local man James Wright redesigned the final three. I think it's fair to say he was successful. Wright, arguably, created the toughest closing stretch in British golf.

What's new for 2025/26? What our panellists said…

Matt Weavers

It is just so very hard to find any fault! The closing stretch is obviously world class, but there are simply no weak holes and the continual changes of direction and strategy force the player to adapt to the wind and hit a huge variety of shots. Always an enormous sense of occasion at Carnoustie.

Jason Eaton

One of my favourite designed courses in that I always anticipate I can shoot a great score on the course if I play well yet it is littered with holes that can blow your score in a medal in the blink of an eye. If I could only play 1 course over and over but no other, Carnoustie is my choice.

Tim Gorman

Our party loved the course and were wowed by the toughness of the finish. What the course lacks in scenery it makes up for in the golfing challenge it sets. There is at Carnoustie, that intangible quality that only a handful of courses has, a clear sense of occasion as one arrives on the 1^st tee lasting until departing the 18^th green.

Carnoustie Golf Links Location

Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course Scorecard

Best Courses Near To Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course

PANMURE GOLF CLUB

In 1953 Ben Hogan travelled to the UK for his one and only Open appearance at Carnoustie, he prepared around the links at Panmure. The Texan’s favourite hole at Panmure was the sixth and the bunker short and right of the green was added at his recommendation. It’s still referred to as Hogan’s bunker.

EDZELL GOLF CLUB

Edzell Golf Club lies where the fertile lowlands of Strathmore meet the foothills of the Grampian Mountains. It’s a breathtaking spot and ideal terrain for a golf course.The fairways are springy and fast running in summer. The greens are famous for being amongst the slickest and smoothest in the north east of Scotland.

For all the best courses north of the border check out our best golf courses in Scotland

Best Places to stay near Carnoustie Golf Links

The Carnoustie Golf Hotel - Book now at Booking.com
Stay right on the edge of the famous links and you could enjoy a room with views of the famous Barry Burn and the challenging 18th hole. There's a spa facility, a gym and a comfortable bar.

19th Hole Hotel Carnoustie - Book now at Booking.com
Less than half a mile from Carnoustie Golf Course, the 19th Hole Hotel provides decent sized rooms with 32-inch TVs and even cosy bathrobes. The full Scottish breakfasts are famously good and you're just 300 yards from the town centre.

Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort - Book now at Booking.com
A selection of luxury lodges within easy reach of Dundee and Carnoustie. Some lodges even have their own hot tubs.

Carnoustie Golf Links Championship Course Gallery

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Tournaments Hosted at Carnoustie

• The Open Championship - 1931, 1937, 1953, 1968, 1975, 1999, 2007, 2018
• AIG Women's Open - 2021
• The Senior Open - 2010, 2016, 2024
• The Amateur Championship - 1947, 1966, 1971, 1992, 2015

Carnoustie Golf Links Historical Top 100 ranking UK&I

• 2025/26 - 8
• 2023/23 - 7
• 2021/22 - 5
• 2019/20 - 5
• 2017/18 - 5
• 2015/16 - 6
• 2013/14 - 8
• 2011/12 - 7
• 2009/10 - 7

Frequently Asked Questions