Club information | |
---|---|
Location | Carnoustie, Scotland |
Established | 1850 |
Type | Public |
Total holes | 54 |
Championship | |
Designed by | Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris, James Braid |
Par | 72 (71 for The Open) |
Length | 6,941 yards (6,347 m) (7,421 yards (6,786 m) for the 2007 Open Championship) |
Course record | 64 by Richard Green, Steve Stricker, Colin Montgomerie, Alan Tait, Shane Lowry, Alexander Norén |
The Burnside | |
Designed by | James Braid |
Par | 68 |
Length | 5,972 yards (5,461 m) |
Buddon Links | |
Par | 68 |
Length | 5,921 yards (5,414 m) |
The Carnoustie Golf Links are in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Its historic championship golf course is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation.
Golf is recorded as having been played at Carnoustie in the early 16th century. In 1890, the 14th Earl of Dalhousie, who owned the land, sold the links to the local authority. It had no funds to acquire the property, and public fundraising was undertaken and donated to the council. The original course was of ten holes, crossing and recrossing the Barry Burn; it was designed by Allan Robertson, assisted by Old Tom Morris, and opened in 1842. The opening of the coastal railway from Dundee to Arbroath in 1838 brought an influx of golfers from as far afield as Edinburgh, anxious to tackle the ancient links. This led to a complete restructuring of the course, extended in 1867 by Old Tom Morris to the 18 holes which had meanwhile become standardized. Young Tom Morris won a major open event there that same year. Two additional courses have since been added: the Burnside Course and the shorter though equally testing Buddon Links.
Carnoustie first played host to The Open Championship in 1931, after modifications to the course by James Braid in 1926. The winner then was Tommy Armour, from Edinburgh.
Later Open winners at Carnoustie include Henry Cotton of England in 1937, Ben Hogan of the USA in 1953, Gary Player of South Africa in 1968, Tom Watson of the USA in 1975, Paul Lawrie of Scotland in 1999 and Pádraig Harrington of Ireland in 2007. The last three championships were all won in playoffs.