A row of gabled hotel buildings and a timber clubhouse reflected in a burn crossing the fairway
Angus

Carnoustie Golf Links

The Open has been played here eight times since 1931. Par 72 over 6,945 yards, with the Barry Burn winding through the last holes.

Welcome

Carnoustie has a reputation as one of the hardest links in golf.

The Championship course lies along the shore at the edge of the town, in Angus on the east coast, with the Barry Burn winding through its closing holes. It has hosted the Open eight times, and golfers still talk about Ben Hogan's win in 1953 and Jean van de Velde paddling in the burn in 1999. Visitors can book online, and when you're done, The Rookery upstairs in Links House looks out over the course to the sea.

A stone bridge over a bunker leading to the clubhouse and townhouses at Carnoustie
The Barry Burn before the last green, and the hotel behind it.Press a mark to look closer.
The card

18 holes. Par 72 and 6,945 yards from the white tees, down to 5,610 from the black.

Carnoustie Golf Links
Hole123456789Out101112131415161718InTotal
NameCupGulleyJockie’s BurnHillocksBraeHogan’s AlleyPlantationShortRailwaySouth AmericaJohn PhilpSouthward HoWhinsSpectaclesLucky SlapBarry BurnIslandHome
White4014353453753875203941674163,4404463624791614764592454334443,5056,945
Yellow3894073253643695003731574163,3004173514071414594372354214213,2896,589
Green3643823103583504853501334023,1343323303951214404182123743833,0056,139
Black3643032903052984852951333432,8163322923301213753842123743742,7945,610
Par · White444445434364453543443672
Par · Yellow, Green, Black444445434364443443443470
Ladies' par · Green444445435374443554443774
Ladies' par · Black444445434364443444443571
Stroke index104141612281863159171713511
Ladies' stroke index931175115171381441621218610
Score

The holes tinted yellow are the highlights below. Press one to read about it.

Hole highlights

The Open has been played here eight times, from Tommy Armour's win in 1931 to Francesco Molinari's in 2018.

  1. 6

    Hogan's Alley

    Par 5 · 520 yards

    In the 1953 Open Ben Hogan drove into the narrow strip between the fairway bunkers and the out-of-bounds fence, and the hole was named after him in 2003.

  2. 10

    South America

    Par 4 · 446 yards

    The first crossing of the Barry Burn. The story goes that a man leaving for South America drank so much at his farewell that he got no further than this hole, and was found asleep on it.

  3. 14

    Spectacles

    Par 5 · 476 yards

    Named after the two round bunkers side by side short of the green, like a pair of glasses. Gary Player hit a three-wood over them to two feet on his way to winning the 1968 Open.

  4. 16

    Barry Burn

    Par 3 · 245 yards

    A long, hard par three. Tom Watson never made par on it in 1975, in four rounds and a play-off, and he still won the Open.

  5. 18

    Home

    Par 4 · 444 yards

    The Barry Burn crosses in front of the green, with the hotel standing behind it. In 1999 Jean van de Velde came to this tee three shots clear, found the burn and lost the Open in a play-off.

Playing here

The Open Championship links in Angus, eight times host since 1931, with the Barry Burn winding through the famous finish.

Holes
18
Par
72
Yards
6,945
The Open
8 times

Booking

01241 802270

Handicap limits of 28 for men and 36 for women. Groups under four may be joined up.

Green fees, 2026

  • Championship, May to October£360
  • Championship, April£249
  • Burnside or Buddon, May to October£135
  • Burnside or Buddon, April£99

To hire

  • Caddie£80
  • Electric trolley£25
  • Push trolley£10
  • Clubs

The clubhouse

The Rookery, upstairs in Links House, looks over the course to the sea.

Did you know

Frank Sinatra went out to Carnoustie Golf Links in 1953 to watch the American golfer Ben Hogan play the Open.

He was in Dundee for a concert and followed the second day's play. Hogan went on to win, in the only Open Championship he ever entered.

1 of 5
Where it is

Links House is on Links Parade in Carnoustie, DD7 7JE, beside the Carnoustie Golf Hotel and behind the 18th green.

The town has its own railway station on the line between Dundee and Arbroath, and Dundee is about twenty-five minutes away by car.

Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Recommend to a friend

More golf

More courses in Angus, and the collections this one is in.

Find out more

For further reading, before you go.