Carnoustie - Home to the OPEN 2018 (pic heavy)

[perseveringgolfer]

I was fortunate to get an invite to Carnoustie, or Carnastie as it's been called, this weekend and accepted even though the forecast was 10*c (50F) and raining. Typical Scottish weather and forecasts but the actual day turned out to be 13*c (55F) and sunny. There's a  saying in Scotland, "if you don't like the weather wait 10 minutes".

 

It was a slightly breezy day, about a 1 club wind, but that was enough to stop me reaching 2 of the par 4's in two, and I was hitting the ball well especially with woods.

 

The infamous par 3 16th at 240yds took a full blooded driver to get about a third up the green, two putts saw a par 3 and better than Tom Watson did over 4 days during the Open there! This is also the hole Nicklaus asked to be remeasured as he said there isnt a par 3 on Earth he couldn't reach with his driver...except this one! There was a stronger wind the day he played.

 

The greens were fantastic for mid April, probably running 10 or 11 on the stimp and very true. Rough was thin and sparce as you would expect with no growth, but the burns (streams) were everywhere (or so it felt like it) and were wide (about twice as wide as the swilken burn at the Old course). I put a few in them especially at 18 where I tried to get on in two and the burn just gobbled up a beautifully struck 4 wood - cost me a 7 there and easily done.

 

I've attached a few pictures which doesn't do it justice but might give you a slight flavour of the course.  My opinion, for what it's worth, is it's a course that suits a fader of the ball, lots of left to right doglegs and trouble on the right half of straight holes with plenty of room on the left.

 

Theres a new clubhouse being built beside the 1st tee- nice at one end but looks cobbled together with large viewing windows halfway back that look directly into the wall of the front half of the building- strange, but maybe ok inside.

 

Anyway, enjoy the few pics I took and any questions just ask.

 

1st Tee and stands just starting to be built

 

View up the 1st

 

The new clubhouse at the 1st 

 

The burns (streams) Bah! (cant get this pic to load the right way up)

 

Suits a fader (short-ish par4) (pics are right way up on pc, weird)

 

Nice approach to guarded par 4 with halfway house in background.

 

 

Same hole, just closer

 

 

The long par 3 16th - 240yds (felt like 280 in the breeze)

 

 

 

The 18th

 

also 18th- OOB all the way up the left and you have to cross the wide burn twice!

 

 

 

[tommc23]

Sounds like you had a fun day

 

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[Lefty78]

I played there last August on an uncharacteristic nice day for Scotland.  I played very well (for me) and shot a 93.  two of my partners were not so fortunate, they hit most, if not all, of the fairway bunkers which is automatic wedge out sideways.  It will be interesting how the pros handle those fairway bunkers. 

 

It's a difficult layout with all those bunkers and historic with Hogan's alley and the other famous holes.  My tee shot was a yard OB on Hogan's alley (par 5,) the second tee shot was in by a few yards, followed by a short approach and two putts, I saved bogie.  One of my partners made birdie by playing way right off the tee.  The guys in the Open this summer will probably hit irons off that tee. 

 

It was a fun course to me, to the guys that struggled, it was their least favorite.  It was one of the least scenic courses we saw but the history and the challenge make it worthwhile to include in a Scotland trip. 

[downlowkey]

I was lucky enough to play the Championship Course in 2010 and will agree it's a seriously tough test of golf. When our tee time finally rolled around, the course was totally socked in. They had also inexplicably lost our caddie reservation. The looper snafu wouldn't have been a huge deal but we couldn't even make out the fairway on the first, much less the bottomless bunkers lurking everywhere. This continued for 4 holes of golf I'd rather not relive. The fog finally relented and we ended up enjoying the last 14 much more.

I think my favorite piece of history was the plaque on the Par 5, sixth; detailing Hogan's ‘53 Open Championship strategy of fading driver down the narrow ribbon of fairway between the imposing left hand OB and bunkers stretching across the majority of the fairway. I decided to take on Hogan's alley and made birdie.

The other decision that really made an impression on me was the tee shot you face on #17. Standing on the tee with a tail wind, it seems like the twisting Barry Burn will gobble up balls hit on any line. I also found it difficult to put the “van de Veld nightmare” out of mind playing the penal 18th.

 

 

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[BigtazzGolf]

Nice. I can't wait to see what mother nature has in store for the guys this year.

 

 

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[Shankster]

Ah... a real golf course. Thanks for sharing!

[deejaid]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your experience. I dream of a Scotland golf vacation someday. Looks wonderful!

 

 

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[xxxxxxxx]

I was fortunate to get an invite to Carnoustie, or Carnastie as it's been called, this weekend and accepted even though the forecast was 10*c (50F) and raining. Typical Scottish weather and forecasts but the actual day turned out to be 13*c (55F) and sunny. There's a  saying in Scotland, "if you don't like the weather wait 10 minutes".

 

 

 

That's awesome you had the chance to play the course whilst the grandstands were being constructed. Very unique way of enjoying the course. I had a good mate, describe his round at Carnoustie to me in great detail recently and it sounds like an amazing test of golf. I've enjoyed watching the two previous Opens there and no doubt this year's will be a great one to watch as well. I'm thinking Fowler or Garcia will grab it....at least I hope so! Thanks for sharing the pics too, so great!

[HardcoreLooper]

Wonderful to look at those pictures.  Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

[GolfJunkie302]

Sounds like an awesome round! Love the photos.

 

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[JohnSmalls]

Great pictures!  Carnoustie looks even better than I imagined.  One of these decades a Scotland trip will happen!

[JTexGolfer]

Awesome pictures. That's a bucket list course for me to be sure.

[MDGolfHacker]

Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing! Really need to scratch this one off the bucket list!

 

MDGolfHacker

[ddryan]

We had the wonderful experience of playing in a steady rain the Thursday of Open week 2010. I don't remember the fairways being as open as they appear in your great photos. I remember gorse, nasty bunkers and small slick greens. And yes, I lost a shot it the burn that runs across 18. Fun all the same.

 

 

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[perseveringgolfer]

couple more from my phone - sorry cant get the first to rotate on here- fine on pc but turns on upload

 

This is a lovely- and tricky 160yd par 3 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[petermo]

Good to read about others' experiences. I played Carnoustie in August 1971 and it was easy to get on to the course which at the time, like St Andrews, was a public course with a 5 pound green fee.

 

In spite of the "summer" it was very cold and I wore two light jerseys (sweaters) to keep warm. The locals though were made of far sterner stuff  and played golf in normal golf shirts and even sweated a bit because of the "heat"!

 

It was a sunny day with little breeze and I managed to hit a great shot on 16 with my old McGregor keyhole driver and also managed a 3. The rest of the round left something to be desired and in spite of my then 3 handicap I was comfortably over 80.

 

'Til then it was easily the toughest course I'd played. I'd have loved to try again but having to get to London to work scuppered that.

[clark827]

Good stuff- I've always loved the way they built and incorporated the burns at Carnoustie.  Thanks for sharing!