The Missing Links: Carnoustie Burnside, Scotland

Saturday, 23 May 2015

Carnoustie Burnside, Scotland

www.carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk

Yellow tees par 68 SSS 70
Red tees par 71 SSS 72

On a glorious sunny but breezy day we played the Burnside course at Carnoustie which neighbours the famous Championship course. It is such an enjoyable course with true links character - heather, whins, the Barry Burn and tough bunkers. It was established in 1914 and in its days as an Open qualifying course it hosted Ben Hogan whose 70 allowed him to qualify and win the Claret Jug in 1953.

The par 3 9th

The par 3s are particularly memorable. The 5th (aptly named 'Burn') has a green surrounded on three sides by the Barry Burn, the 9th has a plateau green which requires an accurate shot to hold and the 14th is of a quality which could be found on some of the best links courses in the world. Named 'scoup' which in Scots means to scamper, your shot needs to live up to this name as it is uphill and long, especially when into the wind. It requires a long wood or even a driver which makes it very challenging to hold. Be happy with a par 3! The 17th is a stunning par 5 which needs careful thought to negotiate the burn which crosses the fairway twice.

Worth a visit? Yes This is an excellent course for the club golfer- combine with the other two Carnoustie courses for a great golfing experience.

A view of the 17th green - this is the second time that the burn has to be negotiated on this hole.

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The Links Project

There are 246 true links golf courses in the world and this blog is a record of our attempt to play all of them. My husband Ron and I are keen golfers and I came up with the idea of this project after he gave me the book by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell 'True Links' which lists them all.

The commonest question we are asked about our project is 'How do you define a true links course?' This will be debated by aficionados for long after we have (hopefully) completed our quest and there will never be a correct answer. The strict definition is from the British Golf Museum:

1. The course must be beside a river estuary

2. It must offer partial or occasional views of the sea

3. It must have few trees

4. It must have numerous bunkers

5. It must have nines that run out and back, the front heading to a far point and the back returning to the clubhouse

Peper and Campbell defined their list as follows:

Terrain - how close is the course to the sea? Do the fairways run fast and hard? Do the greens favour a run-on approach? How open is the site? How natural? Is there a freedom from trees? Is the invasion of gorse and brush controlled? How light is the environmental footprint on the land?

Turf - is there a sand base? What grasses are dominant on the fairways and greens? Is the rough managed ( creating biodiversity for flora and fauna)? How well does the course drain?

Weather - how exposed is the site to the elements? What are the typical wind conditions? Does the course play hard and fast all year round? Must temporary greens and tees be used in winter? Is the course susceptible to winter closure?

Peper and Campbell included courses which supplied the correct answers to most of these questions. But however defined, to me the poem by Sir John Betjeman encapsulates the feeling of links golf.