April 6th, 2024 —
Carnoustie. The last day of the trip. We sadly gathered our belongings, packed up our airbnb and headed to pick up the car from the New Course parking lot. The day before had undoubtedly been one to remember. After crossing off a bucket list experience with 18 at the Old Course, rather than drive home, we decided to walk the three blocks home down the streets of St. Andrews. With the post round adrenaline pumping, we turned the first corner and pretended to be surprised when we yet again stumbled on the famous Dunvegan Hotel, which we had begun referring to as “our local watering hole;” a nod to the countless hours we had spent there over the last couple days…also because we had begun dreaming of becoming St. Andrews residents. So, with spikes still on and golf bags slung across our backs, we marched into the pub as the inevitable pull of a post round Guinness at the hallowed pub yet again lured us in.
So back to Saturday, to no one’s surprise we were moving a bit sluggish this morning and quickly began to question our decisions from the evening prior. Widely considered one of the most difficult courses in the world, the decision to play Carnoustie had been a difficult one for the group. Planning the rest of the trip was rather simple. With very little deliberation over where we would play each day, we decided to leave the last day open for any last minute cravings. While we knew the obvious draw to Carnoustie – seven time Open Championship host that has elicited some of the most memorable moments in major golf history – its reputation for beating golfers down with at times borderline unplayable conditions left us with some hesitation. In fact, a caddie from early in the trip confirmed our fears when he commented, “Ohhhh Carnoustie, they say the first 13 holes are the hardest….and the last 5 are impossible.” Luckily we had a fairly competitive group and after some deliberation we all agreed we wanted to test ourselves against the infamous beast known as Car-nasty.
So all in all I think it is safe to say we came in hoping for the best but expecting the worst – exiting the car to find wind blowing 40 mph and gusting over 50, we assumed it would likely be the latter. However, rounding that corner on the walk from the parking lot to the clubhouse and seeing the practice green and first tee, we knew we had made the right call. The conditioning was pristine. Despite an extremely difficult spring, Carnoustie played firm and fast all over and boasted the purest greens we had seen all trip. Lucky for us, the rough was manageable and, to our surprise, we were actually in for an all-world golf experience.
First let’s set the stage. On the line for the day was the conclusion of our trip long Stableford Quota tournament which Mark had taken control on day one and had yet to relinquish his lead. We also were looking to crown the “Champion Golfer of the Trip,” awarded to the golfer who had the lowest aggregate net strokes among the final two rounds – St. Andrews and Carnoustie. And lastly, the most anticipated outcome, this round would decide the winner of the 36 hole Match Play finale. After tying the 5 match round robin series 2-2-1, Mark and Phil currently held a 1Up lead over Tim and I heading into the day, after another blistering team performance at St. Andrews.
Now for the 1st hole, a 400 yard par 4 into the teeth of the wind. On this day it required a 3 wood approach to get anywhere close. Phil stood in the fairway after crushing his tee shot and thought he would club up from PW to 8 iron to account for the wind; thankfully he waited for our forecaddie before pulling the trigger, who talked Phil into hitting 4 iron (only to still come up short). Things got no easier on the 2nd as we headed into the wind yet again. Mark pured a driver – a swing that normally would produce a 290-300 yard drive – it went 184 yards. I think it speaks to the brilliance of the course that even in the windy conditions we had, we all walked off the course feeling that it was a fair and true test of golf.
Looking past the weather, the rest of the day would produce one exceptional hole after the next. Both green sites on 1 and 2 were standouts, protected by natural dunes and well placed bunkers, we knew we were in for a treat. At the 4th you’re introduced to the only double green on the course, shared with the 14th the two holes combine to total 18…the same as every double green at St. Andrews. The 5th boasts an all-world green – 53 yards front to back – we had a wild back pin with a massive back stop that ignited the creative juices on the approach shot. The 6th is a par 5 with the famous “Hogan’s Alley” and the 8th a shorter par 3 with OB no more than 10 yards off the left side of the green.
We snaked our way through the first 13 holes following the unique routing and arrived at the 14th with the match still fairly close. Hitting your approach into the back half of the double green, the view on the approach is completely blind thanks to the enormous “spectacle” bunkers. Both Mark and Phil made birdie here.
The 15th is a slight dogleg left with another huge green sloping front to back and protected by a deep bunker short left. Playing down wind it was almost impossible to stop this approach shot short. Timmy got to experience one of the famous Carnoustie bunkers on this hole.
Finally we had reached arguably the most famous 3 hole closing stretch in golf. The 16th, named “Barry Burn”, is a 230 yard par 3 deemed by Jack Nicholas to be “the hardest par 3 in golf,” a statement that is backed by Tom Watson’s 5 bogies in 1975 en route to his first Claret Jug. Often playing into the wind and requiring driver off the tee, on this day it was dead downwind with the difficult wind tunnel making it nearly impossible to choose a club. I hit a 6 iron that landed short of the front right bunker, bounced 15 feet high and rolled another 45 yards resulting in a 270 yard 6 iron in all.
The 17th, “Island” provides a truly unique tee shot forcing you to squeeze a drive into a fairway that is surrounded by the Barry Burn on all sides. Tim made an all world par hitting driver-5 wood to 15 feet and 2 putting to ice the match.
And lastly, the 18th, again named “home.” With the magnificent Carnoustie Golf Hotel glowing in the afternoon sun, we launched our approach shots at the big clock praying to miss the Barry Burn that tragically ripped Jean van de Velde’ hands from the Claret Jug in 1999. It is a surreal finishing hole and one that is deserving of its infinite praise.
And just like that the trip was over. 8 rounds on 7 courses in 6 day, capped by a trip around this famous beast nicknamed “Car-nasty,” at the very least we were all pleasantly surprised, if not utterly blown away. Making our way back to Edinburgh and finding a spot for dinner on Grass Market St., our nightly ritual of choosing our favorite hole was spirited. With countless to choose from, our view of Carnoustie had been forever changed. It was far more than a mindless brute (which is more than you can say for most American championship courses), expertly designed and manicured to punish golfers and test their control both mentally and physically. Each hole produced thoughtful shots that rewarded creativity and bravery, emboldening golfers to take on the challenge. However, getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar on this track will leave you quickly humbled. Carnoustie sky rocketed up the trip rankings, challenging for my favorite on the trip. I am counting down the days until my next opportunity to slay the beast that is Carnoustie Golf Links.
–Luke