(above: the fantastic par 3 13th)
A friend of mine (10ish handicap, a self-confessed lover of "scenery" in golf) recently played Carnoustie and said it was possibly the most boring course he had ever played. To quote him, "...only the incessant staccato pops from the nearby gun range kept me from full-on REM sleep." After I stopped laughing from his very humourous comment, I almost punched him in the face.
Personally, I believe Carnoustie to be the finest test of championship links golf on the planet. In defense of my friend, there is absolutely no scenery at Carnoustie. There are no views of the sea, no beautiful vistas of an ancient town like St Andrews or North Berwick, nothing to distract you from a great test of golf. Which is exactly why it is so good, the "scenery" is the course!
To get a sense of what a round at Carnoustie entails, look no further than the par 4 opening hole. The first is a 450 or so yard par 4 with a burn and OB on the left, then a semi blind mid-long iron approach to a tucked green. Welcome to Carnoustie.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, courses that possess a variety of short and long holes provides not only enjoyment, but a good test of one's game. Carnoustie has a wonderful blend of strategic short holes (#2, #7, #13) and just plain difficult ones (#1, #2, #5, #9...etc etc). What I believe truly sets this course apart from other links is that it has a unique mix of links, parkland and heathland holes. This is something so rarely seen in golf, and gives the golfer a fantastic overall experience.
The course got a bit of a bad reputation after the 1999 Open when the rough was several feet high - and thick. You may remember then amateur golf sensation Sergio Garcia crying in his mother's arms after shooting 89, 83. (But this shouldn't be shocking, he cried in 2009 when he lost the Open to Harrington in a playoff in 2007 too!) The course was dubbed "Carnasty" during that Open, yet it is a very fair test of golf. Every hole - and every shot - is very fair. Do not, I repeat do not, skip this course when visiting Scotland, it is one of the best links experiences anywhere.
Carnoustie is unrivaled in terms of shot value and is the finest championship links on the Open rotation. I'll argue this to my grave.
Hit 'em well.
- MG
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