I'm delighted to have got a place on the team supporting the greenstaff at the Open this year. Essentially raking bunkers, although they sometimes get the odd hose out as well I understand. Its something I've wanted to do for a few years, mainly because its such a good way to see the golf course, set up at its best (hopefully!), from inside the ropes. I did it once at the PGA event at Wentworth a while back and you get the same view the pros do.
Of all the courses on the rota, Carnoustie is the one I know least about, having never been, and I can remember little of the '99 Open beyond Jean Van de Velde's efforts. It seems to have a mixed press at best on here, and part of that will no doubt be due to how hard it played last time round. But if a course can be judged on the standard of champion it produces, 'Car-nasty' hasn't a bad pedigree: Armour, Cotton, Hogan, Player, Watson...
It would be of great interest to me to hear some opinions of Carnoustie and some suggestions of what I should be looking out for architecturally, especially in terms of changes to the course that have taken place, etc.
Very excited
Richard