A Pictorial: Carnoustie's Championship Course!!! (18th Hole Posted)

[Kyle Henderson]

Not terribly scenic but no ugly stepchild, a stern test of golf while playable for the novice (until the last 3 holes!!!), a bit short on charm yet not lacking for personality - this is Carnoustie’s Championship Course. Originally laid out by Robert Chambers (who?), Allen Robertson was largely responsible for the course’s early evolution over the first decade. The course has since been substantially renovated on multiple occasions by the likes of Old Tom Morris, George Morris (OTM’s brother), Bob and Archie Simpson, James Braid, Willie Parker, Jr. and James Wright (who?). That’s some list…


FYI: My other pictorial threads from this trip can be viewed at the following links:
Royal Dornoch http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40107.0/
Brora http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40120.0/
Golspie http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40126.0/
The Castle Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40204.0/
Murcar http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40281.0/
Crail: Craigshead & Balcombie http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40325.0/
Lundin Links http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40387.0/
Muirfield http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40439.0/
Cruden Bay http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40565.0/
Gleneagles - Kings Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40675.0/
St. Andrews - Old Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,40696.0/
Gullane #1 & #2 http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41085.0/
Panmure http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41122.0/
Gleneagles - Queens Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41152.0/
Kingsbarns http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41184.0/
Royal Aberdeen - Balgownie Links http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41498.0/
Carnoustie – Championship Course http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,41834.0/
North Berwick - West Links http://golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,42104.0/

*not featured: Nairn, Eden, New, Castle Stuart (tour)

The first hole isn’t overly taxing, but trouble looms with a burn left, a bunker right, and nerves possibly at work in the gut of a first-time visitor.


The first green sits down in a hollow, hence the white directional pole behind the green. Missing a bit left off the tee didn’t lead to any trouble on the day I played the course, but when the hay is high one simply must find the fairway. This task is made more difficult by a small ridge running through the left center of the fairway that can feed one’s tee ball into one of the bilateral perils.


The green is angled from left-to-right and protected by a single bunker at the right/front (scroll over). Once on the surface, the green contours are subtle. If you get the speed right, you should have a good chance to make a putt from moderate distances.

[Ben Stephens]

Kyle,

At last you have played the mighty Carnoustie, I played there a couple of times while at university in Dundee, and was fortunate to be inside the ropes at the 1999 Open working on the 12th hole scoreboard.

The 1st hole fairway bunkers prior to the 1999 Open was a lot closer to the tee and the 16th green, they changed it to tighten up the hole. This hole is difficult to get a birdie on because the green angles from front left to back right bringing in the greenside bunker into play. The best line off the tee is to hit the left side of the fairway. I can remember the pros trying to avoid that route taking an iron off the tee short of the bunkers meaning a harder line to the green they would have been happy with a 4.

Adi Stiff has designed a hole on the new Stranahan course at the Players Club based on the approach to this green.

I look forward to see more of this beast of a golf course!

Cheers


Ben

[Niall C]

Willie Parker Jnr (who ?) 

Once again Kyle, thanks for sharing your pics. I've got a feeling they will be referred to over the years as courses get tweaked and your pics will provide a useful reference tool.

Niall

[Emil Weber]

Thanks Kyle, looking forward to the next 17 holes! I only walked Carnoustie once, in the 2007 Open but I was really impressed with this links...

[Kyle Henderson]

 The 2nd hole, aptly named “Gulley,” is a brutish par 4 stretching up to 459 yards. Braid’s bunker sits in the dead center of the fairway at a bit over 200 yards from the pro tees (30-40 less for visotors), adding tremendous difficulty to the drive when winds are unfavorable.


The right side is peppered with nasty bunker at regular intervals from tee to green, requiring accuracy no matter how the hole is played (into or with the wind, punching out of the hay, laying up  to and ideal approach yardage or pin seeking).


The green is nearly 60 paces deep but not very wide –  this must be a great test for the pro’s that thrive on pinpoint distance above directional perfection, especially in a crosswind. Three bunkers protect the green’s entrance and mid-section, but there is room to run a long shot onto the putter pad.

[Kyle Henderson]

The landing zone for the 3rd hole is peppered with hillocks and bunkers – indecisiveness providing the largest hazard. Short hitters should aim left over the scrubby hillock between bunkers while long bombers should shoot for the trailing twosome a bit more to starboard.


A drive which carries 230-250 yards (depending on the teeing grounds selected) will clear these bunkers, allowing one to steer away from Jockie’s Burn along the left side of the fairway.


Jockie’s Burn crosses just in front of the green. The putting surface is 40 yards deep and wider at the rear than in front. Bunkers protect the middle of the green on the left and right (only the left bunker is visible from this vantage point.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Jockie's Burn was dry when I was there as well... Is this a seasonal thing?

Its amazing how much influence that green-side bunker has on putts. Not something you see frequently here in the states.

[Alister Matheson]

kyle, you should really be thinking about making a career switch as your course reviews are so well thought out and presented  i think you would have a great future doing this to pay your mortgage ! Cheers Alister

[Kyle Henderson]

kyle, you should really be thinking about making a career switch as your course reviews are so well thought out and presented  i think you would have a great future doing this to pay your mortgage ! Cheers Alister

Thanks, Alister. Your praise is highly gratifying. However, my hunch is that if neither Mr. Goodale nor "golf's most beloved" manage to pay their bills in this line of work, I'm probably not going to fare well.

Mind you, I am currently working on my first book, but the topic is much more risqué than GCA. I’ll probably try to publish it under a pseudonym and wear a mask on Oprah.

By the way, than you for making an effort to say “hello” during my day at Cruden Bay. That drive you saw me pull on #7 managed to carry all of the junk, but I missed the birdie putt.

Cheers.
-K

[Kyle Henderson]

The 4th is a 375-yard par 4 that shares its green with the 14th.  In calm winds, the right bunker is easily carried (~190 yards) from the tee but another awaits further down (~280 yards) that line. The left is protected by Jockie’s Burn and another bunker (~230 yards).


A well struck drive in favorable weather conditions will leave a short approach, allowing the player to carry past the four bunkers which guard the front of the green.


This view is of the approach to the 14th flag (red) and the 4th flag beyond (white), with the 4th hole stretching away to the far left. The combined green surface is over 70 yards deep.

[Kyle Henderson]

The tee shot for the 5th hole (408 yards) is played to an ample fairway between bunkers left and right.


The second shot is played over Jockie’s Burn to a green that is almost 60 paces deep and sloping from back to front. The rear portion of the green is raised and protected by bunkers on the left, making for a very difficult hole location.


Looking back to the tee (scroll right to see the pin).

[Kyle Henderson]

The 6th hole, a par 5 that now measures 585 yards in total length, is the famed Hogan’s Alley. With modern technology, proficient ball striker’s can simply blast over the two fairway central bunkers from the visitors tees, but in Hogan’s day (or from the new back tees) one had to drive left of the bunkers (as Hogan did in all four round of the Open Championship, hence the hole’s name) and risk going O.B. to gain the best angle for attacking the green in two.


The fairway gradually narrows as the green grows nearer, adding difficulty to long approaches and lay-up shots.


Jockie’s burn is mercifully piped under the fairway after defining its starboard border for almost 80 yards, but it can still pose a hazard for the wayward.


This bunker gathers any shot that drifts long and left of the green, while a trio of pot bunkers guard the far (right) side. The green is angled from short left to long right (again, favoring those that find Hogan’s alley from the tee) and 50 yards deep. Players will definitely face some very long lag putts at Carnoustie if they lack distance control with their irons (scroll right to see the flag and the Spectacle Bunkers of the 14th hole in the distance).

[Kyle Henderson]

The 409 yard 7th hole plays along the same boundary as the 6th, but is much shorter and more forgiving.


As at the previous hole, an advantage can be gained by driving left of a bunker couplet and risking a stroke and distance penalty, but here playing short of the sand will not render the green unreachable.


Two bunkers and a false front protect the green’s entrance, advocating an aerial approach and rewarding those that produce a long and accurate drive to yield a short wedge for their second shot.

[Kyle Henderson]

The 8th hole is the first par 3, 181 yards in length, and defined by O.B. left with bunkers at the left rear and right front of the green.
 

The green is tilted from back to front (there is a bit of false front just left of frame) and raised slightly from the surrounds.

[Anthony Gray]

  Kyle,

  Once again THANKS.

  Anthony

[David Stamm]

I can't think of another course where the first par 3 comes so deep into the round. That's a good thread in fact!

[Kyle Henderson]

While the par 5 9th plays as long as 480 yards, most will try their hand at this hole from something like 410-420 yards.


The fairway is narrow and guarded by bunkers right and left in the landing zone. In the distance, a bunker which appears to guard the left side of the green is actually set back a bit and fairly deep. Steer clear or face the toughest shot in golf.

[Ben Stephens]

Kyle,

I have never heard of the 9th being a par 5 - as far as I can remember it has always been played as a long par 4 - Nicklaus bunker is on the 2nd one up the right hand side of the fairway.

Cheers

Ben

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,

I have never heard of the 9th being a par 5 - as far as I can remember it has always been played as a long par 4 - Nicklaus bunker is on the 2nd one up the right hand side of the fairway.

Cheers

Ben

It's called a par 5 in the yardage guide I have (and a book produced by the same outfit), but it is definetly a 4 for visitors unless  the winds a blowing hard.

[James Boon]

The 6th hole, a par 5 that now measures 585 yards in total length, is the famed Hogan’s Alley. With modern technology, proficient ball striker’s can simply blast over the two fairway central bunkers from the visitors tees, but in Hogan’s day (or from the new back tees) one had to drive left of the bunkers (as Hogan did in all four round of the Open Championship, hence the hole’s name) and risk going O.B. to gain the best angle for attacking the green in two.

Kyle,

Thanks for these pictures! I walked the course at the Scottish Open some years ago, but its good to see a course from the players eye view. The thing that really jumped out at me was the drive on 6. The left hand side of those central bunkers looks reasonably welcoming in the photo, as even though the right hand bunkers are in the distance, they make the right hand side look dangerous? How does it feel in the flesh?

And talking of Hogan, didn't he play with a fade in his later years? And if so does that mean he sent his tee shots out over the out of bounds? WOW! Its been a while since I read his biography so I dont recall the details?

Cheers,

James

[Rich Goodale]

Kyle,

I have never heard of the 9th being a par 5 - as far as I can remember it has always been played as a long par 4 - Nicklaus bunker is on the 2nd one up the right hand side of the fairway.

Cheers

Ben

It's called a par 5 in the yardage guide I have (and a book produced by the same outfit), but it is definetly a 4 for visitors unless  the winds a blowing hard.

Kyle

I have a copy of that book too, and I think if you look closely you will see that it says (rightly) that 9 is a par 5 for ladies only.

Slainte

Rich

PS--great photos/great series.  thanks.

rfg

[Kyle Henderson]

Kyle,

I have never heard of the 9th being a par 5 - as far as I can remember it has always been played as a long par 4 - Nicklaus bunker is on the 2nd one up the right hand side of the fairway.

Cheers

Ben

It's called a par 5 in the yardage guide I have (and a book produced by the same outfit), but it is definetly a 4 for visitors unless  the winds a blowing hard.

Kyle

I have a copy of that book too, and I think if you look closely you will see that it says (rightly) that 9 is a par 5 for ladies only.

Slainte

Rich

PS--great photos/great series.  thanks.

rfg

I'm looking at the book at this very moment, and this particular detail is presented in a confusing manner. But, otherwise, the review of the 9th hole is a spectacular compendium, far surpassing my whimsical presentation in both depth and clarity. 
I’ll stick to the scorecard printed in the back of the book for determining what preconceived notions of “par” have been ascribed to each hole. T

Thanks for the clarification, Sir Richard.

[Ben Stephens]

Boony,

Talking about the 6th, Hogan's Alley on Kyle's pic looks wide but actually it is narrow and it takes a brave drive to hit there, I have been OOB before attempting to get there as well as hitting it right for safety - if it plays downwind those central bunkers are easy to carry over for the big hitter! I have used a 8 or 9 iron to the green for my second shot.


Here is a comment from CGL website

Hogans Alley

Named after the immortal Ben Hogan who won the Open Championship in 1953, this hole is where Carnoustie starts to turn up the heat.

Normally played into the prevailing wind this hole can be a severe par 5. Bunkers and out of bounds await the miss-cued drive and although the best line is up Hogan’s Alley between the bunkers and the out of bounds fence, it requires a brave player to drive to that narrow piece of fairway. The 2nd shot is no less perilous with a ditch angling across the fairway and the out of bounds continuing to be a threat.

The approach is reasonably straightforward to an undulating green, particular care must be taken if the pin is located on the back right portion of the green.

A player should always be content with a five on this hole as it can be the ruin of many a scorecard.

Caddie’s Tip
“Hogan’s alley for the brave, but not for the faint hearted, who should favour the right of the centre bunkers on this very difficult par five. Care must also be taken with your second shot as once again Jockey’s burn bites deeply into the right side of the fairway.”

Cheers

Ben

PS I thought Hogan had a problem with the hooks

[Kyle Henderson]

Mr. Boon,

In addition to what Mr. Stephens posted, you can see that the tee markers can also be placed aways from the OB line, forcing the angle of the drive more towards OB for those trying to find Hogan's Alley. That gap is probably ~20 yards wide or so ( can anyone confirm?).

[Kyle Henderson]

The 10th hole, famously dubbed “South America,” is another stiff challenge at 465 yards from the tips (425 for most visitors). Three bunkers guard the right side for short hitters.


Farther down, another bunker on the left acts as a sentry for long bombers.


The Barry Burn crosses ~45 yards short of the green, but the masonry is tiered to allow safe entry for those seeking a Van de Velde foot bath. This green is 40 yards deep, with bunkers at the left front and right middle and trees on the right to boot (scroll to view).