The Carnoustie Burnside Course is steeped in history, dating back to 1892. Originally created as an auxiliary nine-hole course to relieve pressure on The Carnoustie Championship Course, it was one of the earliest examples of a club expanding its offering with a second course, predating the New Course at St Andrews by two years. The layout evolved over time, becoming a full 18-hole course in 1914, before being further lengthened and officially named the Burnside Course in 1934.

The Burnside Course served as a qualifying course for The Open Championship in 1953, notably witnessing Ben Hogan’s qualification for the Championship, a prelude to lifting The Claret Jug on The Carnoustie Championship Course later that very week – the only time that Hogan ever competed in The Open Championship.

This feisty but fun course is definitely one of Scotland’s hidden gems. Measuring just over 6,000 yards, the course challenges golfers with its narrow fairways, heather-laden terrain, daunting pot bunkers, and the meandering Barry Burn, a feature integral to several of the challenging par three holes. Beware of the 5th and 14th in particular, providing dramatic challenges of accuracy and distance. Greens are small, contoured and hard to hold, especially in dry summer conditions or when the wind gets up.

An excellent course in its own right, The Carnoustie Burnside Course equals The Carnoustie Championship Course in quality and strategy that leaves you knowing you have played Carnoustie, ‘Golf’s Greatest Test®’.