Golf in Angus: Carnoustie and the forgotten links of the east coast

Carnoustie Championship Course

• Architect: Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris; James Braid (1926)
• Opened 1842
• 18 holes
• Par 72

First laid out as ten holes by Allan Robertson, extended to eighteen by Old Tom Morris in 1867 and remodelled by James Braid in 1926 to host the Open, the Championship Course has staged the Championship eight times, from 1931 to 2018. Its reputation rests on flat, relentless ground, deep bunkers placed where drives land and, above all, the Barry Burn, which guards the 18th green. It was here, in 1999, that Jean van de Velde lost an Open he held on the 72nd hole. A course for seasoned golfers who want to measure themselves against the severest of the Open links.

Signature hole. The 6th, Hogan's Alley, is a long par 5 named in honour of Ben Hogan, winner of the 1953 Open: two bunkers in the middle of the fairway and a third on the right force you to choose your line from the tee.

Panmure Golf Club

• Architect: Old Tom Morris; James Braid (1922)
• Opened 1899
• 18 holes

Founded in 1845, Panmure first played on the Monifieth links before settling in 1899 at Barry, just west of Carnoustie. The club claims the hands of Old Tom Morris and James Braid, who proposed changes in 1922. The flat opening and closing holes frame twelve holes of pure links among hummocks, heather and pines. In 1953 Ben Hogan practised here for two weeks with his caddie Cecil Timms to get to grips with links golf and the small British ball. The club, which has served as an Open Final Qualifying venue, remains quiet and keeps a very traditional welcome.

Signature hole. On the 6th, the hidden bunker short and right of the green was added at Hogan's suggestion; members still call it Hogan's Bunker.

Monifieth Golf Links, Medal Course

• 18 holes
• Par 72

Monifieth, on the edge of Dundee, has thirty-six holes of links, and it was on this ground that Panmure played its first rounds in the 19th century. The Medal Course, the more demanding of the two, runs alongside the Aberdeen–London railway line, out of bounds on the right for much of the front nine. The back nine becomes more undulating, with a series of solid par 4s and a 530-yard closing hole. Less famous than its neighbours, it offers quick greens and a true championship links, ideal for a day's golf ten minutes from Carnoustie.

Montrose Golf Links, 1562 Course

• Architect: Willie Park Jr; James Braid
• 18 holes
• Par 71

Montrose describes itself as the fifth oldest golf course in the world, with more than 460 years of golf on its links. The 1562 Course, refined by Willie Park Jr and then James Braid, follows the Angus coast among dunes, gorse and deep bunkers, exposed to the easterly winds off the North Sea. The ground rolls but is easy to walk. It fits well at the end of a stay, about thirty-five minutes north of Carnoustie, for a more natural links with a different rhythm from the Championship.

Signature hole. The 16th, Gully, is a 232-yard par 3 that the club considers one of its best holes; the 17th, Rashies, defends itself without a single bunker.