Golf Course Scouting Report: Part Two - Carnoustie and Kingsbarns

Carnoustie and Kingsbarns comprise the other two host venues for the DP World Tour's 2024 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship; let's dive deep into these incredible properties.

Carnoustie Golf Links

• Overall: 9.50

• Memorable Holes: 10.0

• Interest: 10.0

• Par Threes: 9.0

• Difficulty: 8.5

• Finish: 10.0

Carnoustie is a mean brute of a golf course. There are a few scoring opportunities here and there, but any missed shots will result in disaster in the form of deep pot bunkers, fescue, ditches, or water. The only reason the difficulty rating isn't higher than 8.5 is because the three par fives are quite easy. Outside of those, hold on to your hat.

The track begins with five shorter but tricky par fours with only one par three and one par five on the front nine. The heat is really turned up at the 188-yard eighth which features a difficult sloping green guarded heavily by bunkers. This is followed by two long and difficult par fours which require pinpoint accuracy both off the tee and on the approach. The 10th is particularly exhausting as any players that miss the fairway will have a challenge to carry the Barry Burn about 50 yards short of the green. If the pin is tucked in the back-right portion, it is quite difficult to navigate around a tree and a pot bunker.

Outside of the two par fives, Carnoustie's back nine is on a short list of the most difficult inward nines in the world.

The 174-yard 13th is a unique par three with an elevated hourglass-shaped green surrounded by bunkers. the 458-yard 15th plays extremely narrow and the sunken putting surface results in a blind approach. The 249-yard par-three 16th plays into the prevailing wind and will probably feature as many bogeys as pars.

Car-nasty finishes with two grueling par fours. The 460-yard 17th offers a choice off the tee: take less than driver and lay up short of the Barry Burn (but don't miss on either side because the ball will end up in that very same burn) or pull out the big stick and attempt a 300-yard carry over the burn. The 499-yard 18th is one of the hardest finishing holes in golf as the narrow fairway and green are guarded by deep bunkers and, you guessed it, the Barry Burn. Hang on for dear life, and hope you fare better than Jean Van de Velde did.

Kingsbarns Golf Links

• Overall: 9.20

• Memorable Holes: 10.0

• Interest: 9.5

• Par Threes: 9.5

• Difficulty: 8.0

• Finish: 9.0

The site of Kingsbarns Golf Links boasts a rich golf history dating back to 1793; however, the present-day golf course was not built until the year 2000. Previous nine-hole courses were lost due to conversion to farmland and irreparable damage from World War II. Golfers worldwide are thrilled the club was brought back as it has led to the creation of one of golf's great links courses.

The three hosts of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship each contribute their own qualities to this event: The Old Course supplies history, Carnoustie provides toughness (though it is also historic), and Kingsbarns brings dramatic scenery.

Kingsbarns presents incredible views of the North Sea and the surrounding dunes throughout the property, and the golf course itself lives up to its beautiful setting.

The par threes are interesting and all completely different. The second hole plays longer alongside the sea, while the eighth is merely 168 yards and features a severe two-tiered green. The 13th is even shorter at 150 yards, but the green is small and deep bunkers lurk short and right. The 15th hole is the signature hole at Kingsbarns: The green sits on a rocky outcrop and sticks out into the North Sea so that shots missing short, right, or long will likely finish in the water.

Another defining hole at Kingsbarns is the 606-yard par-five 12th; this monster hugs the rocky shore down the entire left side, and the extremely narrow green is a whopping 65 yards long.

The three finishing holes are outstanding, beginning with the 569-yard par-five 16th; the tee shot plays over the beach and the green is guarded short-left by bunkers and long-right by a small burn. The 474-yard 17th is a difficult uphill par four with bunkers present from start to finish; the back tee box is situated directly against the shore. Finally, the 444-yard 18th runs over a gentle hill to a green set just beyond a small burn. This burn and its accompanying bridge both date back to the 18th century. The course may be new, but it has the history of a 19th-century classic.

For the criteria used to determine these ratings, please click here.