1st Tee at the Old Course with the R&A Club behind. Photo courtesy of Tony Korologos at HookedOnGolfBlog.com[/caption]
Par for the Old Course is 72, and the course is fairly short by modern day standards. The course’s defense is primarily the weather and its bunkers. With no wind, today’s pros can go low on the Old Course but if the typical scottish winds kick up, high scores will ensue.
The most famous hole on the Old is the very difficult par-4 17th, known as the “Road Hole.” The Road Hole presents a tough driving challenge over the corner by the Old Course Hotel, and the approach is difficult to a table-top green guarded by the “Road Hole Bunker.”
Carnoustie
About an hour northeast of St. Andrews is Carnoustie Golf links. Carnoustie is known by many as “Carnasty,” and regarded as one of, if not THE toughest golf course in the world.
Carnoustie’s design features thousands of rolling hills and bumps, very hard ground, and some of the most fantastic bunkering found anywhere.
The most famous hole at Carnoustie is called “Hogan’s Alley.” Hogan’s Alley is the par-5 5th hole which is guarded by three daunting bunkers on the right side of the fairway and an out-of-bounds fence on the left. The green features huge undulations which make putting very difficult.
Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns is the newest of the three courses at the Dunhill. Kingsbarns is a “modern links” course with large elevation changes, severely sloping fairways and landing areas, and very difficult bunkering.
Many holes at Kingsbarns parallel the North Sea providing stunning views and backdrops.
One of the most scenic and popular holes at Kingsbarns is the par-3 15th. This medium length par-3 requires an all-carry shot over water to a sliver of green which juts out into the North Sea.
PGA Preview: 2014 Dunhill Links Championship
Dunhill Links Championship
Fife, Scotland
The PGA Tour season is over. The Ryder Cup is over. Fall is here. It may look bleak, but fear not golf fans. This week on TV is the Dunhill Links Championship coming from the Home of Golf, St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland.
The Dunhill Links Championship is a fantastic tournament for getting the flavor of links golf on three of the absolute best courses in scotland. Let’s take a look at each of the three.
The Old Course
At roughly 1400 years old, the Old Course is the Home of Golf. The Old Course is located in the heart of St. Andrews and is the most famous and popular golf course on the entire planet.
[caption id="attachment_5326" align="aligncenter" width="800"] 1st Tee at the Old Course with the R&A Club behind. Photo courtesy of Tony Korologos at HookedOnGolfBlog.com[/caption]
Par for the Old Course is 72, and the course is fairly short by modern day standards. The course’s defense is primarily the weather and its bunkers. With no wind, today’s pros can go low on the Old Course but if the typical scottish winds kick up, high scores will ensue.
The most famous hole on the Old is the very difficult par-4 17th, known as the “Road Hole.” The Road Hole presents a tough driving challenge over the corner by the Old Course Hotel, and the approach is difficult to a table-top green guarded by the “Road Hole Bunker.”
Carnoustie
About an hour northeast of St. Andrews is Carnoustie Golf links. Carnoustie is known by many as “Carnasty,” and regarded as one of, if not THE toughest golf course in the world.
Carnoustie’s design features thousands of rolling hills and bumps, very hard ground, and some of the most fantastic bunkering found anywhere.
The most famous hole at Carnoustie is called “Hogan’s Alley.” Hogan’s Alley is the par-5 5th hole which is guarded by three daunting bunkers on the right side of the fairway and an out-of-bounds fence on the left. The green features huge undulations which make putting very difficult.
Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns is the newest of the three courses at the Dunhill. Kingsbarns is a “modern links” course with large elevation changes, severely sloping fairways and landing areas, and very difficult bunkering.
Many holes at Kingsbarns parallel the North Sea providing stunning views and backdrops.
One of the most scenic and popular holes at Kingsbarns is the par-3 15th. This medium length par-3 requires an all-carry shot over water to a sliver of green which juts out into the North Sea.
1st Tee at the Old Course with the R&A Club behind. Photo courtesy of Tony Korologos at HookedOnGolfBlog.com[/caption]
Par for the Old Course is 72, and the course is fairly short by modern day standards. The course’s defense is primarily the weather and its bunkers. With no wind, today’s pros can go low on the Old Course but if the typical scottish winds kick up, high scores will ensue.
The most famous hole on the Old is the very difficult par-4 17th, known as the “Road Hole.” The Road Hole presents a tough driving challenge over the corner by the Old Course Hotel, and the approach is difficult to a table-top green guarded by the “Road Hole Bunker.”
Carnoustie
About an hour northeast of St. Andrews is Carnoustie Golf links. Carnoustie is known by many as “Carnasty,” and regarded as one of, if not THE toughest golf course in the world.
Carnoustie’s design features thousands of rolling hills and bumps, very hard ground, and some of the most fantastic bunkering found anywhere.
The most famous hole at Carnoustie is called “Hogan’s Alley.” Hogan’s Alley is the par-5 5th hole which is guarded by three daunting bunkers on the right side of the fairway and an out-of-bounds fence on the left. The green features huge undulations which make putting very difficult.
Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns is the newest of the three courses at the Dunhill. Kingsbarns is a “modern links” course with large elevation changes, severely sloping fairways and landing areas, and very difficult bunkering.
Many holes at Kingsbarns parallel the North Sea providing stunning views and backdrops.
One of the most scenic and popular holes at Kingsbarns is the par-3 15th. This medium length par-3 requires an all-carry shot over water to a sliver of green which juts out into the North Sea.
