Panorama views from Carnoustie Hotel
obvious reasons – your attention will need to be on the tee shot and nowhere else . Landing short must be avoided and two of us discovered why as we had to play up a steep 12 foot bank to what became a hidden green .
Short is not a word you would use for the par three 16th , which at 230 yards is one of the longest par threes you will face anywhere . It ’ s a monster and the green is well defended : even your driver may not be enough . Take a three at either of these holes and you can mark that on your card with pride . This is an obvious must-play course ( there are two links here ), not only for the history but also for the brilliance of the course . It ’ s classic old school charm is utterly endearing and we were all enchanted .
For history , Panmure Golf Club also has something to crow about : it is a links that
saw Ben Hogan mowing the 17th green by hand in the weeks before he won the Open Championship in 1953 . He wanted to get the green speed to match those at Carnoustie . He won £ 500 . It was the one and only time that he played the tournament and he left Panmure with an enduring legacy : in addition to his mowing prowess he suggested that the 400 yard 6th hole would be improved by placing a bunker on the front right of the green . The bunker has been there ever since , wreaking havoc on one of the toughest holes in Scottish golf . It is named ‘ Hogan ’.
Of course , any golfer coming to Carnoustie Country has their eye on the prize of playing the toughest course on the Open Championship rota . This is no flippant remark , for Carnoustie proudly embraces its ‘ toughest ’ reputation . From my Carnoustie Golf Hotel window , on the third floor , I looked out at the stands being erected
38 Destination Golf . TRAVEL