Carnoustie is the home of “world golf for the amateur player”. Between the end of the 18th century and 1920.s, over 300 men from Carnoustie started golf clubs and taught golf all around the world as well as being founder members of the USA and Australian PGAs. These pioneers are called the “Sons of Carnoustie” hence our name. There are today more than 250 golf clubs in the USA alone that have links with Carnoustie. As local golfers,we are used to enjoying inter-club golf competitions which are traditional and date back over 100 years and the Sons of Carnoustie Monthly Medals follow this tradition.
Carnoustie is an ancient town, where golf has been played for many centuries. The Earl of Panmure, Sir Robert Maule, “exercisit at the gowf” on the site of current links from as early as 1527. This is 25 years before the first record of golf at St Andrews.
In the 19th and early 20th century, each area in Scotland had developed its own golfing style and the “Carnoustie Swing” became recognisable throughout the world. James Braid, a five time winner of The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910 and a member of the ‘Great Triumvirate’ with J.H. Taylor and Harry Vardon, was one of its most successful exponents.
One of the best known Carnoustie teachers was Stewart Maiden, “Kiltie” to his friends, who was not only an outstanding golfer but taught the legendary amateur Bobby Jones to play golf. Bobby Jones remarked in later life: “The best luck that I ever had in golf was when Stewart Maiden came from Carnoustie to be pro at the East Lake Club [in Atlanta, Georgia]. Stewart had the finest and soundest style I have ever seen. Naturally I did not know this at the time, but I grew up swinging like him. I imitated his style, like a monkey I suppose.”
| Bobby Jones and Stewart Maiden at Carnoustie |
Photo credits: © Sons of Carnoustie – Anne Burgess (Creative Commons Licence)
Carnoustie has hosted the Open Championship on seven occasions, most recently in 2007, when Padraig Harrington gained a thrilling playoff victory over Sergio Garcia. Previous winners of the Open at Carnoustie were golfing legends Tommy Armour (1931), Henry Cotton (1937), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1968) and Tom Watson (1975). In 1999, Carnoustie saw one of the most extraordinary moments in Open Championship history, when France’s Jean Van de Velde lost a three shot lead at the 72nd hole, and was subsequently defeated in a playoff by Paul Lawrie of Scotland. Carnoustie is also one of the courses used every year in the Dunhill Links Golf Championship, and in 2010 hosted the Senior Open Championship won by Bernhardt Langer of Germany.
