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Carnoustie Golf Links

Q: Which hole is hardest at Carnoustie Golf Links?

Hole 6 has stroke index 1 — the hardest hole on the scorecard.

Carnoustie, Scotland

Par

Holes

Yards

6,696

Par 3 / 4 / 5

4 · 11 · 3

Image: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Course Layout

253 features mapped — fairways, greens, bunkers, tees, water. Data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Fairway Green Bunker Tee Water

Hole-by-Hole Strategy

Dogleg and layup calls derived from hole centerline geometry. 14 doglegs · 3 layup holes.

#	Par	Yards	Plays Like	Shape	Call
1	4	379	409 +30y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
1	4	305	409 +104y · +3ft	Slight dogleg left (22.2°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
1	4	408	409 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	4	406	167 -239y · -7ft	Slight dogleg right (18.1°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	4	444	167 -277y · -7ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
2	3	169	167 -2y · -7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
3	4	347	356 +9y · +3ft	Moderate dogleg right (30.9°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
3	3	355	356 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
4	4	407	165 -242y · +0ft	Moderate dogleg right (33.2°)	Favor the left side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
4	4	456	165 -291y · +0ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
4	3	165	165 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
5	4	380	319 -61y · +3ft	Sharp dogleg right (42.2°)	LAYUP Sharp right-hand dogleg (42.2°). Driver runs through the corner — 3-wood or long iron off the tee.
5	3	149	319 +170y · +3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
5	4	318	319 +1y · +3ft	Slight dogleg left (23.6°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
6	5	576	577 +1y · +3ft	Slight dogleg right (23.2°)	LAYUP Par 5 at 576y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
7	4	401	402 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
8	4	421	420 -1y · -3ft	Moderate dogleg left (38.9°)	Favor the right side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
9	3	159	159 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
10	4	315	314 -1y · -3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
11	4	365	366 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
12	4	377	378 +1y · +3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
13	4	378	377 -1y · -3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
14	5	513	216 -297y · -3ft	Slight dogleg left (23.7°)	LAYUP Par 5 at 513y — two-shot reach is elite only. Layup to your wedge distance wins scorecards.
14	3	217	216 -1y · -3ft	Moderate dogleg left (26.4°)	Favor the right side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
15	4	461	157 -304y · +0ft	Slight dogleg left (22.4°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
15	5	490	157 -333y · +0ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
15	3	157	157 +0y · +0ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
16	3	235	491 +256y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
16	5	492	491 -1y · -3ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
17	4	456	150 -306y · +7ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
17	4	445	150 -295y · +7ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
17	3	148	150 +2y · +7ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
18	4	486	419 -67y · -7ft	Straight	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
18	4	280	419 +139y · -7ft	Slight dogleg left (19.4°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
18	4	421	419 -2y · -7ft	Slight dogleg right (20.0°)	Straightaway — driver safe if you're hitting it well.
?	3	109	123 +14y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
?	3	120	123 +3y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
?	3	48	123 +75y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
?	3	108	123 +15y · -3ft	Straight	Par 3 — pick the club that fits the full yardage, not one short.
?	3	124	123 -1y · -3ft	Sharp dogleg left (42.3°)	Favor the right side off the tee — opens the angle for your approach.
Total	150	12,990	Distances from OSM centerlines; elevation from SRTM (Open-Meteo).

Course by the Numbers

Calculated from 253 mapped features. Areas are measured directly from the polygon geometry.

109 bunkers

3,947 sq yd of sand — 6.1 bunkers per hole on average.

643 sq yd avg green

Classification: Large greens (~6,500 sq ft avg) — tough 3-putt territory. Huge surfaces — a 40-ft putt is a common outcome even from a good shot.

1274 sq yd

Largest green on the course — a three-club difference front-to-back is possible.

17.0 ha of fairway

Total groomed playing surface across 40 fairway zones.

14 doglegs

2 sharp, 12 moderate. Plotting a line off the tee matters more here than pure distance.

3 layup holes

Best played as three-shot holes for anyone outside single figures — chasing them turns pars into doubles.

Hole 6: 576y

The longest hole on the card — par 5. Know your layup number before you tee off.

109 bunkers · 36 greens · 40 fairway zones · 63 tee boxes · 0 water hazards.

About Carnoustie Golf Links

Carnoustie Golf Links is in Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland. Carnoustie has four courses – the historic Championship Course, the Burnside Course, the Buddon Links Course and a free-to-play short, five-hole course called The Nestie. Carnoustie Golf Links is one of the venues in the Open Championship rotation and has hosted golf's oldest major on eight occasions, as well as the Senior Open Championship in 2010 and 2016 and the Women's British Open in 2011 and 2021.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Tournament History & Records

Events Hosted

The Open Championship — Hosted 8 times — most recently 2018

Architecture

• Allan Robertson (original)
• James Braid (1926 redesign)

Opened: 1842

What Should You Expect to Shoot?

These expected scores use the World Handicap System formula: your handicap index × slope ÷ 113, plus course rating. Use them to set a realistic target before you tee off.

Championship

Rating 74.0 · Slope 140 · Par 72 · 7,000 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	8	82	+10
10	14	88	+16
15	21	95	+23
20	27	101	+29
25	33	107	+35
30	39	113	+41

Medal

Rating 72.0 · Slope 132 · Par 72 · 6,500 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	6	78	+6
10	12	84	+12
15	18	90	+18
20	23	95	+23
25	29	101	+29
30	35	107	+35

Club

Rating 70.0 · Slope 125 · Par 72 · 6,000 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	4	74	+2
10	9	79	+7
15	15	85	+13
20	20	90	+18
25	26	96	+24
30	31	101	+29

Ladies

Rating 73.0 · Slope 130 · Par 72 · 5,400 yards

Your Handicap	Course HCP	Expected Score	Over Par
5	7	80	+8
10	13	86	+14
15	18	91	+19
20	24	97	+25
25	30	103	+31
30	36	109	+37

Scorecard

Hole	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Out	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	In	Total
Par	4	5	4	4	3	4	4	3	4	35	4	4	3	5	4	4	3	4	5	36	71
Yards	401	541	405	388	156	388	429	194	377	3,279	378	377	159	521	447	449	173	397	516	3,417	6,696
Stroke Index	7	3	13	11	17	1	9	15	5		8	4	16	2	10	6	18	12	14

Holes That Decide Your Round

Hardest Hole · SI 1

Hole 6

Par 4 · 388 yards

Play for the fat of the green and take bogey off the table. Build your pre-round plan →

Longest Hole

Hole 2

Par 5 · 541 yards

Three good shots beats two heroic ones. Bogey here is a solid result for anyone above 10 handicap.

Scoring Opportunity

Hole 5

Par 3 · 156 yards

Attack the pin — if your wedge game is on, this is where strokes get gained back.

Easiest Hole · SI 18

Hole 16

Par 3 · 173 yards

Expected par or better. If you drop a stroke here, it's usually a mental mistake — which is trackable.

Pre-Round Checklist for Carnoustie Golf Links

Know your average distance off the tee — budget for 11 par-4 tee shots. Check 4 par-3 yardages — pick your go-to clubs now, not on the tee. Plan hole 6 (hardest) for bogey — don't chase birdie there. Hole 2 is long — know your layup number. Arrive 45 min early — 15 range, 10 short game, 10 putting, 10 to the tee.

Your Game Plan for Carnoustie Golf Links

The scorecard tells you the course. The Grand Plan assessment tells you you — which part of your game is actually bleeding strokes. Pair both, and you have a pre-round strategy tailored to this course AND your weaknesses.

Take the 2-min Assessment Try the App Free for 30 Days

Tee Sets

Championship

Yards:: 7,000
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 74.0
Slope:: 140

Medal

Yards:: 6,500
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 72.0
Slope:: 132

Club

Yards:: 6,000
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 70.0
Slope:: 125

Ladies

Yards:: 5,400
Par:: 72
Course Rating:: 73.0
Slope:: 130

Play the Open Championship Rota

The rotating venues of golf's oldest major — St Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Birkdale, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Turnberry, and friends.

See the full Open Championship Rota guide →

Other Notable Courses near Carnoustie

Muirfield

Champ

Gullane, Scotland

Par 71 ·18 holes ·6,808 yd

Mapped Strategy

North Berwick Golf Club

North Berwick, Scotland

Par 71 ·18 holes ·6,168 yd

Mapped Strategy

Kingsbarns Golf Links

St Andrews, Scotland

Par 72 ·18 holes ·7,212 yd

Mapped Strategy

Dumbarnie Links

Leven, Scotland

Par 71 ·18 holes ·6,769 yd

Mapped Strategy

Muirfield (Honourable Company)

Gullane, Scotland

Par 71 ·18 holes ·7,087 yd

Mapped Strategy

St Andrews Links (Old Course)

St Andrews, Scotland

Par 72 ·18 holes ·7,312 yd

Mapped Strategy

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the par at Carnoustie Golf Links?

Carnoustie Golf Links is a par 71 course with 18 holes measuring 6,696 total yards. Front nine par 35 (3,279 yards), back nine par 36 (3,417 yards).

What is the longest hole at Carnoustie Golf Links?

The longest hole is hole 2, a par 5 playing 541 yards.

Which hole is hardest at Carnoustie Golf Links?

Hole 6 has the lowest stroke index (1). It's a par 4 playing 388 yards.

What tournaments have been held at Carnoustie Golf Links?

The Open Championship — Hosted 8 times — most recently 2018

What should I shoot at Carnoustie Golf Links?

Use the expected-score table above — it's calculated from your handicap and this course's official WHS rating and slope. A 15 handicap typically shoots mid-80s to low-90s depending on the tee set; a 25 handicap mid-90s to low-100s. Track your actual scores against these targets to see how your game travels.