If on a golfing holiday, Carnoustie provides an ideal location from which to explore the variety of golf available in Angus and Fife.  Morven House over looks the Carnoustie Championship Course and from the front facing bedrooms the Old Course, St. Andrews is visible on the opposite bank of the Tay estuary.  The Old Course can be played by visiting golfers through a ballot system.  Details are available on request.  More than 30 other courses are within 30 minutes drive of Carnoustie and most can be pre-booked for you, in most cases the full green fee is required in advance, we can process this for you.  Access to the Carnoustie Championship is limited by demand.  Visitors may make reservations through Morven House, the full green fee is required at the time of booking.    

Of course Carnoustie is most famous for Golf and The Championship Course.  Some may not be aware that many courses in Scotland, including Carnoustie and St. Andrews, are public courses.  At a length of 7397 yards the Carnoustie links course is one of the greatest tests of golf and if the wind is blowing, an even greater test of your own stamina.  In 1975 Tom Watson conquered the course and the elements, to become the 5th Open Golf Champion at Carnoustie.

In 1994 the links management committee together with Scottish Enterprise put in place a plan to restore the course and promote it as The Links Course, providing a natural and challenging test for every golfer. The reward for this work was the 1995 and 1996 Scottish Open Championships.  Both tournaments were very closely fought with the course arguably being the winner on both occasions.  Wayne Riley and Ian Woosnam claimed the trophies.

Perhaps beyond everyone’s expectation was the announcement that Carnoustie would host the 1999 Open.  The wind blew on the first two days and many established golfers, most notably David Love III, were quick to blame the green keepers for manipulating the course to make it even harder than usual.  Even the new breed of young golfers found the going tough with Garcia failing to live up to his considerable promise and no one heard the Tiger roar

Instead it was left to two unlikely heroes to stage what must be one of the most remarkable finishes in tournament history. John Van de Veldt, 3 up and heading for the 18th.  After ignoring the fairway completely as he headed for the green, his third shot found the Barry Burn.  A drop and a penalty stroke was the only option, but John decided to provide the fans with the a performance that demanded a stage, as he removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his trousers and headed into the water.

Some three hours earlier Paul Lawrie had left the course and under instructions from his coach headed for the practise ground, in golf anything can happen and on this Sunday it did. The three way play off over the 16th, 17th and 18th gave Lawrie his first major tournament win and stardom for this little known golfer from Aberdeen.

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