By Dave, The Carnoustie Caddie. On the bag since 1998. Updated 10 September 2026.
July or August. That’s the caddie’s answer. You get the warmest weather, the longest light, the course at its firmest and fastest, and the best chance of the conditions you flew here for. The Links don’t publish a best month, so this is local knowledge rather than official policy. What they do publish is the season: 1 May to 31 October is high season, April is cheaper, and 1 November to 31 March is winter, when only the Burnside and the Buddon are open and everyone plays off mats.
Season dates and green fees are Carnoustie Golf Links’ own, from their green fees page. Correct at 14 September 2026. Check before you travel.
Which months are best for Carnoustie?
July and August.
If you’ve flown from the States to play this course once, you want the best odds on the weather, and that’s high summer. The light is the thing nobody warns you about. In July it’s still bright past ten at night, so you can play 36 without rushing, or tee off at five in the afternoon and finish in daylight. The fairways are running, the ground game is on, and she plays the way she’s supposed to play.
You pay for it in crowds and in green fees, and tee times go earliest for those two months. Book well ahead. That’s the trade, and for most visitors it’s worth making.
May, June and September are all good golf too. If your dates are fixed, don’t lose sleep over it. But if you’re choosing, choose July or August.
What does it cost by month?
The Championship Course is £360 per round in high season, 1 May to 31 October 2026, which is around $485. April drops to £249, around $335. In 2027 those become £450 and £342, around $608 and $462.
April is the biggest saving on the calendar if you can move your dates and you’ll gamble on the weather. Just know what you’re gambling with. April here can hand you a beautiful day or a wind that takes the round off you.
Dollar figures are rounded at about $1.35 to the pound and move with the rate.
Is Carnoustie open in winter?
The Championship is not. The Burnside and the Buddon are.
From 1 November to 31 March the Links run a winter set-up, and in their own words the Burnside and the Buddon “will be available for winter play only”. Mats are used by all golfers to protect the fairways and the Links provide them. Courses may be shortened or the order of play adjusted, and winter greens are used if ground conditions merit it.
The days are short too, you’re off by three, and the wind off the North Sea has teeth.
So you can get golf here in January. You cannot get the Championship. If you’ve flown from Chicago to play the course you’ve read about, come in the summer.
What’s the weather like at Carnoustie?
Windy. That’s the honest answer for any month, July and August included.
She sits just above the sea behind her defences and the wind comes off the water most days. A 10mph breeze is a full club. 25mph and your driver is going in the burn on the 5th. Summer is milder, but mild on this coast still means a jacket in your bag. Rain comes sideways and leaves quickly.
The practical version for a visitor: pack for wind and wet in any month, and bring a spare glove.
When should I avoid?
Early October, when the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is played over Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and the Old Course. Visitor tee times around it are hard to get and every bed from Dundee to Fife goes.
The same applies to any Open Championship or big event on this coast. Otherwise there’s no bad month. There are just months you need a better jacket.
Booking
Tee times go through the Links directly, and the season bands above set the price. If you’re aiming at July or August, book as far ahead as you can. Current green fees and season dates are on the Links’ own green fees page. How to book a tee time is here.
What the wind does to every hole, and how to play it: The Carnoustie Caddie: How the Course Really Plays.
Quick answers
What is the best month to play Carnoustie? July or August. Warmest weather, longest light, and the course at its firmest and fastest. The Links don’t publish an official best month.
Is Carnoustie open all year? The Burnside and the Buddon are available for winter play from 1 November to 31 March, on mats. The Championship Course is not open for winter play.
When is the cheapest time to play the Championship Course? April. £249 against £360 in high season in 2026, roughly $335 against $485. The Championship is closed over the winter, so April is the cheapest month you can actually play her.
How windy is Carnoustie? Windy most days, summer included. A 10mph breeze is worth a full club. Bring a jacket in any month.
When is high season at Carnoustie? 1 May to 31 October is high season. April is the cheaper shoulder rate. 1 November to 31 March is winter, when only the Burnside and the Buddon are available and the Championship Course is closed.
Before you play Carnoustie
The Carnoustie Caddie: How the Course Really Plays is all 18 holes the way I would give them to you on the bag. The wind, the bunkers that actually cost you shots, where the burns sit, and the club to hit standing on the tee.
Signed copies, posted from Carnoustie, inscribed to whoever you want. Or get it on Amazon.
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I am an independent caddie and this site is not affiliated with Carnoustie Golf Links.