By Dave, The Carnoustie Caddie. On the bag since 1998. Updated 10 September 2026.
Book direct with Carnoustie Golf Links at booking.carnoustie.com, or by phone on +44 (0)1241 802270, or by email to golf@carnoustie.com. It is a public links, and they recommend a maximum handicap of 28 or less for men and 36 or less for women. For a summer date book as early as you can. April and October are easier to get and cheaper, and the course is the same course.
Contact details, handicap guidance and booking terms are Carnoustie Golf Links’ own, from their visitor page and terms and conditions. Correct at 14 September 2026.
Can anyone play Carnoustie?
Yes. It is a public course.
That surprises people. Eight Opens, and she belongs to the town. You don’t need a member, a letter or a handshake. You need a booking. On handicaps, the Links recommend a maximum of 28 or less for men and 36 or less for women.
How do you actually book it?
Three ways, all of them direct with the Links.
Online at booking.carnoustie.com. By phone on +44 (0)1241 802270. Or by email to golf@carnoustie.com.
If the times you want are gone, ask to go on the waiting list. People cancel.
How far ahead do you need to book Carnoustie?
For May to September, as far ahead as you can. The good summer times go early and there is no way round that.
For April and October, weeks rather than months. Same course, quieter, cheaper, and the light in September and early October is the best of the year.
The Links do not publish a fixed date when the diary opens, so if you are planning a long way out, phone them and ask rather than guessing.
What should I know before I pay?
This is the part people skip and then regret, so read it.
Their terms say full sterling refunds are made if you cancel within 7 working days of making payment. After that, prepaid green fees and deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable, unless the Links unreasonably move or cancel the booking themselves.
If your group shrinks, you lose that person’s deposit or full green fee. So do not book for four and hope.
The Links can move your tee time by up to an hour without asking you first. And a group of fewer than four can be joined with others to make a fourball. Neither is a problem, but know it before you build the day around an exact time.
Payment is in pounds sterling, on a card in your own name.
Where do you book, direct or through an operator?
Direct, unless you want someone to arrange the whole trip.
The green fee is the same either way. An operator earns on the bundle: hotels, transfers, St Andrews, Kingsbarns. If that is the trip you want, use one. If you want the tee time, book it yourself in five minutes.
What about winter?
Between 1 November and 31 March only the Burnside and the Buddon are open. In the Links’ own words, those two courses “will be available for winter play only”. The Championship is not one of them. If your trip is built around playing her, that is the first thing to check.
Through that period mats are used by all golfers to protect the fairways, and the Links provide the mat for your round. The courses may be shortened or the order of play adjusted, and winter greens are used if ground conditions merit it.
What do you need on the day?
Proof of your handicap if you have it, though I have never seen a visitor asked for it. Soft spikes. A jacket, whatever the forecast says. Cash for your caddie. And a caddie booked if it is your first time, because they are spoken for weeks ahead in summer.
The book that tells you how she plays before you get here: The Carnoustie Caddie: How the Course Really Plays.
Quick answers
Is Carnoustie a public golf course? Yes. Carnoustie Golf Links recommend a maximum handicap of 28 or less for men and 36 or less for women.
How do you book Carnoustie? Direct with Carnoustie Golf Links at booking.carnoustie.com, by phone on +44 (0)1241 802270, or by email to golf@carnoustie.com.
Can I get a refund if I cancel? Carnoustie Golf Links make full sterling refunds if you cancel within 7 working days of making payment. After that, prepaid green fees and deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable unless the Links unreasonably move or cancel the booking, and any drop in numbers loses that share.
Will my tee time stay exactly as booked? Carnoustie Golf Links reserve the right to move a tee time by up to an hour, and groups of fewer than four may be joined to make a fourball.
Can you play Carnoustie in winter? Only the Burnside and the Buddon. The Championship Course is not available for winter play, which the Links treat as 1 November to 31 March. Mats are used by all golfers through that period and the Links provide them.
Booking terms, contact details and prices are Carnoustie Golf Links’ own, from their visitor page and terms and conditions, and can change. Always read the official terms before you pay. I am an independent caddie and this site is not affiliated with Carnoustie Golf Links.
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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