By Dave, The Carnoustie Caddie. On the bag since 1998. Updated 10 September 2026.
Carnoustie is about 25 miles from St Andrews, 40 to 45 minutes by car. It’s 12 miles from Dundee, around 25 minutes. It’s 65 to 75 miles from Edinburgh, an hour and a half. If you’re flying in from the States, fly to Edinburgh: it has the most nonstop US routes and it’s the shortest drive of the big airports. Carnoustie also has its own railway station, with trains to Edinburgh and Glasgow, a ten-minute walk from the first tee.
Flying in from the United States
Edinburgh is the answer for most American visitors.
Edinburgh Airport currently has nonstop US services from New York (JFK and Newark), Boston, Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Orlando. The New York service runs year-round. Most of the others are seasonal, roughly April to October, so check your specific city and dates before you build the trip round it.
Glasgow has one US nonstop, United from Newark, and only in season, roughly May to late September. Outside that window there’s no direct Glasgow option.
Edinburgh Airport to Carnoustie is about 63 to 72 miles, an hour and twenty to an hour and a half in the car. The airport sits west of the city on the motorway, so you skip Edinburgh entirely, and it’s marginally quicker than driving from the city centre.
One thing to know if you’ve read an older guide: don’t plan around Dundee Airport. Loganair, its only commercial operator, is ending all Dundee services on 23 October 2026, including the London Heathrow route. After that date there are no scheduled flights from Dundee and no replacement carrier has been announced.
How do you get to Carnoustie from St Andrews?
Drive. About 25 miles, 40 to 45 minutes, up over the Tay Road Bridge at Dundee and along the coast. As the crow flies it’s only 12 miles, but the estuary is in the way.
It’s the natural pairing on a Scottish trip: two Open venues, less than an hour apart, testing completely different things. Most American visitors base in St Andrews or Dundee and come to us for the day. Better still, stay a night here and play the Buddon in the evening.
Worth knowing if you’re planning by rail: there is no railway station in St Andrews. The nearest is Leuchars, about 6 miles away, with a bus and a taxi rank at the station.
How do you get to Carnoustie from Edinburgh?
Car is about an hour and a half, 65 to 75 miles. There are two routes that take about the same time: north on the M90 over the Queensferry Crossing to Perth and then the A90, or through Fife on the A92 and over the Tay Road Bridge at Dundee. Traffic at the Forth crossing at rush hour can add twenty or thirty minutes.
The train is the easy way, and there are plenty of them. Edinburgh Waverley to Carnoustie takes around an hour and a half. Some services run straight through, others change at Dundee, which is a 16 to 20 minute hop on a frequent local service. Either way you’re not waiting long.
Fly into Edinburgh in the morning, tee off at Carnoustie the same afternoon. People do it every week of the summer. Just don’t cut it fine on a first day after a transatlantic flight.
Can you get to Carnoustie by train?
Yes, and it’s the best way to arrive.
Carnoustie station is on the main Dundee to Aberdeen line, with regular services to Dundee and Arbroath and trains through to Aberdeen, Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Queen Street. The Caledonian Sleeper from London calls here several nights a week. The station is on Station Road, DD7 6AY. Step off, walk about half a mile with your clubs, eight to ten minutes, and you’re at Links Parade.
The railway and the golf here grew up together. The Dundee to Arbroath coastal line opened in 1838 and cut straight through the ground the town was playing on, which is part of why the links ended up where they are.
What about the other airports?
Aberdeen is about 62 miles and an hour and a quarter by road, and it’s a direct train on the same line, which makes it a reasonable option if your connection routes that way.
Glasgow is about 93 miles and close to two hours by road. There are trains from Glasgow Queen Street too if you’d rather not drive.
Where should you stay?
Carnoustie itself if you want the course on your doorstep and the town after. Dundee for more restaurants and a bigger choice of beds, 25 minutes away. St Andrews if the trip’s built around Fife.
There’s no wrong answer. Just decide whether you want to walk to the first tee or drive to it. And book early for early October, when the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship takes every bed between Dundee and Fife.
The address
The clubhouse is Links House, Links Parade, Carnoustie, Angus DD7 7JE. Put that in your hire car’s satnav, not just the town name. Contact details and tee time enquiries are on the Links’ own contact page, and how to book a tee time is here.
Every hole she has, and how to play them when you get here: The Carnoustie Caddie: How the Course Really Plays.
Quick answers
How far is Carnoustie from St Andrews? About 25 miles, 40 to 45 minutes by car over the Tay Road Bridge at Dundee.
How far is Carnoustie from Edinburgh? About 65 to 75 miles, an hour and a half by car. The train takes around an hour and a half and runs regularly.
Which airport should Americans fly into for Carnoustie? Edinburgh. It has the most US nonstop routes and it’s about an hour and a half from Carnoustie by road.
Does Carnoustie have a railway station? Yes, on the Dundee to Aberdeen line, about a ten-minute walk from the golf course, with services to Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Is there a train station in St Andrews? No. The nearest is Leuchars, about 6 miles away.
Can you fly into Dundee Airport for Carnoustie? Not after 23 October 2026. Loganair, the airport’s only commercial operator, is ending all Dundee services on that date and no replacement carrier has been announced.
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.
Back to Carnoustie, Answered · The best time of year to play · How to book a tee time
I am an independent caddie and this site is not affiliated with Carnoustie Golf Links.