Carnoustie Burnside Course

The Burnside is Carnoustie's second course, managed by the same Carnoustie Golf Links trust that runs the Championship layout, and sharing the same corner of the Angus coast. Par 68 — shorter than the Championship course, and without the same notoriety — it is nonetheless a real links, subject to the same North Sea weather, built on the same type of ground, and named after the Barry Burn that runs through both courses. The burn's presence on the Burnside is less dramatic than on the Championship finishing holes, but it is there, and it asks questions.

The course has been used for Open Championship Final Qualifying, which is the relevant credential. This is not a consolation prize for those who cannot get on the Championship course — it is a qualifying standard venue in its own right, and it plays as one. Handicap certificate is not required, unlike the Championship course, which makes it more accessible to visiting club golfers.

Green fee is £65–£75 — a fraction of the Championship fee, and honest value for a links of this quality. Most visitors play the Burnside first and the Championship second; booking both through Carnoustie Golf Links on the same reservation makes sense. Panmure Golf Club at Barry (ten minutes by car) is an alternative second day: a private links with a different character and the Ben Hogan connection that the Carnoustie area trades on legitimately.

The Burnside also functions as a warm-up round for those who want to walk parts of the Championship layout's routing before their formal tee time — the courses share some terrain and the Barry Burn crosses both, so you get a feel for how the wind moves across the Angus coast and how the ground plays at Carnoustie before the more expensive round. The Buddon Links, the third course on the complex, is shorter still and more accessible; the Burnside remains the more interesting test of the two secondary layouts.