Buddon Links at Carnoustie Golf Links

Buddon Links is the third and most recent course at Carnoustie Golf Links, opened in 1981 to a design by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas. The course occupies land adjacent to the Championship Course and Burnside Course, sharing the same linksland terrain along the Angus coast. Like its more famous neighbors, Buddon sits on classic duneland with the Barry Burn running through the property, though the routing takes a different character from the older layouts.

The course was conceived as a more accessible complement to Carnoustie's demanding Championship layout, offering a shorter test at just over 5,400 yards from the back tees. Alliss and Thomas, both accomplished players who became prominent course architects in the 1970s and 1980s, designed Buddon to work with the natural contours of the links while providing a playable round for members and visitors of varying abilities. The layout features the characteristic humps, hollows, and firm turf of Scottish linksland, with the wind off the North Sea remaining a constant factor in club selection and strategy.

Buddon Links serves an important role within the Carnoustie complex, providing additional capacity for the public courses and offering golfers a genuine links experience without the length and severity of the Championship Course. The course shares the same maintenance standards and links character as its neighbors, and many visitors play all three courses during their stay in Carnoustie.