
Buddon Links Course
Carnoustie Golf Links
About this course
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.
Quick facts
- Location
- Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
- Access
- Public
- Year built
- 1979
- Designer(s)
- Peter Alliss, Dave Thomas
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 68
- Length
- 5,921 yards
- Difficulty
- 69/120
Getting there
Most visitors to Carnoustie Golf Links arrive via Edinburgh Airport, roughly an hour and a quarter north across the Firth of Forth and into the ancient kingdom of Fife before continuing into Angus. Dundee Airport, though smaller, sits just eight miles to the west for those on private charter or regional connections. The final miles trace the Angus coastline, where farmland gives way to dune grass and the North Sea opens wide and unrelenting, until the town of Carnoustie materializes - modest, workmanlike, and home to one of the sternest tests in championship golf.

FAQ
Common questions about Buddon Links at Carnoustie Golf Links
Ratings, design, and course details pulled from Course Vaults.
Buddon Links was designed by Peter Alliss and Dave Thomas.
Yes. Buddon Links at Carnoustie Golf Links is listed as welcoming public or guest play on Course Vaults.
Par at Buddon Links is 68.
Buddon Links plays 5,921 yards from the back tees on Course Vaults.
The slope rating at Buddon Links is 120.
Buddon Links is a 18-hole course.





