The majority of holes on the Carnoustie Golf Links courses will reopen on Thursday after major flooding swamped the site over the weekend.
Staff have been pumping water from the world-famous courses after a huge 101mm of rain fell over three or four days and the nearby Barry Burn burst its banks.
Around 20 workers, one main pump, and six smaller devices have been deployed as Carnoustie Golf Links staff battle back the water to ensure courses are playable for season ticket holders and members.
Workers have been using snow shovels and other implements to lift the silt and mud off the courses to ensure they are playable.
Links superintendent Craig Boath said: “The saying goes it’s all hands to the pump and it’s exactly that.
“Things are pretty good now. We have had pumps going through the night and the Championship Course opened on Monday and we will have 16 holes of the Burnside course playable on Thursday.
“The green keeping team and doing a great job. They are desperate to get golf holes open as well. It’s tough going but all the guys are getting stuck in.
“We rise to the challenge when it is put in front of us,” he said.
He said the Buddon course had reopened at short notice on Monday and Tuesday after positive negotiations with energy company Seagreen, which is preparing the site for the installation of a large underground renewables cable.
A course inspection would be held on Thursday to check it is safe for parts of that course could remain open for longer than was originally planned, he added.
“We are making sure we have all out safety checks and golf can be played in a safe manner.”
Mr Boath said he was experienced at dealing with floods, but the amount of water washing onto the courses over the weekend had been surprising.
“We have had a few floods before, but it was strange the way it happened. It wasn’t high tide. It was to do with water running off the fields.”
He said staff had been “squeegying” away water wherever they could.
“It is the silt that is the worst thing. It is scraping that up and making sure it isn’t left covering the grass,” he added.
