Carnoustie’s place among the greatest golfing destinations in the world has long been a matter of record.
The Angus town’s Links course is a fans’ favourite on The Open Championship rota, and its features have tested the biggest names in the sport.
It is rightly recognised as a jewel in the region’s leisure and tourism crown.
But no place can afford to trade on past glories.
Competition for the honour of hosting major tournaments – and the multi-million-pound benefits that come with such a spotlight – is fierce.
Carnoustie Links last hosted The Open, to tremendous acclaim, in 2018.
Royal Liverpool will host next month’s 151st championship and Troon and Portrush have been confirmed as venues up to 2025.
The calendar has not been set beyond then. But this will be the longest stretch that Carnoustie has spent off The Open rota.
This absence might be more concerning if Carnoustie Links bosses had been resting on their laurels.
They have not.
The billion-pound masterplan they have drawn up for the course – and the wider golf market in the town – will, they say, unlock the return of The Open Championship to Carnoustie by the end of the decade.
It will bring about the redevelopment of the Carnoustie Golf Hotel, purchased by the Carnoustie Golf Links Management Committee in 2022.
It will deliver a billion-pound windfall for the Scottish economy – including £500 million to Angus alone.
And, by securing all existing jobs and partnerships with local golfers and season ticket holders, it will ensure the Links remains at the very heart of its community.
Carnoustie Golf Links bid needs council to play along
It is an ambitious prospect and it will take team-work to pull it off.
The proposals require Angus Council to agree to a longer-term arrangement than the current lease for the course, which is due to expire in 2033 – and to deal swiftly with the bureaucracy that surrounds a development on this scale.
It is, of course, vital that the community is consulted on the scheme, and that all of the legal and financial details are properly appraised. But it is also essential that the masterplan is given the focus it deserves.
This matters for Carnoustie Links. It matters for Carnoustie. And it matters for the wider population of Angus and Tayside.
The Open Championship attracts a worldwide television audience of millions.
The 147th Open in 2018 was attended by 172,000 spectators – a Carnoustie record.
Fans who make the journey to Carnoustie to watch the stars of golf in action will return themselves if their experience is memorable, and they will recommend the region to friends and acquaintances back home.
It all adds up to the kind of exposure that money can’t buy – and that Angus cannot afford to relinquish.
The plan’s architects have shown boldness and foresight in setting out this blueprint for the future of Carnoustie Links.
The people of Carnoustie and Angus are now looking to their council to match that vision.
