What REALLY goes into preparing for Championships at Carnoustie.

Following Carnoustie Golf Links inaugural 10-Hole Championship in association with Double A we caught up with Carnoustie Golf Links Courses Manager, Kevin Stott, to find out about what goes into preparing for Championships at Carnoustie.

This brand-new Championship at Carnoustie took place on Saturday 9th October and in line with Carnoustie’s core values was open to all of their Season Ticket Holders, with no restrictions on age, gender or handicap. The tournament saw players tee it up on a unique 9-hole route of The Championship Course, with the top four players going on to a 10th hole play-off to battle it out to become the very first winner of the Carnoustie Golf Links 10-Hole Championship. The Championship was inspired by the course’s original architect, Allan Robertson, who laid out the first 10 holes in 1842 (although the first record of golf played on this links land dates all the way back to 1527).

1. What was your highlight of the 10-Hole Championship 2021?

As a team, we really love seeing everyone enjoying playing the course, that’s what makes it all worthwhile. We work hard all year round to make the courses here at Carnoustie the very best in the world, and when you get to see people playing together and having fun, especially in such an inclusive Championship, it makes it even more special. We are so pleased for Nina Fisher for becoming the very first winner of the championship, it was a great end to the day. 

2. What are your staple pieces of equipment for keeping the course in top condition during the event?

We keep our courses in Championship condition all the time, however, in the lead up to an event we look to do certain practices to peak for it, for example, the frequency of mowing will step up to ensure the course is running like a true links. Attention to detail is paramount at Carnoustie and so we use the 7500 John Deere fairway mowers which we have added greens units, this allows us greater consistency from tee to green. We use the 2750 to mow the greens – these were also used during the AIG Women’s Open as opposed to hand mowing as they produced as excellent a finish and allowed us more time in the mornings for other preparations. The tees and surrounds were also cut with the 2750’s. We used the 7400 Rotary Deck to cut the tee banks and the 8800 Rotary Deck for the semi-rough. If required, we have four tru-turf rollers to aid in greens performance.

3. As a team, what is it like behind the scenes during the lead up to the 10-Hole Championship 2021?

The workshop, led by Sandy McCubbin, is one of the most important teams at Carnoustie in the lead up and during an event, they work extremely hard to ensure that we have all of our equipment and machinery in tip-top condition and performing at its best. The whole greenkeeping team go into ‘tournament mode’ which means their absolute focus is on delivering a world-class golf course in its prime condition.

4. Is there much additional preparation involved in course management, prior to large events?

Yes, we spray additional conditioners in the lead up to most large events, in this case we use the GPS Sprayer, which is not only extremely efficient down to its accuracy, but is a huge time saver, for example, we would normally have to use three greenkeepers to spray the fairways, but the GPS Sprayers allow us to only use two, freeing up a greenkeeper for other tasks. The Dakota Top Dresser is a great addition to the fleet because it’s extremely accurate and quick, allowing us to keep the surfaces firm in the true links style.

5. What have CGL had gained from hosting the 10-hole championship?

The 10-Hole Championship is an event that we are all very proud of here at Carnoustie. We have a longstanding commitment to inclusivity and development of the game. Putting in place a tournament like this allows our season ticket holders to feel like professionals for the day, they play to very similar conditions and get to play a unique routing of the course. To see families, friends, women, men, juniors, experienced and less experiences golfers all playing together in this tournament was just amazing! We are so grateful to Double A Trading Company for supporting this event and helping us on our continued journey into the development of the game of the golf.