What can you say about the "Beast" that is Carnoustie Championship Links? Whether it is praise or blame that you seek to apportion, the names of Robertson, Morris and Braid are those of the designers in question. Though records speak about golf or "gowff" to be more specific, being played in the area as far back as 1520, the present course was moulded by successive architects over the years since the initial ten holes were laid out in 1842.

Whilst there may be little dramatic background scenery, the beauty of Carnoustie is to be found in the course itself. The layout is such that no two consecutive holes face the same direction, a factor that does nothing for the golfer in finding their rhythm in the face of often-stiff winds. And Carnoustie's famous burns that snake their way around the course - Jockie's Burn and the Barry Burn represent two more obstacles to posting a respectable tally. Regarded by many including Walter Hagen and Gary Player as one of the best links in the world, Carnoustie Championship Links, though not particularly long from the medal tees, is not a course for the unthinking big-hitter. With judgement of wind and distance critical, every tee shot needs careful placement to set up an approach to the green.

Sometimes you get an easy start to a golf course but not here. Having made your initial introductions to the Barry Burn, the second shot on this 400-yard opener is a blind one to a hidden green with countless slick borrows. And after 15 gruelling but majestic holes, the virgin player is still unprepared for one of the toughest finishing stretches in golf. If you par the last three holes, you will invariably walk from the 18th green with your head held high. If not, well don't feel too bad - imagine how Jean van de Velde felt standing in the waters of the Barry Burn in 1999.

Given its quality, it is difficult to comprehend why this links lay virtually undiscovered for so long and why it took until 1931 for it to host its first British Open. Since then, this great links has hosted the Open on seven occasions, its array of champions including Armour, Cotton, Hogan, Player, Watson and Lawrie, fittingly bearing testament to the toughness of Carnoustie.

The 2007 Open was won by the great Irish golfer Padraig Harrington. 

Carnoustie Championship Links is also one of the three venues for the annual Dunhill Links Championship (the other two being the St Andrews Old Course and Kingsbarns).

One of the world's oldest golf clubs, Crail Golfing Society was founded in February 1786 and initially comprised membership of 11 local golfers. The club's original home was located at Sauchope just outside the picturesque fishing village of Crail and it was not until 1895, with the help of Old Tom Morris did they relocate to their present home at Balcomie Golf Links.

With the hardships of the First World War, the local town council had to come to the rescue of the club, when they took over the lease of the links, which they eventually purchased in 1924. As with many Scottish courses, the links was requisitioned for military use during the Second World War but by 1946, golf at Balcomie Links was restored. Crail was run jointly by both the council and the club until 1973 when Crail Golf Club purchased the entire facility from the council for the sum of £30,000.

Located 11 miles from its famous sister courses at St. Andrews, the Balcomie Links at Crail, though not particularly long, is a truly beautiful venue with superb views of the sea from every tee. The course is always in immaculate condition and boasts crisp links turf and greens, which though can become frighteningly fast during the summer months, always remain true. Far removed from the bustle of everyday life, many holes climb and tumble alongside the water's edge and the rocky outcrops of the Forth shore.

As befits a classic links, each hole has its own character, which always ensures a fascinating round of golf. The 4th and 5th offer tempting shortcuts across the shoreline, with the latter, aptly called "Hell's Hole", representing a fearsome 459-yard par 4, where it's make your mind up time as to whether you try to carry the beach or take the sensible way around.

Like many top courses, the last few holes will test even the most accomplished golfer. With some of the finest short holes anywhere, the memory of the back-to-back 13th and 14th will linger for a long time. But no matter how well or badly you fare, every golfer will remember Crail as a stunning golfing experience

Bruce Devlin's experience and expertise have provided the Devlin with its innovative and exciting character.

Fast becoming a must-play course, this gem begins by innocently easing the golfer into a false sense of security, offering wide, well manicured fairways that wind around man-made water features and risky bunkers, teasing the golfer with a mix of par fours and fives.

The course is a truly magnificent 72 par, 7,049 yard championship course that sweeps its way along the rugged seaside landscape. This as yet, undiscovered gem begins by innocently easing the golfer into a false sense of security, offering wide, well manicured fairways that wind around man-made water features and risky bunkers, teasing the golfer with a mix of par fours and fives.

Then it is onto the par 5, 7th where the walk to the tee signals the beginning of the roller coaster style rides up, over and around the rugged wilderness of Kittock's Den.  These ridge holes open up to the panorama of the white water crashing on the rocky shoreline below and over the body of the North sea to the Grampian mountains which dominate the horizon.  The ever-changing ambience of this vast and spectacular view heightens the experience for the golfer.

Leading on to the par 4 9th, which hugs the natural curve of the coastline, down to the heavily protected, suspended green.  The golfer is continually taunted by the course, which offers debate as to whether to play safe or take a risk.

At the par 4, 11th faced with this choice, do you veer to the tight fairway on the right or the wider, longer and safer option on the left?  The decision is yours.

The excitement continues to mount as the homeward stretch lies ahead, all the while heading to the par 4, signature 17.  After a solid drive this 'dog leg' leaves a precarious 2nd shot towards the cliff edge green, which is heavily guarded by slopes and strategically placed bunkers. The par 3, 18th provides one final surprise - one must complete the round with a skilful shot to secure par.

The ever-changing ambience of this vast and spectacular view heightens the experience for the golfer.

Golf has been played on Earlsferry Links, possibly as early as the 15 th century as it was deemed necessary for an Act of Parliament to be passed in 1471 banning the game! However some 100 years later a royal charter in 1589 affirmed the "ancient servitude right of golf" for the villagers over the Links.

 By 1770 there was put in place a sort of formal layout of a course, which was then severely challenged by the owners of the Grange Estate who clearly were not golfers and promptly laid claim to a part of the course and ploughed up a section in the middle!

Legal action ensued which took some 20 years before judgement was found in favour of the golfers, decreeing that the disputed strip of land should be as wide as the best golfer could hit a ball. The identity of the "best" golfer is not known but suffice to say he was not on form resulting in the narrow strip of land which encompasses the current 4th and 17th holes

The first Club The Elie and Earlsferry Golf Club was formed in 1832. However in order to provide permanent facilities a clubhouse or what was known as a golf house was built in 1875, and the opportunity was taken to use this name to form a new club in the same year, The Golf House Club. By 1896 more land had been leased enabling an 18 hole course to be laid out,  which bar a few minor alterations is the course played today.

The original club The Elie and Earlsferry Golf Club was disbanded in 1912. Elie and Earlsferry Ladies Golf Club which shares the course and clubhouse was formed in 1884 and the Earlsferry Thistle Golf Club which also has playing rights was formed in 1875 the same year as the Golf House Club.

James Braid, five times winner of The Open was born and grew up in the village of Earlsferry and was a member of the Thistle aged 15. He considered the 13 th hole, nestling beneath the towering cliffs of Kincraig Point to be "the best hole in golf" and the 4 th as needing "twa guid dunts wi' a wood" to reach the green into the prevailing wind.

Such is the quality of the course, it was in days gone by a qualifying course for the OpenChampionship and has hosted a number of notable tournaments including the Seniors Championship, the Scottish Professionals Championship and the Scottish Ladies Championship.

A magnificent James Braid designed golf course.  Lundin Links, just 30 minutes from St. Andrews is one Scotland's lesser known gems.  A  qualifying course to The Open Championship when played in St. Andrews, Lundin Golf Club is renowned for its beautiful greens and some of the most demanding short Par 4's in the game of golf.

Founded in 1820, this is Scottish links golf at its very best; several blind shots, numerous hazards and rolling fairways with unexpected bumps.

The sea is visible form almost every hole, something which any true links course should encompass. The front nine is a test of your patience and fortitude while the back nine, especially the closing stretch of holes, requires careful course management and pinpoint accuracy. Getting par from the 16th onwards is not only a test of your skill but a test of nerve.

A complex links course with open burns, an internal out of bounds (the old railway line), and strategic bunkering, Lundin presents a challenge for the thinking golfer where position from the tee rather than distance will yield just rewards on the scorecard.

The St. Andrews Society of Golfers, forerunner to the Royal & Ancient Club played the leading role in the foundation of Scotscraig Golf Club in 1817. Following a meeting called by William Dalgleish, certain members of the St. Andrews Society, seeking more golf than presently afforded them, decided to form a new club called Scotscraig. And though golf had been played for a long time over this six-hole course prior to the formation of Scotscraig, the club went into temporary abeyance in 1835 having been for some reason ploughed up. Resurrected again in 1887, golf was played over an adjacent nine-hole site for a period of time and it wasn't until additional ground was obtained that the course was extended to 18 holes in 1905. Scotscraig was further improved with the help of James Braid in 1923 and has developed over the years into the fine links that it is today.

Located ten mile north of St. Andrews, Scotscraig Golf Club is another course, which plays frequent host to final qualifying for the British Open, when the event is played at the Old Course. There is little doubt that its fine links turf and smooth, fast greens make it a truly worthy venue. Although very close to the sea and despite being correctly classified as a links course, Scotscraig is somewhat parkland in nature with far more trees in evidence than on most links. With copious numbers of whin bushes and the rolling nature of the fairways, Scotscraig is oft times demanding but always interesting.

The links offers many intriguing holes but two of the most memorable holes include the par four 4th and the par five 14th. The fourth, though of average length at 366 yards, provides a formidable finish over heather covered terrain to a plateau green that is very difficult to hit and hold. A more lengthy challenge is offered by the 523-yard fourteenth, where precise positioning is required in order to reach the well-guarded green in regulation.

Though adjusted by Tom Morris, the Old Course is essentially natural, its layout changing little in over 200 years. The course has been modelled by the winds of God that formed the dunes into randomly complex shapes, indifferent then as now, to the vanities of mankind.

While golf has been played for centuries at St. Andrews, it was not always looked upon favourably by the authorities. Under the Act of Parliament of 1457, it was decreed that "golfe be utterly cryit doun and not usit". James III and IV subsequently reinforced this statement from James II due to the belief that the pursuit of golf was distracting men from archery practice and thereby weakening the defence against the threat of invading English armies.

Though the championship credentials of the Old Course hardly require justification, the venue has played host to 25 Open Championships and many other major competitions over the years. Measuring almost 7,000 yards from the championship tees, the visitor will rarely play from here and is more likely to take on the 6,566-yard challenge. Golf was originally played here in a clockwise direction but over time, the anti-clockwise format was deemed to be superior and since 1870 only one championship has been held over the original layout and that was due to an oversight by the green keeping staff.

In the absence of wind, the Old Course can actually play quite easy but the overpowering sense of awe that one feels when standing on the first tee will certainly equalise matters. And while each hole is both a pleasure and an unforgettable experience to play, some of the finest on the Old Course include the first, eleventh, fourteenth and seventeenth holes.

Quite apart from the degree of difficulty, the first ball struck on the Old Course will probably prove to be the most nerve-wrenching shot that you will ever hit. One should steer the drive to the left hand side of the fairway, keeping the out of bounds on the right well out of play, while the long hitter must take care to avoid the burn, situated 260 yards from the tee. The second shot calls for a medium to long iron, depending on the wind and with the green almost at one with the burn, walk off with a par and it is a job well done.

The par 4, 17th "Road Hole" is one of the most celebrated and feared holes in golf. Should you take the advised line over the "Black Sheds", your drive should be struck with a touch of draw and must carry at least 180 yards. And while the prudent second shot here would be to the front right corner of the green, for those who relish a challenge, great accuracy is required in order to avoid the road to the right and rear of the green and also the dreaded Road Hole Bunker. End up in the bunker though, and you may well experience both on your way to running up a nice score.

The Old Course at St. Andrews is a must for all avid golfers, who should make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. While it is one thing getting the opportunity to play here, it is quite another to make the occasion a memorable one in scoring terms. Every virgin Old Course golfer finds that in addition to pitting their wits against the course, the none-too-slight elements of history, reputation, aura and self-determination all contrive against a low return. As the legendary Robert the Bruce said to his troops at the battle of Bannockburn "I have brought you to the ring, now you must dance".

The Castle Course is very different from the other Links Trust courses, and I predict it will immediately become the second most popular after the Old Course itself. For starters, it is not a true links, at least not by purist standards, because it does not sit on the sandy soil left behind by the receding sea, as do the Trust's four marquee layouts, all closer to sea level. The Castle Course is more of a links-style cliff-top hybrid, a la Pebble Beach, and as such, it is the most visually dramatic and attractive of the courses, offering ocean views from every single hole, while the Old Course offers a slight sea view only from the first tee. The older links are almost totally flat, whereas the Castle course is filled with sandy ridges covered with rough, with much more contour than the other layouts. Similarly its greens are much more heavily shaped, with severe drop offs that in some cases will make Pinehurst Number Two look like an easy place to chip and putt.

Basically, it is more like Kingsbarns -- the stunning eye-candy coastal course a few miles down the road that revolutionized modern Scottish golf -- than it is like the old links courses of St. Andrews. Both nines finish in truly dramatic fashion, sharing a double green on the tip of a small promontory jutting into the sea, and no matter which nine you play first, you will walk off with a memorable finish. Seventeen is shaping up to be the signature hole, a par 3 played over a coastal inlet to a green perched on the cliffs, very reminiscent of the fabled all-carry par-3 at California's ultra-private Cypress Point, one of the most painted and photographed golf holes on earth.

By the year 1913 the pressure for play on the Old, New and Jubilee courses was such that a fourth course was required.

Opened for play in 1914, the Eden course was designed by Harry S. Colt, internationally renowned for his course design skills. His use of natural features and of partially buried field boundary walls gives the course an entirely natural feel. 

Since 1919, it has played host to the Eden Tournament, one of Britain's oldest amateur golfing events. Every year, in the second week of August, over 250 golfers play for the Eden Trophy.

The Jubilee Course was laid out in 1897 by John Angus, who was paid just under 180 pounds to turn the sliver of land between The New Course and the sea into a 12-hole links. In just under two months, Angus and his crew of 20 men had the course ready for play, in time for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (hence the name).

In 1902, the course was expanded to 18 holes, which is quite remarkable since even a passing glance at a map of the parcel of land it occupies appears too narrow to accommodate one fairway, much less two side-by-side (one running out and one running back).

Further renovations to the course were made in 1938-1946 by former Open champion Willie Auchterlonie. And the final version, as it plays today, was completed in 1988 by Donald Steel. These newest improvements include elevated tee boxes affording vistas of the firth and town and exposing tee shots to even more of the wind.

At 6,742 yards and par 72 from the medal tees (6,424 men's, 5,956 ladies'), The Jubilee Course is truly the championship course at St Andrews. In fact, it seems like The Open is just about the only championship not held on the Jubilee. And, as we were warned, it plays every bit as tough as one would expect.

Wind, sure. Evil bunkering, of course. Massive, unreadable greens, certainly. All of these things one expects from The Links at St Andrews. But fairways apparently no wider than a bowling alley, lined with gorse the way that some fairways in the U.S. are lined with pine trees? And blind tee shots to these claustrophobic corridors? This is not your prototypical links design.

Aside from the golf-ball gobbling gorse and heaving dunes that swallow all errant shots, out of bounds comes into play on holes No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 14, 16, 17, and 18. And danger lurks not just for slicers; hookers get punished here as well. Basically, all you need to do, on every single hole, is hit the ball straight.

Or should we say, hit the ball straight and pray. You see, a few years ago, the fairways gave way to primary rough, then intermediate rough, and finally the brutal long rough. These days, though, the fairway leads to only a narrow strip of primary rough, which surrenders almost immediately to the long stuff. As such, even a well-struck drive could easily trickle off into high cotton. Sometimes you need to be lucky and good.

This said, it is in fact that back nine which burns itself most exquisitely into a golfer's memory. Be aware that no ball seems to carry as far as you think it will, nor do all yardages seem to jibe with yardage markers or the yardage book. Possible yardage book misprints notwithstanding, several holes intentionally feature deceptive yardages. The best hole on the course - and one of the best links holes in the Kingdom of Fife - is the 356-yard 15th. A fairway wood from the tee to the left side of the fairway leaves an approach to a green that appears to be much closer than it is. The illusion is achieved through a combination of a 20-foot high dune occluding the right side of the green and a deep swale spanning a good 30 yards in front of the putting surface.

The Jubilee gives you the best fight for your money. So do play it, but be prepared. The greens are the hardest and least forgiving at the links, so be precise. And even though it is the toughest course at The Links, players are not required to provide a handicap card, so be prepared for one of the longest rounds in Scotland (4.5 hours). And finally, since The Links belong to the people of St Andrews after all, locals generally walk and jog all along and through the course, so be careful. And remember that a good front nine does not ensure a decent score on the back nine, so be humble.

Any pilgrimage to St. Andrews must include strolling the streets from one end of the old town to the other. The shop and tavern-lined streets converge at two key points - the cathedral grounds on one end and the first tee/18th green of St Andrews' Old Course at the other.

At one end of town, Old Tom Morris and his son, young Tommy, are buried within cathedral ruins dating back to the 1100s. The Morrises dominated the British Open in its first dozen years, each winning four times. Old Tom survived his son and was a fixture at the Old Course until his death in 1908. His granddaughter has an apartment overlooking the 18th green.

In the face of so much history, it took a daunting soul to build new golf courses (designed by Americans, yet) and an American-style resort within sight of the old town's skyline. Entrepreneur Dr. Donald Panoz (founder of the luxury Chateau Elan resort group based in Atlanta, Georgia) bought 540 oceanfront acres three miles up the coast from St Andrews, and built the $80 million, 209-room St Andrews Bay Resort, spa and two golf courses. The Fairmont Company bought the resort in 2006 and renamed it.

Golf was the driving force behind the creation of the resort, and a dream come true for Panoz and his friend, the late Gene Sarazen, who saw the setting "and knew we had something special," says Panoz. With Sarazen as a consultant, both courses were built by the U.S. firm of Denis Griffiths and Associates, who worked with designer Sam Torrance (2002 European Ryder Cup captain) on the Torrance Course in 2001, and Aussie designer Bruce Devlin on the Devlin Course in 2002.

At the heart of the two courses is a $3.5 million clubhouse with a balcony facing the sea. Off to the west is the skyline of St. Andrews. Across the bay is the lighthouse of the Carnoustie Golf Course. To the east is the 17th green of the Devlin Course, under which lies the remains of a 500 A.D. fort where Roman sentinels once watched for invaders from the sea.

Head golf pro John Kerr believes the two courses will become as famous in time as the area's historic tracks. "With the designers involved and the setting, they're great courses," he says. "There aren't many courses with a better view, and they're challenging. The first pro-am we had on the Devlin, the scores from the white tees (not the back tees) ranged from 70 to 83. On the Devlin there are places you have to put the ball up in the air and fly the greens or you'll lose a ball in the thick rough.

"The Torrance is more traditional," he says. "You can bounce the ball into the greens. With the wind waving the tall yellow fescue, the Torrance rough is intimidating, but you can walk in and find your ball. It may grab your club getting out of it, but at least you can find it."

Both courses are checkered with ancient stone walls, and stone bridges span the burn (creek) running through the Torrance. On the cliff-side perimeter, stone walls are overrun by flowering yellow gorse and broom, white quince, red campion, and tiny, delicate bluebells clinging to the precipice above the ocean.

Bussed almost constantly by winds, the Devlin is home to high rough and devilish bunkers. The over-sized greens, some serving two holes, look inviting but are subtly sculpted. The track follows rolling high ground around duck ponds, stone walls and copses of trees, then loops back to the cliffs, where the greens become optical illusions suspended against sea and sky, and confound club selection.

The finishing holes are superb. 17, a long par-4 hole, is a blind shot over the crest of a hill. The fairway falls away to the right, 175 yards downhill to the seaside green. Go long on your first shot and you're in bunkers beyond the dogleg; fall short and you have to skirt the precipitous ravine called Kittocks Den. 18 is a well-guarded par 3 with a backdrop of St Andrews and the beach.

From the hotel the Torrance looks like a sea of rippling brown grassseamed here and there with stone walls. A traditional, walking only course, it becomes more impressive with every hole, unfolding with the character and forethought of a lovingly crafted quilt.

Though it looks as if it has been here 100 years, two things about the Torrance are unusual. Most links courses are deprived of sea views by a range of dunes. On the Torrance (and Devlin) the sea is visible from most holes. Secondly, few older courses loop back to the clubhouse on the ninth hole as these tracks do - a convenience most Americans expect.

Chief greenskeeper Neil Ballingall is a pleasant fellow who is attentive to detail, as the condition of the course shows. His greens are fast and true, and the sand in his bunkers is precisely the right grain size (fine sand will blow out).

Scottish fairways are typically seeded in fescue and bentgrass, but the mix on the Torrance incorporates a bit of rye, says Ballingall. "It's a conference hotel (it has the largest hotel-based conference facilities in Scotland), so the rye makes the ball sit up for people who play infrequently. Yet the pros like it too, because they get the reaction they want from the ball."

There are no dull holes on the Torrance, but the back nine has the most spectacular ocean holes. At 14, a short par 4, the track drops to a pretty seaside green by way of a split fairway lined with a rock wall overrun with flowering bushes. The floral show extends along the next hole, a 183-yard par 3 where the wind calls the shots. The top-handicapped 17th hole is a par 4 with a brush-filled gorge and rock wall intruding on the fairway. Depending on the wind, it can be a long shot over the wall to the green. 18 is a long uphill par 5 that breaks sharply left on the third shot to a seaside green.

Heading home late in the day on either track, the setting sun casts a golden glow over the courses, and it's easy to pretend they've occupied this precious bit of land forever.