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The Sons of Carnoustie Golf Club
If you watched this year's Open Championship at Carnoustie - and
enjoyed the most exciting finish to a Major Championship for many
years - you may have wondered how it feels to play these ancient
links, generally agreed to be the most challenging in the world.
The Links of Carnoustie |
You need wonder no longer. Now you can join an exclusive Golf Club
whose benefits not only include a chance to play the fabled links
of the Carnoustie Championship course, but also to enjoy year-round
competition and forge close international relationships with fellow
golfers on every continent. And all at a price far lower than you
might expect for a Club with membership strictly limited to just
500 worldwide (click here for details).
The Sons of Carnoustie Golf Club is the brainchild of local Carnoustie
golfers, who are used to enjoying inter-club golf competitions which
are traditional and date back over 100 years.
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Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris |
Carnoustie is an ancient town, where golf has been played for many
centuries. The local register certifies that the Earl of Panmure,
Sir Robert Maule, "exercisit at the gowf" on the site
of current links from as early as 1527. This is 25 years before
the first record of golf at St Andrews.
The first real "course" of ten holes with double greens
was laid out in the 1830s, probably by Allan Robertson of St Andrews,
and The Carnoustie Golf Club was formally established in 1842, making
it one of the ten oldest clubs in the world. The full 18 hole links
was completed in 1867 by Old Tom Morris, and modified in 1926 by
James Braid.
The name Carnoustie most likely comes from two Scandinavian words
- "car" meaning a rock and "noust" meaning a
bay, although locals will tell you a more colourful tale. This involves
a Scottish King, a Danish invader and a curse by the Nordic gods,
who settled thousands of crows in the area, giving rise to the name
"Craw's Nestie", which slowly became Carnoustie. However
unlikely this version of the story may be, the Carnoustie Golf Club
logo today still features three crows flying over a tree.
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| James Braid and the Great Triumvirate |
Between the end of the 18th century and the early 1920s almost
300 "Sons of Carnoustie" left their native soil and travelled
to the four corners of the world to play and teach the game of golf.
At that time, each area in Scotland had developed its own golfing
style and the "Carnoustie Swing" became recognisable throughout
the world. James Braid, a five time winner of The Open Championship
in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910 and a member of the 'Great Triumvirate'
with J.H. Taylor and Harry Vardon, was one of its most successful
exponents.
One of the best known Carnoustie teachers was Stewart Maiden, "Kiltie"
to his friends, who was not only an outstanding golfer but taught
the legendary amateur Bobby Jones to play golf. Bobby Jones remarked
in later life: "The best luck that I ever had in golf was when
Stewart Maiden came from Carnoustie to be pro at the East Lake Club
[in Atlanta, Georgia]. Stewart had the finest and soundest style
I have ever seen. Naturally I did not know this at the time, but
I grew up swinging like him. I imitated his style, like a monkey
I suppose."
Stewart Maiden in action at Carnoustie and with the great Bobby Jones |
There are today more than 250 golf clubs in the USA alone that
have links with Carnoustie. Member of Carnoustie Golf Club were
among the founders of the American, Australian and South African
PGA's and the club is acknowledged by these organisations as their
heriditary home.
Apart from Stewart Maiden, famous professionals from Carnoustie
include the three Smith brothers, Alex, Willie and McDonald, who
between them won 24 US PGA Tour events in the years 1910 to 1936,
including three victories and two second places in the US Open.
By 1926, the names of Carnoustie golfers were inscribed on the National
Open trophies of seven different countries.
But the Sons of Carnoustie did more than just play and teach. It
was Alexander Cant from Carnoustie who in 1895 invented the modern
handicapping system, now in universal use, based upon stroke allowance.
Until then players were allocated an "average score" depending
on ability. The world's first competition to use the new "handicap"
system was held by the Carnoustie Golf Club and was so successful
that 7 members tied for first place.
Carnoustie Open Champions (from l to r): Tommy Armour, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Paul Lawrie, Padraig Harrington |
Carnoustie has hosted the Open Championship on seven occasions,
most recently in 2007, when Padraig Harrington gained a thrilling
playoff victory over Sergio Garcia. Previous winners of the Open
at Carnoustie were golfing legends Tommy Armour (1931), Henry Cotton
(1937), Ben Hogan (1953), Gary Player (1968) and Tom Watson (1975),
while in 1999, Carnoustie saw one of the most extraordinary moments
in Open Championship history, when France's Jean Van de Velde lost
a three shot lead at the 72nd hole, and was subsequently defeated
in a playoff by Paul Lawrie of Scotland.
SONS OF CARNOUSTIE - THE WORLD'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL EXCLUSIVE GOLF CLUB
So how can you be part of this unique Scottish tradition, and become
a Son of Carnoustie? Joining is simple but, as numbers are restricted,
membership will be on a "first come, first served" basis,
so act quickly to ensure your place in this elite company.
The joining fee is only 1,000 UK pounds or 1,500 Euros, or 2,000
US Dollars, to which VAT will be added for EU members. The annual
membership fee is 200 UK pounds, or 300 Euros / 400 US Dollars,
plus VAT for EU members.
The membership package includes the following:
- A free game on the Carnoustie Championship Golf Course. This
will include breakfast and lunch in the Carnoustie Golf Club,
where you can enjoy looking at the collection of memorabilia,
including all the medals of McDonald Smith, pictured below right.
- A Directory with details of each member, his interests (for
“pen-palling”), his golf club and his golf course, which
will be "classified for difficulty", according to the
USA PGA system.
- Monthly Medal competition winners will be given specific profiles
and medals.
- The Club's apparel package will include a polo shirt, sweater,
tie and cap, plus a pitch repairer and ball-marker, all bearing
the exclusive Club logo (described below).
- A computer package with webcam and software for direct communication
with fellow club members.
The Club will only be launched once 60% of the membership is filled,
and no payments need be made until this figure is achieved. The
golf competitions will begin monthly, two months after the 60% membership
figure is confirmed.
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The Carnoustie Golf Club Medal cabinet |
After joining, members are free to sell their membership at any
time for any price via the Club, although "first refusal"
must be given to the first person on the waiting list. Ten per cent
of any sale over the original joining price will be payable to the
Administration.
The investment opportunity is undeniable, since the Club membership
is limited to 500, and it is envisaged that the prestige and value
of a membership will increase rapidly. The Sons of Carnoustie web
site and content have been copyrighted worldwide to prevent "me-too"
imitations.
You can register your interest in joining this unique and exclusive
club right now by emailing to the Secretary via the Club web site
at www.sonsofcarnoustie.com,
where further details are also available.
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The Sons of Carnoustie club logo also represents part of the
local history.
The tree is the famous Carnoustie "Dibble Tree", a willow more
than 200 years old and still flourishing today, one of Scotland's
100 heritage trees. It is said to have grown from a "dibble",
a planting stick fashioned out of willow, and left by a local
farmer one day when he fell asleep.
The branches of the tree spread out over the five continents,
symbolising the Sons of Carnoustie spreading golf around the
world.
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Photo credits: © Sons
of Carnoustie - Anne Burgess (Creative Commons Licence)
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