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By: David Brice
Golf International, Inc.

This year's British Open, staged at Carnoustie, the toughest of all Open venues, has attracted almost as much attention as when the event is held at the ever popular St. Andrews. Carnoustie has that unique combination of tradition, history, toughness and sheer guts, that defies anyone to ignore it, whether a player or a spectator.

Montrose delivers a bracing round every time

But like so many other parts of the Scottish coastline, good links courses do not appear as isolated quirks of nature -- wherever you find one good links, you can be assured there will be others nearby. And so it is with Carnoustie - this 7-time host to The British Open is literally surrounded by other excellent links layouts. They may not enjoy the same level of celebrity as Carnoustie, but that detracts in no way from their quality and the genuine links experience they offer.

Carnoustie's neighbors share the same coastal location, with a very similar terrain of undulating fairways and sand dunes. They are beaten by the identical winds and rain; they grow the same rough of sea grasses, gorse bushes and scrub. Chances are it was the same flocks of sheep that centuries ago dug hollows in the ground, later to be known as bunkers, to protect themselves from the wind and rain. Carnoustie is just one of more than a dozen prized links that share this Angus shoreline.

Golfers who visit from St. Andrews, venturing across the bridge spanning the Firth of Tay and into the county of Angus, are typically limited to those with starting times on the links at Carnoustie. It's usually a 6-hour trip or so, composed of a half hour drive each way, 4 hours playing the course and an hour in the bar of the Carnoustie Hotel, before driving back to their St. Andrews hotel.

If only these folks knew what other golfing treasures are located here in Angus, many just a few minutes away from Carnoustie, they would have planned to spend a lot longer here.

Gorse is a specialty of the house at Montrose

Ironically, several of these gems were passed on the short, half hour journey from St. Andrews to Carnoustie - Monifieth, Downfield and Panmure being among the most notable. But the pride of Angus' golf lies a further 18 miles beyond Carnoustie, in the sleepy seaside burgh of Montrose, the most northerly of Angus coastal towns. Montrose Medal Links dates from 1562 making it the fifth oldest golf course in the world and a public golf links in the very best Scottish tradition.

Even as you approach the course from the main road, the feeling is almost inspirational and two thoughts immediately cross your mind. The first is that you are about to play one of the game's most historic courses, a humbling idea. The second thought is that you hope this incessant wind dies down before you tee off.

Historic the course is, so get used to the idea. As for the wind dying - no chance. This is the way links golf is supposed to be and with its unsheltered exposure to the cruel North Sea, the wind never dies down at Montrose, another idea you'll have to get used to.

And that very much describes Montrose -- it is what it is, an honest to goodness classic links, with no fancy airs and graces, no artificial hype, no snobbery. This is real links golf of the highest order. It may not be for everyone, but for the true aficionado, it will be one of the best you will ever have the pleasure of playing.

Rough at Montrose is spelled with a capital R.

There are actually two layouts here, The Medal, measuring a shade less than 6,500 yards and the more placid, and shorter, Broomfield Course. The star attraction is the Medal Course, host to numerous major events including The Scottish Professional Championship and The Scottish Amateur Championship. It's also used as an Open qualifier when The Open is held at Carnoustie.

This is the course with real teeth and all of the history and reputation. Thankfully it has escaped any major changes over the centuries and the layout played today is very much the way it has always been.

The track follows the mountainous sand dunes that run along the shoreline for the first eight holes, then after the turn and another two holes, darts inland carving its way through dense gorse before returning to the seaside for the closing holes. This variation on the usual, straight out and back layout makes an interesting change and adds to the variety of challenges. With Montrose there is never any tedium, of that you may be assured.

What you will find throughout is a complete arsenal of links defenses. The wind is merciless from start to finish and never on more than two successive holes will you find it blowing from the same direction.

Blind holes are common on old links and Montrose has its share

The undulations on fairways and greens are often pronounced then unexpectedly subtle. The waist high dune grasses present rough that seems rougher than the Good Lord may have intended, consuming golf balls with a voracious appetite. Then there is that trademark hazard of links courses, gorse - beautiful to view from afar, but disastrous for any errant shot.

Combine all of this with a few raised greens and a plentiful supply of deep pot bunkers, sometimes with as many as six defending a single green and you have Montrose Medal Course, a classic links with a bite.

There are three golf clubs that share the wondrous links at Montrose -- the Royal Montrose, the Caledonia and the Mercantile. Each maintains a clubhouse adjacent to the course, offering good Scottish hospitality, so take your pick and relive the thrills and disappointments of your round over a dram or two.

If you are going to Scotland to experience real golf, this is a classic that should not be missed. Montrose may lack some of the glamour and fame attached to other layouts, but you will never find another quite as deserving of star billing.

For more suggestions on including Montrose and other Angus courses on your golf trip, click here.

© 2007 David Brice / Golf International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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