Torrential rain which fell on Thursday September 3rd and during the following night created havoc across Carnoustie Links as the worst floods for twenty four years transformed many holes on both the Championship and Burnside courses into virtual lakes. The Barry Burn, fuelled by the vast weight of water coming down from the hills, comfortably overflowed its reinforced banks and the second, third, fourth and fifth holes on the Burnside, together with the tenth, eleventh, seventeenth and eighteenth on the Championship, were feet deep in water as a result. Aside from the immediate chaos, the imminent start of the Craw's Nest Tassie caused much head scratching for CGLMC, as well as a huge amount of work for John Philp and his staff. Water pumps, a grateful cessation of rain, the gradual lowering of the water level in the Barry Burn and, of course, a huge effort by the greenkeeping staff ensured that the Tassie did get underway on schedule, albeit with reduced course lengths over the first two days.
There was, of course, the funnier side of things as well. A determined, first-time visiting golfer from the west side of America arrived in the Professional's Shop on Friday and asked for directions to the Championship Course Starter's Box. Colin Sinclair politely advised the gentleman that the course was closed due to the weather conditions and gently led him over to the window to view the eighteenth hole, which by this time was now a lake for virtually the entire length of the fairway. "Gee", was the surprised response, " I thought that was a water feature!"
