Dunhill Links Championship 2026: Preview
Golf's grandest pro am returns to Fife and Angus from 1 to 4 October 2026, played across the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns. Here is the preview, and how to play all three yourself.
Photo: St Andrews Links via Google.
The grandest pro am in golf
Few events on the calendar are as beloved as the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, and in 2026 it returns to eastern Scotland from 1 to 4 October. A DP World Tour event with a twist, it pairs every professional with an amateur partner, from sport, screen and business, and sends the field across three of the finest links in the game over three days, before a 54 hole cut sets up a final round on the Old Course at St Andrews. The professional title and the team title are decided together, in autumn light, on the most famous links in the world.
The venues are the whole point. The Old Course at St Andrews needs no introduction, the home of golf and the spiritual heart of the game. Carnoustie, across the Tay in Angus, is the fiercest test of the three, a brutal, honest championship links that has bared its teeth at the best in the world. Kingsbarns, the youngest of the trio, is a modern masterpiece on the Fife coast by the American architect Kyle Phillips, hole after hole hard against the North Sea. The agreement that keeps the championship at these three courses runs on through the end of the decade, so this rota is set for years to come.
Dunhill Links 2026 at a glance
| Detail | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 1 to 4 October 2026 |
| Tour | DP World Tour |
| Format | Team pro am over three courses, then a 54 hole cut and final round |
| Venues | Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns |
| Final round | The Old Course at St Andrews |
Our take
The Dunhill is golf television at its most seductive because it sells a trip every viewer can actually take. You cannot play in the Masters, but you can play the exact three courses the professionals tackle here, and doing all three on one week is among the great experiences in the sport. Build it the way the tournament does: a round on the Old Course, a day at the formidable Carnoustie, and the coastal drama of Kingsbarns, all from a base in St Andrews.
Timing and access are everything. October sits in the shoulder season, so conditions can be glorious or wild, and prices ease off the summer peak. The Old Course allocates many tee times by daily ballot and Kingsbarns books up far ahead, so a trip like this rewards planning months in advance. Our St Andrews and Fife hub and our Scotland golf holidays lay out how to do it, and our team can secure the tee times where access allows.
Plan a St Andrews and Fife golf trip
Want to play the Old Course, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns on one trip, the way the Dunhill is played? Tell us your dates and group and one concierge will build it, tee times and lodging included, costed to the head.
Dunhill Links 2026 questions
When and where is the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship?
The 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship runs from 1 to 4 October 2026 on the DP World Tour. It is played across three courses in eastern Scotland: the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns, with the final round on the Old Course.
How does the Dunhill Links format work?
It is a unique team pro am. Each professional is paired with an amateur partner, and over the first three days every team plays each of the three courses once. A 54 hole cut then reduces the field for a final round on the Old Course, where the professional individual title and the team title are both decided.
Can I play the three Dunhill courses myself?
Yes. All three are open to visiting golfers outside tournament weeks, though the Old Course and Kingsbarns require booking well ahead and the Old Course allocates many tee times by a daily ballot. Playing all three on one trip is one of the great Scottish golf weeks, and the reason the region is such a draw.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Dates, courses and format verified June 2026 from the DP World Tour and the host venues. Last reviewed June 2026.