As Dave Thomas and Peter Alliss set out the fairways on former ministry of defence property next to the 2,300-acre Barry Buddon rifle range and training field, the Buddon course opened for play as an 18-hole layout in 1981.

All of the holes are named after conflicts that happened during numerous war efforts, as a reference to the local people who have lived there since the late 1890s. The course is located to the south and east of the Carnoustie Golf Links management committee's grounds.

The Buddon is a links course that begins and ends with several fairways that reach into tree-lined terrain in the middle of the round. As the current clubhouse was being constructed in 2012, mackenzie & ebert completed a redesign, which resulted in the removal of the first hole when the par was adjusted from 66 to 68.

In the southwest corner of the farm, the existing 9th and 10th holes were combined to make a single hole, and two additional holes were formed to form a new 11th and 12th, adding new ecological benefits by the development of wetlands, reservoirs, and new heathland areas.