SHANK unveils coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Tuesday 28 July, 2026; Cupar, Scotland: In just 9 weeks time the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will celebrate its 25th anniversary since evolving from the Alfred Dunhill Cup into the pro-celebrity tournament played over the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie. SHANK first covered the tournament in 2013, and I have been at every edition of this magnificent championship ever since, throw in the two tournaments I volunteered at in 2004 and 2006, and the one I caddied in, in 2011, and this will be my 16th Alfred Dunhill Links Championship over the last 22 years.

SHANK's coverage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship offers a depth and breadth unrivalled by more established golf media outlets, and regularly generates more than 200,000 views each year, reaching thousands of golfers around the world. In 2025 we marked 40 years of dunhill golf in St Andrews, with three major features, which you can read at the bottom of this page.

In 2026 SHANK will mark the 25th anniversary of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with 9 consecutive days of coverage across www.shank.golf, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads and BlueSky

SHANK will begin its countdown to the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Thursday 3 September (4 weeks before the first round) by looking back to our exclusive feature in 2025 - 40 years of Fashion: a celebration of four decades of dunhill golf in St Andrews. This exclusive editorial was shot across St Andrews with model and avid golfer Kyle Moran, and we showcased the fashion styles of the four decades which the Alfred Dunhill Cup/Alfred Dunhill Links has been played in St Andrews.

The day before the dunhill (Sunday 27 September)

SHANK's coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will begin on Sunday 27 September, with a special event - The day before the dunhill - Live from Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and St Andrews. The day before the dunhill will bring photography and video from all three host locations, along with special video interviews with tournament volunteers and representatives of each host course. The day before the dunhill will be showcased across Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok, and will conclude with SHANK's written preview to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, exclusively on www.shank.golf.

The schedule from Monday to Friday is largely dependent upon the draw, and whether any local golfers are invited to play in the tournament, but it is likely to pan out as shown below:

Monday (Monday 28 September) - St Andrews - Practice rounds officially begin across all three courses, and on a Monday you often see some of the bigger names sneaking out for an early week round on the Old Course. I will be in St Andrews to capture those moments, and www.shank.golf will have a feature article on How the Dunhill could fit into the future landscape of world golf, following the announced changes to the PGA TOUR schedule from 2028, as well as Photos of the day.

Tuesday (Tuesday 29 September) - St Andrews - Tuesday is a good day to catch celebrity golfers getting practice in on the Old Course, and I will be there to capture those moments. www.shank.golf will cover the press conferences and round up the news from the day, as well as reacting to the draw, which is announced at the draw party in the Alfred Dunhill Pavilion behind the 17th green, as well as Photos of the day.

Wednesday (Wednesday 30 September) - St Andrews - Many of the headline golfers choose to get their Old Course prep done on Wednesday, and I will be there capture those moments, as well as covering the final press conferences. www.shank.golf will have a feature article on the Alfred Dunhill Links Foundation, covering the work that it does and much more, as well as Photos of the day.

Thursday (Thursday 1 October) - Carnoustie - If the draw follows its traditional pattern of locating the big-named golfers at Carnoustie on Thursday then I will be at Carnoustie to cover the first round there. There will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day.

Friday (Friday 2 October) - Kingsbarns - If the draw follows its traditional pattern of locating the big-named golfers at Kingsbarns on Friday then I will be at Kingsbarns to cover the second round there. There will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day.

Super Saturday in St Andrews (Saturday 3 October) - St Andrews - Saturday is cut day, and the day of the annual Fireworks display in St Andrews, and If the draw follows its traditional pattern of locating the big-named golfers at St Andrews on Saturday then I will be at St Andrews to cover the third round there. There will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day. Then from approximately 6.30pm I will be out on the course to try and get a unique vantage point to cover the fireworks from, with a live stream on Facebook, followed shortly by images on the other social channels.

Super Saturday in St Andrews will also be the title of a special feature article on www.shank.golf on Saturday morning, setting the scene for the day ahead.

Championship Sunday (Sunday 4 October) - St Andrews - the Final round will be on the Sunday (weather permitting of course!) and there will be images and updates throughout the day across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky, followed by a daily report on all the action and stories from the day on www.shank.golf, as well as Photos of the day.

Championship Sunday will also be the title of a special feature article on www.shank.golf, setting the scene for the battle for the individual and team championships.

The day after the dunhill (Monday 5 October) - this special day of content will look back at a week to remember, with content across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Threads and BlueSky.

Sponsor SHANK's coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship

Enquire now at matt@shankmedia.co.uk

SHANK is looking for a sponsor or sponsors of its coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Promote your business, product or service to a large audience this October. For more details and to discuss the opportunity email matt@shankmedia.co.uk

Overview of what SHANK can offer you:

• The core of SHANK's coverage of the 2026 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship will run from Sunday 27 September to Monday 5 October, and will be across www.shank.golf and the social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads and BlueSky.

• SHANK will offer your business, product or service exposure throughout the period (27/09/26 to 05/10/26) across www.shank.golf and the social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Threads and BlueSky. Sponsorship rates and terms discussed on application to matt@shankmedia.co.uk

• SHANK Media also operates the two Facebook groups - This is St Andrews and Super Cupar, which it utilises to expand its audience for coverage of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. These groups have a combined 2.8k members and an active, engaged membership.

• SHANK's coverage in 2025 was viewed more than 200,000 times across www.shank.golf and the social media platform on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads and Blue Sky. The coverage reached an approximate 33,500 unique users, and consisted of 19 website articles and features, and 320 social media posts.

• SHANK's audience is global with a local core, with its website www.shank.golf visited by golfers from 67 countries across 6 continents. 26.9% of SHANK's followers are from St Andrews, Cupar, Dundee, Anstruther, and Leven.

• Traffic to www.shank.golf increases by 200% during the period of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship and views and viewers of its social media channels increases by more than 1000%. Dunhill week truly is the biggest week of the year by every metric.

www.shank.golf will publish any player announcements and much more in the coming weeks as we move closer to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, as well as updating content plans if necessary.

SHANK, by Matt Hooper

Matt Hooper is an associate member of the Sports Journalists Association, former Old Course Caddie, and former clubhouse supervisor at the New Golf Club St Andrews