Which Open Championship venue is the best on the rota?
It’s natural to have favourites in golf: favourite clubs in the bag, favourite seasons to play in, favourite playing partners and, of course, favourite places to play. Favouritism extends to watching golf, too. With that in mind, and at the urging of our editor, our editorial staff offer takes on which Open Championship venue ranks as their favourite.
Royal Birkdale
Located in the English seaside town of Southport on the West Lancashire coastal plain, Royal Birkdale Golf Club is framed by towering dunes that provide exhilarating playing corridors through natural valleys. These sandhills allow for spectator-friendly viewing platforms that create their very own theatre of dreams. Unlike other links venues on the Open rota, Birkdale is not overly penal and encumbered by blind tee shots, hidden hazards and unfair bounces. Royal Birkdale holds a special place as Australia’s most successful major-championship venue. Peter Thomson claimed his first Open there in 1954 and returned 11 years later to claim a fifth title. Ian Baker-Finch subdued the old lady en route to capturing the 1991 Open wearing that distinctive magenta polo. – Rohan Clarke
Turnberry
We all love St Andrews. The history, the quirks, the unforgettable moments (Cam Smith’s brilliant 2022 triumph, anyone?) rubber-stamp it as the spiritual home of golf and that will never change. But when it comes to watching the Open Championship, any championship, I’m drawn to other golfers’ misfortunes. I love layouts that demand imagination, courage and shot-making of the highest order. Royal Portrush is right up there. The dunes feel enormous, the contours are wild and the punishment for poor decisions can be downright brutal. But for the sake of this vox pop, I’m planting my flag on Turnberry [above]. Give me penal, organic trouble for wayward play over that manufactured cabbage in tour events any day. Then there’s the backdrop: a spectacular slice of Scottish coastline, with the kind of scenery that makes even a three-putt look good on television. It’s time to bring Turnberry back to the Open rota, where she rightfully belongs. Politics be damned. – Brad Clifton
St Andrews
Mine is not an adventurous choice in the Old Course. St Andrews requires the greatest teamwork between player and caddie because of the wind directions, more than 110 pot bunkers and a series of blind shots. The finish is unlike anything in golf. Large (most of them double) greens and firm fairways demand creativity, which is why we’ve seen the greatest players triumph there. Winning The Open at St Andrews leaves a mark on golf history unlike any other Open Championship venue. – Evin Priest
Carnoustie
Some courses make you feel at home the moment you arrive. Carnoustie is not one of them. For Australians who grew up dreaming of links golf from the other side of the world, Carnoustie represents everything we imagine it to be. Brutal, raw and utterly unforgiving. Referred to as “Golf’s Greatest Test”, it has earned its reputation as the toughest examination in championship golf for good reason. The locals call it Car-nasty and the Angus coastline course shows no mercy in wind, rough or nerve. There are no favours here. When a player wins at Carnoustie, they have truly earned it. That’s precisely why it is my favourite. – Remy Taylor
Photograph by getty images/david cannon, bettmann
