Which is the best Open course? Does the hallowed turf of St Andrews swing it for you, or could you never see the Claret Jug being lifted anywhere other than Royal St George’s?
With The Open in full flow once more, and the eyes of the world fixed on Royal Troon and the beautiful Postage Stamp, I’ve decided to give you my list of the best venues.
It’s tricky. It’s subjective. And some of you are definitely going to get cross with me. But it’s a game of opinions, isn’t it? Let’s give it a go anyway.
I’m not going to get into the really historic venues – you’ll have to go somewhere else to debate the merits of the likes of Musselburgh Old, Prince’s and Prestwick.
But I have included a couple that, for various reasons, might currently be out of favour with those in charge of picking the hosts yet could rise like a phoenix from the flames at some point in the future.
So, without further ado, let’s reveal my top 10 countdown of the best Open courses…
The Open courses ranked
10. Royal Lytham
The Open’s forgotten child, Royal Lytham must have annoyed somebody. With Royal Portrush, Royal Birkdale and, probably, St Andrews the next three on the conveyor belt there doesn’t seem any prospect of that famous clubhouse coming back onto our TV screens in the near future.
Lytham’s probably missing out because the Open is now a sell-out wherever it goes. The Ayrshire courses used to bring down the averages, and you could always be assured of massive footfall in the North West.
But with Troon now topping 250,000, it feels overkill to have three Open courses sat between Manchester and Liverpool. Hoylake is in vogue, so Lytham is missing out.
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In truth, it’s setting – a links course that’s somewhat removed from sea – and it’s huge number of bunkers means it lacks the aesthetics of some of its competitors. I personally love a par 3 start but it’s not for everyone and it’s a very, very, hard finish.
9. Carnoustie
Golf is a sport for masochists. In what other pastime is a venue marketed essentially on the basis that it’s incredibly difficult for most people to play?
‘Carnasty’, as Carnoustie has become nicknamed – mostly following the brutal 1999 Open – certainly backs up the claim.
The closing stretch, almost from South America (10th) onwards but particularly from the Spectacles at the 14th, completely dismantled my game.
I couldn’t reach the Par 3 16th with driver and snap hooked one into the houses at the last. If you like a challenge, you’ll love Carnoustie. I’ve played it a few times now, though, and it leaves me feeling a little weary.
8. Royal Liverpool
What a clubhouse! You can fan it over the practice ground and out of bounds on the 1st! You might never escape some of these bunkers! What’s not to like?
Well Little Eye, the recently added par 3 that was the penultimate hole at Hoylake in 2023, definitely divides opinion – not least among some of the members who can’t carry the ball up the hill.
It would be a surprise after all the headshaking from some players 12 months ago if there weren’t a few tweaks to make the green a bit more accessible and the bunkers a little less penal.
Those who like their Open venues to be dramatic accuse Hoylake of lacking a little spice but it’s a consistent test and, on the whole, pretty fair. The better players tend to rise to the summit here and that’s usually the sign of a proper golf course.
7. Royal Troon
The Postage Stamp is one of the all-time great holes. Railway, the 11th, is magical when the trains are running past. The 7th, from an elevated tee looking out into a fairway that seems impossibly ringed by bunkers, could be my favourite hole on the course.
But critics get stuck into its flat terrain. There’s hardly any elevation. That’s great for my legs but not so super if you want to test the skills of the best from hanging lies.
The 8th aside, Royal Troon lives and dies on the challenge of its back 9 into the wind, which offers two very tough par 3s off the back tees, and a closing hole that has wrecked more than one push for Open glory over the years.
6. Royal St George’s
Getting there takes effort. Anyone who’s run through the Dartford Tunnel, the A2, and around the rabbit warren that is Sandwich itself has already had their patience tested to the very limit.
They are greeted, though, with English Golf at its very best. It’s a layout that criss-crosses almost in a figure of eight. You’ll move around every part of the compass and will never be truly comfortable with the challenge.
The greens are simply incredible and hugely difficult to master. Its standout holes really live up to the billing. Maiden, the early par 3, is every inch the measure of the Postage Stamp at Royal Troon.
It’s elevation changes set it apart and, while you might not always get the rub of the green, it’s an outstanding and exhilarating day of golf.
Then finish up in the clubhouse and while away an hour in a place where the first Open outside of Scotland was held – 130 years ago!
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5. Royal Portrush
I am a sucker for a view – sometimes to the point where a good bit of beach can mask some obvious architectural deficiencies.
At Royal Portrush, though, you get everything you could ever want. The course hugs the shoreline in the shadow of the town. Just getting there sets the hairs rising. And the Dunluce Course itself is spectacular.
Being harsh, the internal out of bounds on the opener is not to my taste, but the two new holes developed by Martin Ebert most certainly are. See if you can play the 7th and 8th without the jaw dropping.
This beauty is not just skin deep. There is variety and complexity in this layout and the Open goes back there in 2025. I reckon it could be a fixture of the rota for some time to come.
4. St Andrews
What, not number 1? Not for me, guvnor. Listen, I love the Old Course. The 1st and the last three holes are as iconic as it gets. Your hands shake on that opening tee shot, even though it’s the widest fairway in the game.
The challenge of the Road Hole gets the blood pumping in a way I’ve experienced at few other courses and, given my propensity to draw the ball, St Andrews is basically a dream come true.
The views of the Auld Grey Toun as you march your way back towards town are the source of thousands of pictures.
But it isn’t perfect. It’s difficult to pick lines – particularly on the early holes – and with nearly every green on the course a double, some are fairly featureless.
The 9th would be a weak link on a nondescript parkland and, for those who come to The Open here every five years, it is comfortably the worst venue for spectators. Prepare to get your binoculars out.
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Then again, you are following the footsteps of every legend that’s ever picked up a club and you can dart off for 20 minutes into town whenever you please.
3. Royal Birkdale
It’s an ongoing debate whether George’s or Birkdale is the best course in England and, as you can see from this ranking, I’m in the latter camp.
There aren’t many courses that can provide the conditions for what Jordan Spieth so memorably did in 2017 – from the shot out of the practice ground to the eagle and multiple birdie run that wrenched the Claret Jug from Matt Kuchar’s hands.
The opener is a brutal start into the wind, the 5th was a massive weakness but has now been addressed thanks the magic of Mackenzie & Ebert and the 12th is, in my opinion at least, one of the premier par 3s in GB&I golf.
Think Arnold Palmer from the bushes, Tom Watson raising his arms to another Open triumph, and Branden Grace’s 62 – the first in men’s major history. Brilliant things happen at Birkdale.
2. Muirfield
The Honourable Company have had their ups and downs with the R&A over the last few years, and the Scottish Open at next-door Renaissance hasn’t helped its cause either.
That means it’s been 2013 since we last saw The Open on this incredible piece of linksland. But the AIG Women’s Open visited in 2022 and R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has assured us all it definitely won’t be the last time the Claret Jug makes an appearance.
Good things come to those who wait, so the old saying goes, and Muirfield is better than good. It’s great. Just remember those incredible green complexes, a routing that takes you in every direction, and the best lunch you’ll find anywhere. It’s an experience and one I hope we can rediscover as soon as possible. Can someone pass me a Kummel?
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1. Turnberry
It’s been 15 years now and there is no prospect of the Claret Jug coming back to Turnberry any time soon. The reasons are obvious and well-documented.
But if you take the politics out of it, and consider the merits of the course alone (yes, I know it’s difficult), I think this is quite simply the best layout to host an Open.
The highlights are absolutely stunning. If you haven’t held up a group on the 9th because you’ve been taking 100 photos of the spectacular rocky outcrops then what are you even doing?
But it’s hardly a one-hit wonder. It is just breath-taking and the reconfigured finish, which was always a weakness before Martin Ebert got to work redesigning it a decade ago, is now worthy of an Open climax.
It is a shame we can’t get to see this on our television screens, because Turnberry is genuinely one of the globe’s greatest golf experiences.
Now have your say
The Open courses ranked: What do you make of our list of the best courses on the Open rota? Do you agree with me, or have I got it totally wrong? Weigh in with your thoughts and selections by leaving me a comment on X.
