The Open is the oldest – and the greatest – championship of them all.
First played in 1860 in Prestwick, this year’s event – the 153rd – will take place at Royal Portrush, Northern Ireland.
Prestwick was a regular venue until 1925 when it fell from what is now known as the Open rota.
Musselburgh, Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s have also fallen by the wayside.
But every other Open course remains active (in theory, at least – rumours always abound about Turnberry).
The big question is: Which of the Open courses is the best?
Making a judgment based on the quality of the course will draw one answer, but what if we combined everything that makes an Open great?!
Golf365 has marked every current Open rota course out of 10 for course quality, signature hole, history/winners, viewing/vibe and the surroundings.
Which course comes out on top? Which course combines every element?
Let’s find out!
The undisputed winner – Muirfield
Course quality: An unusual set-up with a front nine that circles the back nine in clockwise fashion. It is famed for being both a pure links test and a very tough one. 10/10
Signature hole: The par-3 12th has a raised green surrounded by traps. A great viewing spot. 9/10
History/Winners: Home of the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, only the very best win here: Player, Nicklaus, Trevino, Watson, Faldo, Els, Mickelson. 9/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: An excellent course to watch on, but the vibe is a bit old school tie and stuffy. 7/10
Surroundings: On the edge of the golf town of Gullane and a mere train ride from Edinburgh. 9/10
TOTAL: 44/50
The Old Course
Course quality: You can’t beat the tradition and TOC is so much better than it appears on first glance, but there are weak holes. 7/10
Signature hole: The 17th (‘The Road Hole’) is a devilish par-4 with utterly unique dangers. 10/10
History/Winners: While we can mark it down on course quality, there is no getting away from the truth that St Andrews is the Home of Golf (and Old Tom Morris). 10/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: Full marks for vibes but as a viewing experience, there is none worse. 5/10
Surroundings: The town location is special: there is nowhere quite like St Andrews. 10/10
TOTAL: 42
Royal Portrush
Course quality: A fine layout with flat holes, uphill holes, downhill holes, holes through dunes, holes across dunes, holes towards the sea and holes away from it. 8/10
Signature hole: The par-3 16th is also known as Calamity Corner. Long, terrifying and fun. 10/10
History/Winners: It only struggles for history and quality of its winners because it has hosted just two Opens. Shane Lowry’s triumph in 2019 was, however, epic. 6/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: Dunes make a golf course for Open galleries and Portrush has plenty. 8/10
Surroundings: Portrush rocked in 2019. The town was giddy with wonderful excitement. 10/10
TOTAL: 42
Royal Birkdale
Course quality: Amazingly, in the 60s and 70s, American visitors thought Birkdale was a bit “parkland-like”. Modern golfers, though, love this journey through high sandhills. 7/10
Signature hole: The par-3 12th requires a pure strike to a green perched high in the dunes. 9/10
History/Winners: Strong. The winners are good enough (Thomson, Palmer, Trevino, Spieth, Harrington), but it is also where Seve first announced himself to the world. 8/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: Superb. The back of the 10th green might be the best spot on the rota. 9/10
Surroundings: It sits on England’s Golf Coast – a run of outstanding linksland. 8/10
TOTAL: 41
Royal Lytham & St Anne’s
Course quality: This is a fearsome test, famed for the difficulty of avoiding the bunkers, a curious par-3 first and a closing stretch of six brutal par-4s. 9/10
Signature hole: The 18th calls for a brave drive and the clubhouse backdrop is just wonderful. 8/10
History/Winners: High quality. Bobby Jones won here and so did Bobby Locke. Seve won twice, including his famous first win in 1979 (“the car park champion”). 8/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: The tight layout is a big plus, the lack of sea views is a bit of a minus. 7/10
Surroundings: Head north for Blackpool, south for Lytham. Something for everyone! 7/10
TOTAL: 39
Carnoustie
Course quality: A magnificent layout but also a beast. It once made Sergio Garcia cry, but it also left Ben Hogan in awe. Sometimes referred to as Car-nasty. 9/10
Signature hole: The par-5 sixth is not only long, it is called ‘Long’ (and also ‘Hogan’s Alley’). 9/10
History/Winners: There is no arguing with the wins of Hogan, Player and Watson, but the prat falls of Jean Van De Velde in 1999 were a little cartoon-like. 6/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: A strong course to watch the action, but the hotel behind 18 is not pretty. 7/10
Surroundings: Carnoustie is a fine old golf town but modern Open galleries pass it by. 7/10
TOTAL: 38
Royal Troon
Course quality: A classic linksland out and back. The front nine runs alongside the sea, the back nine a little inland. This is a tough driving course if the wind blows. 7/10
Signature hole: The par-3 eighth and its tiny green is also known as ‘The Postage Stamp’. 10/10
History/Winners: The 2016 duel of the Sons (Henrik Stenson defeated Phil Mickelson) was spectacular but its entire honour board is probably not the best. 7/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: Beach walkers have the best view early on. Good dunes at the turn. 7/10
Surroundings: There’s nothing wrong with Troon but other spots are better. 5/10
TOTAL: 36
Turnberry
Course quality: What was already a fantastic test, one that clings to the cliff tops, became even better after the completion of the Martin Ebert renovation. 8/10
Signature hole: The new 9th is a par-3 across the ocean and craggy rocks, with a lighthouse backdrop. 10/10
History/Winners: It misses out in this category because it has hosted only four Opens. The first was pretty special though: 1977’s Duel in the Sun (Nicklaus v Watson). 6/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: A very good plot of land to watch golf on. The owner muddies the vibe. 7/10
Surroundings: Poor and a key factor in just four Opens – it’s miles from anywhere. 5/10
TOTAL: 36
Royal St. George’s
Course quality: It’s a good course, a really good course, but it’s up against elite competition and the way the fairways kick balls off them is a flaw. 7/10
Signature hole: The par-4 fourth has a vast fairway bunker and a sensational green. 7/10
History/Winners: It went missing from the rota from 1949 to 1981 and its winners are – again, being tough because we’re measuring against the best – not A1. 7/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: Very solid. In fact the dunes around 5 and 6 are absolutely top notch for watching. 7/10
Surroundings: The town of Sandwich is cute. Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports are nearby. 7/10
TOTAL: 35
Royal Liverpool
Course quality: A funny one. It takes time to love this layout and, even then, the 3rd and the 18th are hard to embrace – not just flat but an awkward fit. 6/10
Signature hole: The new par-3 17th is a wonderful test requiring a bold pitch into the dunes. 8/10
History/Winners: True linksland legends can win here (Jones, Thomson, Woods, McIlroy) but then so can unlikely champions (Alf Padgham, Brian Harman). 7/10
Viewing quality/Vibe: Far more viewing spots than it first appears but not a looker. 6/10
Surroundings: In 2014 Hoylake and the Wirral was in terrific form. A bit tired in 2023. 6/10
TOTAL: 33
The best Open venue rankings in full:
1. Muirfield – 44
=2. The Old Course & Royal Portrush – 42
3. Royal Birkdale – 41
4. Royal Lytham & St Annes – 39
5. Carnoustie – 38
=6. Royal Troon & Turnberry – 36
7. Royal St George’s – 35
8. Royal Liverpool – 33
READ MORE: First look: Tom Doak’s spectacular new Highlands links golf course could rival Scottish Open
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Article Link: Best Open course of all-time revealed with clear No.1 crowned the winner