Open Championship Golf Courses

#1 on trail

Portrush, County Antrim

Host of the 2019 and 2025 Open Championships and ranked top 10 in the world. Harry Colt's clifftop layout above the Antrim coast features the fearsome Calamity Corner par 3 and sweeping views of the Giant's Causeway. The centerpiece of Northern Ireland's world-class golf corridor.

#2 on trail

Troon, Scotland

Links golf at its most unforgiving. Troon's Old Course stretches along the Firth of Clyde, featuring the iconic 123-yard 8th ("Postage Stamp") and the brutal par-4 11th. An Open Championship venue since 1923.

#3 on trail

Hoylake, Merseyside

Open Championship venue since 1897, Royal Liverpool at Hoylake hosted Tiger Woods' iconic 2006 victory and returned for the 2023 championship. Flat links terrain belies its difficulty — out-of-bounds lurks on virtually every hole and the wind defines every round.

#4 on trail

St Andrews, Scotland

Links golf's original template, shaped over centuries on Fife's coastal turf. Shared fairways, blind shots, and the Valley of Sin define a routing no architect could invent.

#5 on trail

Sandwich, Kent

Walter Travis and Alister MacKenzie influenced this Kent links, which has hosted 15 Open Championships. Dune-framed fairways along the English Channel coastline and a demanding closing stretch define one of England's most celebrated links.

#6 on trail

Carnoustie, Scotland

Links layout dating to 1842, shaped by Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris. Host to eight Open Championships, Barry Burn defines the closing stretch and has ended countless title bids.

#7 on trail

Southport, Lancashire

H.S. Colt's 1909 redesign of this Lancashire links has hosted nine Open Championships, most recently in 2017. Dune-framed fairways, demanding par 4s, and exposure to Southport's coastal wind make Royal Birkdale one of the fairest and most respected tests on the Open rota.

#8 on trail

Gullane, Scotland

Designed by Old Tom Morris in 1891, this private East Lothian links has hosted 16 Open Championships. Two concentric loops of nine holes ensure wind plays from every direction.

#9 on trail

Lytham St Annes, Lancashire

Founded in 1886, this Lancashire links sits unusually inland amid suburban streets yet delivers genuine championship challenge. Host to 11 Open Championships, including Seve Ballesteros's iconic 1979 victory. Demanding rough and 206 bunkers define its character.

#10 on trail

Turnberry, Scotland

Redesigned by Martin Ebert between 2015 and 2016 (reopening 1st June 2016), this Ayrshire links stretches along the Firth of Clyde with the iconic lighthouse par-3 9th defining its character. Host to four Open Championships.