5 Open Championship Courses
Scotland boasts some of the finest links
golf courses in the world, hence the reason that St Andrews,
Muirfield, Carnoustie, Royal Troon and Turnberry are all on the
list from which the R&A, the organisers of The Open
Championship, select venues for the annual golfing
extravaganza.
Players from all over the world just love coming
to Scotland to play in The Open Championship and, for many golf
fans, the event is the highlight of the season by some
distance.
Carnoustie
Carnoustie is one of the challenging courses on
the Open circuit. Golf has actually been played on the Carnoustie
links since around 1500, with both James Braid and Old Tom Morris
lending a hand to its current incarnation.
Though former winners here include Tom Watson and
Gary Player, many greats have struggled on the links. The infamous
Barry Burn that meanders across the final 3 holes brought the rapid
downfall of Jean Van De Velde in 1999. With one of the most
exciting finishes to the Open, this year’s closing holes will have
the golfing world on the edge of their seats.
St Andrews
For history and beauty, St Andrews is a cut above
the rest. It was here that 22 golf holes were finally reduced to
18, thus setting the standard round of golf as we know it today. In
days gone by a player would tee up within 2 club lengths of the
green on a little pile of sand.
Today St Andrews is one of the finest courses in
the world with golfers across the globe dreaming of making their
pilgrimage to the Old Course. Tiger Woods described his experience
of winning the Open on the Old Course as “…the ultimate”. Certainly
not one of the longest on the Open circuit, but length is not
necessarily a sign of greatness. In terms of shot variety,
intricate greens and sheer enjoyment, St Andrews is hard to
beat.
Muirfield
Longer than most of its counterparts, Muirfield
is one of the toughest tests in golf. Home to The Honourable
Company of Edinburgh Golfers, it was in 1744 that the Club (then
based at Leith Links) wrote the original 13 Rules of Golf for the
first competition played for the Silver Club. Designed by Old Tom
Morris, the club moved to the present site in 1891 and has
subsequently held 15 Opens, more than any other course.
Donald Steel, golf course architect describes
Muirfield as an architectural gem. Tom Watson said that there was
not a weak hole on the course. Nicklaus named his own design in
Ohio, Muirfield Village in honour of it.
With one of the most testing opening holes in
golf, Muirfield is not for the faint hearted.
Turnberry – Ailsa
The Turnberry courses had an uneasy beginning.
Twice in the last century the courses were dug up for aeroplane
runways, parts of which still visible today.
Home to the Open in 2009, the Ailsa is celebrated
for hosting arguably the best Open ever. In 1977 Jack Nicklaus and
Tom Watson fought hole by hole, shot by shot, in the ‘Duel in the
Sun’. Watson edged out Nicklaus with a closing birdie, finishing
with a 65 compared to Nicklaus’ 66. Greg Norman also captured his
first major on the Ailsa course. In 2009 Watson came close to
repeating his 1977 victory, aged 59, however he lost out to Stewart
Cink in a play-off.
The views around the course are stunning. The
Lighthouse 9th hole on the Ailsa, is the most photographed golf
hole in the world. Locals will also say that the wind blows from
the direction of Ailsa Craig, the dramatic rock 11 miles out to
sea. Monty rates the course as one of the best in the world and has
a Golf Academy at the resort.
Royal Troon
Royal Troon has now played host to The Open eight
times, Arthur Havers having been the winner on the first of those
occasions back in 1923 and Todd Hamilton springing a shock to claim
victory on the event’s most recent visit in 2004.
In between, Bobby Locke was the champion (1950),
before Arnold Palmer (1962), Tom Weiskopf (1973), Tom Watson
(1982), Mark Calcavecchia (1989) and Justin Leonard (1997) stamped
a distinct American mark of success on the course.
While the Old Course has the ‘Road Hole’, Troon
has the ‘Postage Stamp’ as its signature hole. At just 123 yards,
it may be the shortest hole on any of The Open courses but, boy,
has it brought some of the world’s top players to their knees over
the years.
