VOTE: What's the best Open Championship venue?

[atursky]

Factoring in course design, viewing enjoyment, overall test of golf, history, and whatever else you put into your criteria, what do you think is the best Open Championship venue, and why? Leave your comments in the thread below after you vote!

 

 

[duffer987]

Royal St. George's.

 

Just a fantastic collection of holes in and around the awesome dunes from 2 to 10, but the rest is hardly a let down, with some cool doglegs and plenty of good greensites coming in.

 

Looking forward to Royal Portrush's kick at the can next year :)

Of course the Old Course is always cool too, due to the history and familiarity of the place.

[imakaveli]

They are all great but I would be very challenged to chose one among St Andrews, Muirfield or Carnoustie

[bladehunter]

It was 06...... and it’s was perfect.

[IVM]

St Andrews the home of golf .

[Lagavulin62]

I really don’t know. All I know is that I enjoy it more than any major. I love getting up early and watching. Especially when it’s rainey and windy.

[NoTalentLefty]

St Andrews followed by Turnberry, which is no longer apart of the rotation I believe.

[bucky316]

St Andrews....but only with heavy wind... otherwise it's sad to see a historic track getting thrashed by the modern technology

[15th Club]

I've played most of them; not all.

 

They are all magnificent, of course. All of them.

 

But I have been asked this question before; of the British Open courses, which one was your favorite? And my answer always was an additional question; if all of my remaining golf could only be played on just one course that I have been on, what would it be? And the answer is Muirfield. It might not have the interest or the quirkiness of The Old Course, but to me, it is the finest, fairest, purest test of golf I have ever seen. It is at once a perfect match play and/or stroke play golf course. And it is more natural, with less town-encroachment than almost all of the other sites on the Rota.

[Darth Putter]

1. St. Andrew's

2. Carnoustie

3. Turnberry (pre redesign)

4. Muirfiled

5. Portrush* (can't really give it a proper ranking yet with its two new holes)

6. Lytham & St. Anne's

7. Birkdale

8. Troon

9. St. George's

10. Liverpool (broke Hazeltine's record for my least favorite major course, Bellerive takes aim at the record in August)

[KrazyTrain18]

You know it's a great rota when everybody its struggling to pick a top three.

[wcbjr]

Nobody better say Turnberry until it changes ownership.

 

-American

[babyfade]

Turnberry is my favorite and it would be for many more without Trump...

[imakaveli]

Turnberry is my favorite and it would be for many more without Trump...

 

Every time I see this fake-roman abomination in front of one of the most iconic views in golf I cry a bit inside...

 

[Ignatius Reilly]

Tough to choose, they're all so good.

 

I went with Carnoustie - maybe because it's the current one, and maybe because it's so nasty.

 

St. Andrews has an undeniable claim for being the best-known and oldest.

 

Turnberry has been taken out of contention for the time being....

[NoTalentLefty]

Nobody better say Turnberry until it changes ownership.

 

-American

 

I said it and don’t care who owns it.

[15th Club]

I know that the Trump connection with Turnberry may be a contentious thing here. I don't want to turn this into a political argument and I beg everyone to not do that. But many of us are very interested in the great courses of Scotland, most especially the "Rota," and the business of their operation as resort courses or as private clubs.

 

And in a recent edition of the New Yorker, longtime NPR reporter Adam Davidson did an excellent, readable, not-terribly-long article on Trump's ownership of Turnberry. Geoff Shackelford linked the same article on his golf blog. There should be no concealing the animus toward Trump at the New Yorker. But what I beg of all of the golf course lovers here is to read about what a straightforward financial curiosity it is, with Trump's operation of Turnberry. With less fanfare, a similar article was written by Stephanie Baker of Bloomberg last October:

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-09/trump-is-pouring-millions-into-money-losing-scottish-golf-course

[NoTalentLefty]

I know that the Trump connection with Turnberry may be a contentious thing here. I don't want to turn this into a political argument and I beg everyone to not do that. But many of us are very interested in the great courses of Scotland, most especially the "Rota," and the business of their operation as resort courses or as private clubs.

 

And in a recent edition of the New Yorker, longtime NPR reporter Adam Davidson did an excellent, readable, not-terribly-long article on Trump's ownership of Turnberry. Geoff Shackelford linked the same article on his golf blog. There should be no concealing the animus toward Trump at the New Yorker. But what I beg of all of the golf course lovers here is to read about what a straightforward financial curiosity it is, with Trump's operation of Turnberry. With less fanfare, a similar article was written by Stephanie Baker of Bloomberg last October:

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-10-09/trump-is-pouring-millions-into-money-losing-scottish-golf-course

 

Good. My point was I don’t care who owns what.

Boycotting will not hurt owners just the people working there.

Let’s keep politics out of golf .

[Sean2]

I would have selected St Andrews, but if the weather is benign the players can go low. I selected Carnoustie because it is a challenge regardless of the weather. As DJ called it: "...a true test".

[MilkyButterCuts]

I would have selected St Andrews, but if the weather is benign the players can go low. I selected Carnoustie because it is a challenge regardless of the weather. As DJ called it: "...a true test".

 

Might be the most complicated thing DJ has ever said

[rangersgoalie]

Turnberry

 

The new work makes it even better

[NoTalentLefty]

Turnberry

 

The new work makes it even better

 

Is this you Don? Teeheeheehee..

[shotmark]

Nobody better say Turnberry until it changes ownership.

 

-American

 

Really?

[shotmark]

Nobody better say Turnberry until it changes ownership.

 

-American

 

Really?

 

The fact that it is owned by Trump and has a hideous statue on the lawn is more than outweighed by the spectacular architectural improvements to the course.

[tsecor]

is there any other? St. Andrews

 

Nobody better say Turnberry until it changes ownership.

 

-American

 

Really?

 

The fact that it is owned by Trump and has a hideous statue on the lawn is more than outweighed by the spectacular architectural improvements to the course.

enough with the politics. Keep it about golf.

[vintage]

I've played most of them; not all.

 

They are all magnificent, of course. All of them.

 

But I have been asked this question before; of the British Open courses, which one was your favorite? And my answer always was an additional question; if all of my remaining golf could only be played on just one course that I have been on, what would it be? And the answer is Muirfield. It might not have the interest or the quirkiness of The Old Course, but to me, it is the finest, fairest, purest test of golf I have ever seen. It is at once a perfect match play and/or stroke play golf course. And it is more natural, with less town-encroachment than almost all of the other sites on the Rota.

 

Great way of answering the question! For me it was always Turnberry, pure golf porn, the Course, the views, the locals, the informality of the place ( pre Trump anyway). Since then been to Birkdale which I think is stunning apart from maybe a couple of holes early on. OK , I'll take Turnberry please.

 

Grown to really like Royal St George's as well. St Andrews I can take or leave, great town and history but not that fond of the links to be honest.

 

Would love to play Troon, Muirfield and Portrush.

[scruffynick]

The best 18 for me is Birkdale, but I love Lytham St Anne's it's a stunning course and if the wind is in your face in them outward holes it's friggin tough!

[bucky316]

someone please refresh my memory....which course has the "postage stamp" (the short par 3) ...gosh, I love that hole & hope nobody ever changes it

 

love the short par 3's.....

[shotmark]

someone please refresh my memory....which course has the "postage stamp" (the short par 3) ...gosh, I love that hole & hope nobody ever changes it

 

love the short par 3's.....

 

Troon

[Bdmac79]

Old Course and Troon - based purely upon personal knowledge as I have played both. With 20-30 mph winds, both are tough...