Take a scroll through the Open Championship host courses through 2026.
Royal Liverpool was a superb host of the 2023 Open Championship, the 13th time the venue hosted the oldest major in golf.
There are but three future golf courses scheduled to host, with the 152nd playing of the tournament coming in 2024.
The R&A, which runs the Open, calls the tournament “nature’s test of character”, stating on its website:
“Links golf is nature in all its unforgiving force – and The Open is where nature is pitted against the very best of the very best. It’s where champions must set aside what came before. Alone, skill and years of diligent preparation are not enough.”
Take a look at the next three Open Championship host venues.
The traditional links courses find spots of honor on this ranking of the best classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland.
Welcome to Golfweek’s Best 2023 rankings of the Top 50 classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland – built before 1960 – as determined by Golfweek’s Best raters.
The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Then each layout is ranked against others in Great Britain and Ireland to produce the final rankings.
How does St. Andrews, site of this week’s Open Championship, stack up against the rest of the course rota?
Each of the 10 layouts on the modern British Open course rota score highly in Golfweek’s Best ranking of top classic golf courses built before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland, as would be expected. But that doesn’t mean they all are equals.
Check out the rankings of each course on the modern rota below. The hundreds of members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on 10 criteria on a points basis of 1 through 10. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings are averaged to produce these rankings, and they are included for each course below.
Want to play St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and Royal Troon all on the same trip? Yeah…we thought so.
The 2022 British Open is just weeks away and the entire golf world is gearing up to go back home to The Old Course at St. Andrews.
We will all be glued to the coverage of the 150th Open Championship later this month, and most golf fans will daydream about playing St. Andrews and that fantasy golf vacation they’ve been putting off for years.
It’s time to turn those daydreams into reality. Along with our friends from Golfbreaks, Golfweek has compiled five spectacular U.K. golf vacations including trips to England, Northern Ireland and Scotland to play some of the oldest and most famous courses in the world.
We occasionally recommend interesting products, services, and gaming opportunities. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Golfweek operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage
Buckingham Palace: “The Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen.”
Amid a civil sexual assault case, Prince Andrew has lost his honorary titles at Royal Portrush, Royal Belfast and Royal County Down golf clubs in Northern Ireland, according to a report by Belfast Live.
It’s part of a bigger move to strip him of his royal patronages by the Queen. Buckingham Palace has also announced that he has lost his honorary military roles.
A statement from the Palace said: “With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
This came on the heels of a ruling by a judge last Wednesday that Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew could proceed. Giuffre claims Andrew’s friend Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with the royal three times when she was 17. Prince Andrew denies the allegations.
“There will be immense relief by members that this decision has been taken out of their hands,” a source close to the Royal Portrush and Royal County Down golf clubs told Belfast Live.
From links layouts to parkland courses, these are the best courses built before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland.
Welcome to Golfweek’s Best rankings of the Top 50 Classic Courses in Great Britain and Ireland – built before 1960 – as determined by Golfweek’s Best Raters for 2021 (pictured atop this story: Royal Dornoch in Scotland).
The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Then each course is ranked against other courses in Great Britain and Ireland to produce the final rankings.
Royal Portrush hosted its first British Open in 1951 and then waited 68 years before returning. The links in Northern Ireland created a fantastic venue for the 2019 championship, which Shane Lowry won, setting off one of the biggest parties the Emerald Isle has ever seen.
Wednesday morning, the R&A announced the wait for the next British Open at Royal Portrush won’t be nearly as long. The tournament is heading back in 2025.
“We could not be more thrilled to be bringing The Open back to Royal Portrush in 2025. There will be huge excitement among golf fans around the world to see the best men’s players facing the challenge of this magnificent links once again,” said Martin Slumbers, the chief executive of the R&A. “The Open in 2019 was a massive success and showed just how much collective enthusiasm, passion and commitment there is to make Royal Portrush one of the leading venues for the championship.”
While the 2022 British Open is heading to The Old Course at St. Andrews, multiple reports in July hinted that an announcement could be coming soon with regard to Royal Portrush. To many, it felt almost like a foregone conclusion that the tournament would return, soon.
Based on multiple reports, golf fans should expect word soon that the 2025 Open will be at Royal Portrush.
The 150th Open Championship will be at the Old Course at St. Andrew’s in Scotland in 2022.
The next three after that have also been officially announced.
Based on multiple reports in the United Kingdom, golf fans should expect word soon that that 2025 British Open will return to Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
“I’m delighted it’s coming back to Northern Ireland and the smart money is on 2025,” North Antrim MP Ian Paisley, vice-chair of the All Parliamentary Group for Golf at Westminster told the BBC at Sandwich, England, at this week’s British Open. He added: “I would like to think that there will be an official announcement about Northern Ireland and Royal Portrush next year.”
Royal Portrush hosted the Open for the first time in 1951, but didn’t host it again until 2019, when Irishman Shane Lowry was the champion. It will come as no surprise to Lowry, who said at his winner’s press conference, “I’d be very surprised if it’s not back here in the next 10 years.”
That it will happen sooner rather than later likely will be well received.
“That’s great. That’s a lot sooner than I thought it would be there,” Rory McIlroy told Golf Channel. “That’s only six years with one of those years missed, last year, so that’s great. We’re nearly to 2022, we’re not that far away so it’s something to look forward to.”
McIlroy made an 8 on his first hole in 2019 at Portrush and went on to miss the cut.
“I’ll try to cut that first-hole score in half and go from there,” he quipped to Golf Channel.
Darren Clarke dishes on hooking his biggest fish, his champions dinner and why he never drank out of the Claret Jug.
Darren Clarke, 51, is sheltering-in-place at his home at the Abaco Club in The Bahamas and playing golf there every day. Unfortunately, his family is divided due to travel restrictions, which left his wife and younger son, Conor, back in Northern Ireland and older son, Tyrone, who plays golf at Lynn University, in Florida.
“We’re all in different places, which is a bit of a nightmare, but we’re all healthy,” Clarke said.
Always one of the more colorful golfers, Clarke dishes on celebrating with the Claret Jug, the time he addressed the full membership at Pine Valley, and his burning desire to win again.
Golfweek: Of all the places you could live, why did you choose Abaco Club in the Bahamas?
Darren Clarke: When I first came here, I fell in love with it. The horseshoe beach and the golf course is fantastic. It’s got some of the best saltwater fly-fishing in the world. That kind of ticks all my boxes. I’ve been a global player so I’ve been around and Abaco is my happy place. I come here and get on to island time. This is as good as it gets.
Darren Clarke holds another trophy, a 38-pound permit. (Courtesy Darren Clarke).
GW: What’s the biggest fish you’ve ever hooked?
DC: I’m a permit guy through and through. That’s the holy grail for me. I got a 38-pounder a few years ago on a fly rod, just a few off the world record on the test I was doing. They are the most difficult fish on a fly, so not only do I manage to irritate myself playing golf, but I have to go after the hardest fish as well. That pretty much sums me up.
GW: How has Abaco recovered since Hurricane Dorian moved through last September?
DC: It’s been slow. Marsh Harbor is still a far cry from what it was. It was total devastation. The Bahamas relies on tourism for generating the majority of its income and now to be hit by COVID-19, it’s a double whammy. It’s really tough times for all the Bahamians here.
GW: I know that a lot of the homes at Abaco Club have names like “Sandcastle.” What’s yours called?
DC: Mine is called Sea Breeze. Partially because I do have a tendency to get my butt stuck at Flippers Beach Bar and I’ve ordered too many sea breezes. But I can stumble home quite easily.
Darren Clarke of Northern Ireland celebrates victory on the 18th green during the final round of The 140th Open Championship at Royal St. George’s on July 17, 2011 in Sandwich, England.
GW: In 1990, you had a dominant year in Irish amateur golf, but you were still thinking of waiting to turn pro until after the Walker Cup. What convinced you to do otherwise?
DC: I spoke to Chubby Chandler, my manager, at the end of August in Dublin. He came and met me and said if you turn pro you’ll be a better player in a year’s time than if you wait and I took his advice. He’d been a player and he told me that he’d made every mistake I was going to make and would steer me away from as many of those as possible. We made a handshake deal and that’s it — no contract, just a shake of the hand to this day.
GW: You had the opening tee time at the 2019 Open, at the course where you grew up playing. What were the emotions like when you went to the tee at Royal Portrush?
DC: The tee time was 6:40 in the morning. It’s more of a ceremonial thing to do it. But for it to be at Portrush and to be an Open champion, it was a huge honor for me. I walked down those steps and all of a sudden I felt, Ooh! This is a little more nerve-wracking than I thought it was going to be. I’ve played the course a thousand times and it’s usually a 2-iron or something and chase it down the left. All of a sudden I decided I needed a bigger head so I hit driver. I’ve had some amazing experiences on the first tee at Ryder Cups and the like but this was equally special.
GW: With the Open canceled this year, you’ll have to wait to go back to Royal St. George’s, site of your 2011 Open victory, until next year. What do you remember most about that victory?
DC: Probably the week-long party afterward. I had my chances before at the Open. That week I controlled my ball flight well. I had struggled the week before with my putting at the Scottish Open. I worked with Bob Rotella and he gave me a couple of little drills to do and I was able to get out of my own way and didn’t get upset by any bad bounce and at the end of the week, I was able to do what I always dreamed of doing.
GW: What’s the coolest thing you got to do with the Claret Jug?
DC: That’s tough to answer because I took it with me all over the world, but if I had to pick one I’d been to Pine Valley many times and I was up for membership and I got in and they had a new member weekend in 2012. I think there were 16 of us. A new member has to speak in front of the full membership and they nominated me as the Open champion to speak on behalf of them. So, I told them about everything I was thinking from the 14th hole on and they all seemed to enjoy it at the time.
Darren Clarke poses with a pint after winning his lone major title in 2011.
GW: What’s the first thing you drank out of it?
DC: I never drank anything out of it. Never. It was a weird sort of respect thing, I guess. I did have lots of drinks sitting beside the Claret Jug, but none from it!
GW: Which talent would you most like to have?
DC: To sing. If you end up in some of the places where I’ve ended up, you know how the Irish are, we do tend to enjoy ourselves a lot. Many of us can get up and play piano and hold a tune but, unfortunately, I can’t.
GW: Who’s the most famous person you’ve ever met?
DC: I was awarded an O.B.E. so I have met the Queen when she handed them out.
GW: What is your most treasured possession?
DC: I have lots of those little Ryder Cup replicas, but probably the Claret Jug replica. It’s in a display case at Royal Portrush clubhouse so all the guests can enjoy it. If I had it at home, it would probably be in a cupboard, so much better there.
GW: What would your champions dinner have been had you won the Masters?
DC: A good-old hearty Irish stew.
GW: What one goal do you hope to accomplish this year?
DC: I want to win. I played not bad but not good enough on the Champions Tour since I turned 50. I’ve been playing during this lockdown every day. The competitor in me is still searching for perfection, but I know I don’t need to be perfect. I want to win so badly that I’m getting in my own way and stopping myself from doing it.
Ryder Cup Captain Darren Clarke (second from right) with the Ryder Cup and his vice-captains Paul Lawrie (L), Padraig Harrington and Thomas Bjorn (R).
GW: Who is the most underrated player in the game?
DC: I played with Eddie Pepperell when he was coming through the ranks. He’s one of those guys you’re just waiting for him to have even more success. You see so many talented guys. We can all play. It’s just those ones that have a little bit of a spark or they hit it a little bit differently or can handle the adversity and bounce back. You can tell more about a player in tough times than in good times. Bob Torrance used to say to me, it’s not how good your good is, it’s how good your bad is.
GW: What’s the best shot you’ve ever seen hit?
DC: Phil Mickelson at Augusta playing the 11th hole. The flag is front-left and the greens are like concrete, running 14 on the Stimpmeter. Phil pull-hooked his second way right almost onto the downslope of the 12th tee. I’m watching this and thinking there’s no way he can get it on the green and keep his ball from not going in the water (that hugs the left side of the green). He took a full swing with his lob wedge, landed it 2 inches on the green, trickle, trickle, trickle and into the hole. That’s just Phil. I almost bowed in front of him. It was out of this world. I don’t think anyone else on the planet could have hit that shot.
GW: That begs the question: what’s your best shot?
DC: My tee shot on the opening hole of the 2006 Ryder Cup at the K Club (a little more than a month after his wife had died of breast cancer). I didn’t know if I was going to snap hook it, duff it, top it, miss it, block it and I managed to make a decent swing and hit it 320 yards down the middle.
At least two clubs have distanced themselves from Prince Andrew in the wake of his reputed involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Royal Portrush Golf Club, site of this year’s British Open in July, is considering seeking a new patron after Prince Andrew stepped back from public life and his royal duties in the wake of his reputed involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein sex-abuse scandal.
The Daily Telegraph reported that Royal Portrush plans to discuss the Duke of York’s involvement at the club in Northern Ireland at its next meeting. His patron role at Royal Portrush was largely as a publicity figurehead.
“The allegations surrounding Prince Andrew, and especially the trauma and distress suffered by the victims of Jeffrey Epstein is a matter of deep regret,” the club said in a statement obtained by the Daily Telegraph. “Royal Portrush will continue to monitor the ongoing investigative process. There are no scheduled plans for him to return to the club.
“The council of Royal Portrush is acutely aware of the widespread public concern about these allegations, and Prince Andrew’s decision to step away from public duties will be discussed at our next meeting.”
Prince Andrew, Duke of York (center) watches the third round of the British Open at Royal Portrush on July 20, 2019. (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Prince Andrew also has ties to Royal Liverpool Golf Club, host site for the 2022 British Open. The Daily Telegraph also reported that club will “not call upon” Andrew’s services during his exile.
Andrew is also a member of the R&A, the ruling body for golf in much of the world and the organization that puts on the British Open. The R&A would confirm only that he was a member to the Daily Telegraph. Andrew was captain of that club in 2003 during its 250th anniversary.
USA TODAY reported that Virginia Roberts Giuffre has repeatedly said she was groomed by Epstein and his associates to sexually service Epstein’s powerful friends, including Prince Andrew, when she was a teen. Andrew has denied the accusation, but he announced Wednesday that he was halting his public duties because “my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work.”
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” Queen Elizabeth II’s second son said in a statement released Wednesday by Buckingham Palace.
USA TODAY also reported that Andrew’s resignation comes on the heels of a recent controversial interview with the BBC in which he said he doesn’t remember meeting Giuffre, despite a picture of the two, he with his arm around her waist, that has been floating around the internet since at least 2011.
“Our clients welcome Prince Andrew’s decision to withdraw from public life as a member of England’s royal family,” read a statement to USA TODAY from Sigrid McCawley and the law firm Boies Schiller, which is representing Giuffre and other women. “It is a positive first step towards taking responsibility for his actions.”
USA TODAY also reported that as Andrew’s connection to Epstein made headlines in recent months, corporate sponsors started to pull their support and distance themselves from the prince’s Pitch@Palace networking initiative, which connects entrepreneurs with various business leaders. Companies that have ditched Andrew include Cisco Systems, KPMG and AstraZeneca.
