Open Championship Venues
The Open Championship rotates haphazardly around nine courses; ten with the imminent return of Royal Portrush. They are pretty similar. All of them are located on natural coastal sand dunes. All of them are a hundred plus years old. All of them have indigenous bent and fescue grass. All of them are pretty level with flattish slow greens that can't be speeded up or made more slopey due to the risk of gusty wind. None of them have trees or water hazards worthy of the name. All but one are prosaic or ugly or both.
Never the less, the spectating experience varies widely. If you can only attend one or two Open Championships in your life, which should they be? For most people the unmissable venue is St Andrews. It is the oldest and most famous. It has more iconic sights than the rest put together. Yet, once you have got over the thrill of being there, the spectating experience is pretty miserable - see below. What then of the rest?
Five factors determine spectating enjoyment: 1) Atmosphere; 2) Navigation; 3) Vantage; 4) Weather; and 5) Seeing great players make great shots and (on Sunday) ideally winning.
Atmosphere is partly down to the size of the crowd, but also to the shape of the course, proximity to the action, and the nature of the local people. In general the more excitable the people (Lancastrians best, Londoners worst), and the more compact and circular the course, the better the buzz and the greater the intimacy.
Navigation is getting from hole to non-consecutive hole. The R&A create a Red Route which lets you follow groups to consecutive holes, but it isn't designed to let you jump from, say, the 12th to the 4th because McIlroy is there putting for Eagle. Again, in general, the more compact and circular the course the easier it is to get around. The easier it is to get around, the more you can see, and the less the inclination to sit in a stand all day.
Vantage is how much action you can see when not in a stand. Open courses have very little elevation change on the playing surfaces but they all have sand dunes alongside the fairways or around the the greens which can offer a great view. The bigger and more numerous the dunes the better the vantage.
Perfect Open spectating weather is warm, dry and breezy. Not just any old breeze. It has to be enough to make the golfers shape shots but not so much that a gust can carry a good shot into the hay. Fifteen to twenty miles an hour is about ideal. This might seem optimistic but it is the typical ambient conditions in the middle of summer at all the places where the Open is played. Wind aside, as a rule, the more southerly and the more easterly the course the more likely to get perfect warm dry spectating weather.
As for great players performing well, the theory is that the more difficult the course and conditions, the more likely the great players will rise to the top of the leaderboard. It isn't straightforward at the Open, where length isn't the factor it is elsewhere and where gales can turn any venue into a beast. The only consistent factor I know of is that superstars tend to dominate when the course is fast and fiery whereas journeymen tend to get into the mix when the course is soft and slow. Fast and fiery depends on warm dry weather throughout June and early July. In general the more southerly the course, the more likely to get proper Summer weather, but don't rely on it. Global warming seems to mean that the UK gets cool wet Summers in four years out of five these days. Weather aside, length, deep bunkers, narrow fairways, thick rough and course specific challenges militate towards star-packed leaderboards and superstar winners, whereas course specific quirks militate against them.
Note that these spectating criteria have very little in common with how players, journalists, commentators or the R&A rank the Open venues. But, unlike the rest of us, they go every year and they don't have to spend hours getting to the course or battle their way through thousands of spectators or peer between five rows of people to see anything.
Each Open venue has unique spectating attractions. Most have at least one major spectating drawback. To me, there are three good Open venues, five mediocre venues, and St Andrews. Sad to report that there are no great venues and that six of the nine regular venues, including my two favorites, are getting pummeled by ball technology ... and that doesn't include St Andrews which struggled to cope with the introduction of wound Haskell balls a hundred years ago. Worse, some of them are on small enclosed properties that have no room to extend. Unless the R&A can do something about the balls, they have a huge job on their hands to protect the integrity of future Championships. Anyway, here is my best-to-worst summary based on past Opens.
1. Royal Birkdale
Look out for: Vantage and club-house
Royal Birkdale is my favorite. It is mostly laid out in valleys parallel to large sand dunes, giving spectators natural vantage points looking down on the action at most holes. Many of the greens are wonderful natural amphitheaters, not least the the lovely Par 3 12th. Spectators are close to the action, which makes for great intimacy. It has my favorite clubhouse in Britain. It has two iconic holes in the the banana shaped 10th, my favorite Par 4 on the Open rota, and the snaking 17th, my favorite Par 5. The layout has a nice mix of hole shapes, lengths and directions which makes for interesting golf and easy navigation. Birkdale is geographically half way between Preston and Liverpool, not too far to travel and close enough to attract big crowds with lots of noisy and excitable 'scouse' (i.e. Liverpudlian) soccer supporters. Cleverly positioned bunkers, sinuous fairways and relatively slopey greens made the course difficult enough to have had a terrific list of winners: Palmer, Trevino, Miller in his wonder year, and Watson. Then ball technology got out of hand. The subsequent winners - Baker-Finch, O'Meara and Harrington - are not really in the same league. The future looks ominous. Birkdale makes the most of its 7,173yds, with two 499yds Par 4s and only two Par 4s shorter than 420yds, but the course sorely needs another 200yds. Let's hope they can find some length for the 2017 Championship. Thankfully they have plenty of space with which to work. If they do nothing, we will just have to pray for a good Summer or a windy Championship.
2. Muirfield
Muirfield has been a great venue too. The concentric loop layout offers the best spectator navigation of any Open venue. Apart from 3, 4 and 5, no two consecutive holes are in the same direction, which makes the golf fascinating. Spectators are close to the action which makes for great intimacy. The land is undulating enough for some good natural vantage. The course is just 20 miles from Edinburgh which provides entertainment during the evening, big crowds during the day and relatively nearby accommodation. Gates are 20% lower than Birkdale, and the slightly dour Scottish nature means that the atmosphere is more subdued, but it is still good. At face value Muirfield should be one of the easier Open venues, with shallow bunkers, four Par 4s under 390yds and no Par 4s over 475yds. Mickelson didn't even carry a driver when winning in 2014. Small greens and dangerous scoring holes compensate somewhat. Whatever the reasons, it always seems to be blessed with star-filled leaderboards and a stellar winner - Hagan, Player, Nicklaus, Trevino, Watson, Faldo, Els and Mickelson since the War. One minor gripe is a lack of iconic holes. Gary Player reckons that the 12th is the best Par 3 in Britain. I think it is less fun to watch than it is to play. The bigger concern for the future is Muirfield's length. They have got away with it on the past two Championships with a good Summer giving firm greens and fast bouncy fairways, but it is at least 300 yards too short. A wet summer or balmy Championship could allow an embarrassing winning score of 30 under or more. Unlike Birkdale, extra length won't be easy to find. The layout here is too intricate. New greens for 3 and 12 to the north of the 15th tee are probably the best bet but you can almost guarantee that the notoriously conservative Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers won't like it. Ugh!
3. Royal Liverpool (Hoylake)
Where Birkdale stands out for vantage and Muirfield for its golfing interest, Hoylake stands out for its atmosphere. It attracts the biggest, most enthusiastic and most vociferous crowd of any Open venue. It's compactness and flatness make for easy navigation and wonderful "noise drift", which adds to an already buzzing atmosphere. Nothing gets between players and spectators, making it really intimate. The course is triangular with an interesting mix of hole shapes and directions. Being close to Liverpool it is one of the most accessible Open venues, with lots of nearby accommodation and lots of non-golf things to do in the evening. This said, Hoylake's course isn't the best, built on pancake-flat terrain and lacking variety. To wit, seven of the Par 4s are between 426 and 458yds; all but one of the Pars 3s are 200yds. Apart from the stretch along the Dee Estuary, the fairways are banal with few natural vantage points. Nor are there any iconic holes or sights, although there is sometimes a view of a distant seal colony. With shallow bunkers, wide fairways, big flat softish greens, wispy rough, two short Par 5s and just one longish Par 4, Hoylake should be one of the easier Open venues, as likely as any to produce mediocre leaderboards and journeyman winners. But its two Championships since returning from a 40 year hiatus were won by Woods and McIlroy. Perhaps they were just lucky with the weather, both events enjoying fast fiery conditions. Or perhaps the best players respond to the best galleries. Or perhaps the course is more difficult than it looks. My guess is that they need to extend one of the short Par 5s and at least two of the mid-length Par 4s by 50yds or more. Happily, Hoylake has lots of space to extend into.
4. Carnoustie
Carnoustie is the second longest and the most challenging of Open venues. Some say too it is too challenging insofar as no one wants to see great players players hacking around in waist-high rough or shooting 80. Alas this is more common at Carnoustie than anywhere. The course is long and tough anyway, with deep bunkers and relatively narrow fairways. But, being the northernmost venue on the rota, it is also the most prone to bad Summer weather, bringing impenetrable rough and lottery inducing gales. The course layout is an out-and-back letter C, which makes for an interesting mix of wind directions, but with no shortcut between the top and bottom, navigation is difficult. The land is pretty flat which limits natural vantage points. And it's remote - I usually stay in Aberdeen from where the train takes about an hour - which deflates the crowd and atmosphere, especially before lunch. In the event that you manage to get nearby accommodation there is nothing to do in the evening, unless you like fishing or Arbroath Smokies. In compensation, Carnoustie boasts some really iconic sights including the Barry Burn, Hogan's Alley and Spectacles. And, as long as the wind does not get out of hand, it often gets the best quality golf of any Open venue, great leaderboards and a super-star Champion Golfer. Past winners include Hogan, Player and Watson. Unfortunately the wind has got out of hand in the last two Championships leading to lots of excitement but decidedly dodgy leaderboards and "last survivor" Champion golfers. If you are only going for the golf, Carnoustie can be a great experience. If you want anything more, you might be disappointed.
5. Royal St George's (Sandwich)
Players, journalists and commentators universally agree that Sandwich is the worst Open venue. The turf is the worst on the rota and the bunkers are a hotchpotch of styles. The players particularly detest the ludicrously wobbly fairways that randomly deflect good shots into the hay. Superstars are just as liable to get wiped as amateurs. It wouldn't be so bad if there were only a few of them but there are 10. Thus, the leaderboard gets more than its fair share of journeymen and the list of past winners conspicuously omits all the great post-war players; just two other Majors between six of them. It's a shame because the rest of the Sandwich spectating experience is pretty good. The property is circular and varied which makes for interest and easy navigation. Big dunes offer some great natural vantage points. It's easy to cosy up to the players. The course is moderately tough with two Par 4s over 495yds and two really challenging Par 3s. The Par 4 4th has the second best known drive in Open golf, over a gigantic bunker. Sandwich is by far the southernmost Open venue which gives it the best chance of fast bouncy conditions and warm dry weather. It has the best access of any Open venue, as long as you don't drive. I usually stay in Ramsgate, just 11 minutes away by train. It is only an hour from London via the HS1 fast train line which ensures good galleries, although admittedly with far too many sombre London stockbrokers. And, while it only has one iconic golf hole, it does have some beautiful thatched rain shelters and what must surely be the most desirable Starter's hut in the country. They should obviously flatten at least six of the fairways and, yet again, the course could do with lengthening. In Sandwich's case it only needs 100yds or so, in order to make two or three of the mid-length Par 4s more challenging, and they do have space with which to work.
6. Royal Lytham & St Annes
Look out for: The bunkers
Every Open venue has something unique going for it. Lytham has cavernous, cleverly positioned and beautifully rivetted bunkers. It has other attractions too. It is close to Blackpool which provides lots of relatively local, although often slightly tacky, accommodation. It has large, excitable and vociferous galleries. Notwithstanding four holes at the turn that are perpendicular to the rest, the course is pretty much an out-and-back, which impairs the interest. On the other hand the property is tiny which makes for the best intimacy of any Open venue. It also has an iconic hole in the short Par 3 9th (as well as an unheralded but personal favorite in the Par 4 8th). In my eyes all the Open venues apart from Birkdale, Muirfield and Hoylake have at least one major spectating drawback. Lytham has a bunch. It is a mile inland and plug ugly, encircled by a hideous housing estate, 300yds too short and miserably flat with few natural vantage points. To be fair, Lytham is no pushover. It has three long Par 4s, three longish Par 3s, no easily reachable Par 5s, small greens, long rough and the narrowest fairways of any Open venue. It usually produces a quality leaderboard and a great ball-striking / bunker-playing Champion golfer. Past winners include Bobby Jones, Player, Jacklin, Ballesteros and Els. I have really enjoyed spectating at Lytham over the years but I fear for its future as an Open venue. Half the course is like a pitch and putt. No one wants to see players taking 7-iron of a Par 4 tee. And it struggles to fit in enough toilets never mind an extra 300 yards.
7. Royal Troon
Troon is a polarized spectating experience with a few very good features and some very bad. On the good side, it has the best collection of Par 3s on the Open rota. One of these is the exquisite 127yd 8th, "Postage Stamp", a great spectating hole with party atmosphere, loads of birdies and plenty of disasters. Troon is also close enough to Glasgow for good access and average gates. The steep grass-faced bunkers - most of which look like a gigantic pitch mark made by a 10ft diameter ball - are fun. And I particularly like the intimacy of the closing holes which are immediately beside and above the access road. On the down side, the layout is a prosaic out-and-back with a twirly bit at the turn, which diffuses the atmosphere and makes navigation difficult. Nearly all the holes are straight and point in the same direction, which reduces the golfing interest. The first three holes are short and bland, three more are virtually inaccessible. The R&A have tried to mitigate the two biggest gripes for the 2016 Championship. One was to reduce the enormous number of spectators ensconced at the Postage Stamp (because it thins out the atmosphere elsewhere) which pretty much backfired because displaced exhausted fans ensconced instead in the stands at 7, 9 and 13. With 8 being full and no proper stands at 10, 11 or 12, this left poor vantage all the way from 7 through 13. The other change was to toughen the course and make it play more like a links. In yonder times Locke, Palmer and Watson were clearly worthy victors. Troon's six other Champion Golfers have not produced a single other Major between them. The jury is out on this. The miserably wet Summer in 2016 made it difficult to judge but I am fairly sure that it is still nowhere near long enough or difficult enough. Stenson and Mickelson played brilliantly but the winning score of -20 was played in the most difficult of weathers. A low-wind Championship could still have an embarrassing winning score of -30 or more. Troon's problem is that it has no obvious space into which it could extend 100 yards, never mind the 300 yards it needs.
8. Turnberry
Turnberry is the longest and prettiest Open venue - competition is not fierce on either count - with awesome views of Ailsa Craig and the lighthouse. Until recently, this was its only attraction. It has had a facelift since the 2009 Championship. Reports are that Turnberry is now by far the best course in the UK. They must have performed a minor miracle since the course was previously terribly bland, a prosaic leg-and-foot layout with no standout holes. Whatever they have done will not have overcome Turnberry's huge spectating drawback which is that it's in the middle of nowhere. It is so difficult to get accommodation nearby that I usually end up staying in Glasgow, two hours away. It is the only Open venue without a train station. Even camping nearby is easier said than done. It's a pain getting to the course but the real issue with Turnberry's remoteness is the pitiful crowd. I guess that the typical gate is half that at Hoylake. Many of those that do show up don't get there before lunch. It's a bit like watching on TV, with no atmosphere to speak of other than late on Saturday and Sunday when everyone is packed around the last groups out. Turnberry is, of course, the location of the famous "Dual in the Sun" when Watson and Nicklaus ran away from the field, but it has thrown up some pretty ordinary leaderboards and winners since. No blame can be attached to the course's length. Rather it is the big greens, wobbly fairways and softness, all of which help the journeymen and sabotage the favorites. Perhaps all of these drawbacks have been addressed in the refurbishment. It will be interesting to see how the course plays at its next Championship, assuming Trump and the Scottish Government overcome their differences. I am expecting to promote it to four or five on this list but it will remain a mediocre spectating experience unless they improve access.
9. St Andrews
And so to the Old Course at St Andrews, perhaps the most famous course on earth. Golfers and commentators revere it. It has some of the most iconic sights in golf, including the R&A headquarters, the Swilken Bridge, the Road Hole, "The Links" road beside the 18th fairway, the drive over the former railway sheds at 17, and so on. Just being there can bring tears to the eye of a keen golfer. But none of this helps the spectating experience, which is remorselessly poor. The layout is mundane: out-and-back with a kink at the turn, like a field hockey stick. All the holes are straight and most of them are in the same direction. The land is flat with no natural vantage points. Spectators can't get between the "out holes" and the "in holes" nor to the south side of 17. The double-greens, shared fairway and cross-over holes combine to slow the action. Most of the tees have been moved back outside the previous green, so there is nearly always a fairway between spectators and greens. The crowds are big but they just get in the way without adding to the atmosphere. And, by modern Major Championship standards, the course is ridiculously short with eight Par 4's under 400yds compared to just two over 465yds. Huge slow greens ensure it ends up as a tedious lag-putting competition whose only interest is avoiding disaster at 17. Recent winners have included Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods, but their victories were down to good putting rather than golfing prowess. Apart from the massive stand beside the Road hole green, I have only found one good place to watch, which is in the stand beside the 11th tee, from where you can see most of "The Loop". None of this should be unexpected. The course is 350 years old after all. It is amazing that it is still fit for any form of golf. Never the less, in my opinion, the Old Course should be reserved for amateurs and ceremonials. If you really want to spectate at the Old Course, the St Andrews Links Trophy in June is a better bet.
