History of Open Courses

Major golfing championships are held on some of the world's most picturesque and challenging golf courses. The Open Championship, also known as the British Open, is one of golf's four major tournaments that take place each year. It is hosted on links-style golf courses in the British Isles. Some of the most prominent moments in golfing history occurred on these courses.

  1. St Andrews Old Course

    • Possibly the most famous golf course in the world, the Old Course at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club at St Andrews, in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland is a public course that has become known as the "Home of Golf." The course was changed from 22 to 18 holes in the 18th century, which is how today's standard round of golf were created. St Andrews s famous for the double-greens shared by a number of the holes that were designed to ease congestion on the greens in the 19th century. The Open Championship has been held on the Old Course more times than any other club with 28 tournaments held there.

    Carnoustie

    • Located in Angus, Scotland and claiming to be one of the greatest challenges in world golf, Carnoustie has hosted the Open Championship on seven occasions. Although golf has been played in Carnoustie for hundreds of years the club opened in 1842. The championship course climax at the 18th has seen some spectacular Open finishes over the years, most notably Jean Van de Velde's collapse in the "Barry Burn" in 1999 to take the championship to a play-off.

    Turnberry

    • The Ailsa Course at Turnberry Golf Cub in west Scotland is one of Britain's finest courses. The course is named after the Island Ailsa Craig that can be seen from most points on the course. The course opened in 1901 and has hosted four Open Championships since the first at Turnberry in 1977. Winners here have included Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Nick Price and Stewart Cink.

    Royal St Georges

    • Royal St Georges Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent was the first golf course in England to host the Open Championship in 1894. It was given the "Royal" title by King Edward VII in 1902 after he became patron of the club. It hosts its 14th Open Championship in 2011 and is famous for long carries from the tees and valley fairways with heavy rough, built on sand dunes. Some accounts claim that the course got its name from a statement from the designer Dr. Purves, who when seeing the terrain, exclaimed, "By George, what a place for a golf course!"