Alternative Open Championship venues

[Ed Tilley]

What courses in the UK do you think could host the Open, purely from a golfing standpoint - i.e. ignoring travel / tented village considerations. IMO Royal County Down, Royal Portrush and Kingsbarns are the standout choices. Are there any others?

- Could a composite course at Saunton be strong enough?

- Would the R&A ever consider holding the Open at Portmarnock?

[Ed Tilley]

Sean,

I don't think Dornoch is challenging enough - with no wind I could see someone shooting in the 50's. Royal St. Davids would definitely be tough enough with your changes although I can't see the Open ever being held on a par 68! I played it in a strong wind a few years ago and it was way too much course for me.

The Irish Open was played at Ballybunion a few years back. There wasn't a great deal of wind and 12 or 13 under was the winning score. If it had been windy they might have struggled to break par.

[ForkaB]

No, I don't think Portmarnock would ever get a go.  The club is Irish and that is that.

Sean

I thought it was The Open, not The British Open!

Who says it has to be played in Britain?  Surely not the R&A, whose remit covers everywhere but the US, Mexico and Texas.......

Portmarnock would be the best choice.  Great course, close to a great city and great apres golf.

Dornoch could handle the players and the BBC, but not the spectators and all the other fol-de-rol.  Kingsbarns is a good enough course, but why hold it there when you have the Old Course 10 minutes away?  Would the USA hold a national Open at Friars Head, or even Sebonack, or maybe even the Bridge...... ;)as long as Shinnecock is there?

[ForkaB]

Sean and Ed

As for Dornoch, they could stretch it to ~7100 with new tees which would enhance (not detract from) the architecture that is there.  Yes, from the medal tees of 6550, many pros could shoot in the 50's, but from 7100, bringing back into play the hazards that now trouble us mortals from the current tips (~6750), I doubt it.  Just think of a 230 yard tee tucked back in the dunes of the now relatively anodyne 13th.........

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

If the primary criteria is course strength and challenge..look no further than Lahinch..truly  one of the toughest links courses.
On a normal day it would test the best, when tinkered and set up for an Open it could be brutal.
However, it also gives you the "off the mainland' problem, so it will never happen.

If the Open is to leave the mainland, it would probably be the result of a course related to deep pockets....somewhere the R&A could get some serious cash incentive.
As most of those particular course developments are not links courses, I do not see it happening any time soon.

In all honesty I can not see the R&A moving to a "newer" venue any time soon...at least this years venue is an old links!!!

That is another topic altogether.
I am not a great lover of Hoylake, I found the course rather mundane.
A fine test in the wind, but not an intersting golf course, however it has been along time since I played there, and if I rememebr I did not play that well....in fcat I missed the cut in the British Youths there....so undoubtably that has some input in my opinion

[Matthew Schulte]

If the primary criteria is course strength and challenge..look no further than Lahinch..truly  one of the toughest links courses.

Michael:  

I am surprised by your assessment of Lahinch.  I have always thought of Lahinch in the context of being more like Ireland's version of North Berwick than Carnoustie.  Plenty of quirk.  Fun to play.  Several thrilling shots.  However I personally found it the least difficult of Ireland's big 5 (RCD, Portrush, Portmarnock, Ballybunion, and Lahinch).

I think the R&A had it right in the 1950s when they brought The OPEN to Portrush.  I found Portrush to be a complete examination with considerably more interesting and varied green complexes than those found at County Down.  I think it is far more than just a stern test of one's driving abilities.  

[Pete Lavallee]

- Could a composite course at Saunton be strong enough?

Ed,

Frankly I can't think of any holes on the West course that would improve or make the East more difficult. The major issue with the East is that both par 5's (one on each nine) are pushovers distance wise. They were building a new green on the 2cnd hole to make it longer than 500 yards the last time I was there; both these would make ball busting long par 4's though. With only 3 par 3's, that would yield a par 67 Open layout, possibly difficult enough but would the R&A feel comfortable with par 67?

[Mark_Rowlinson]

We all have these ideas about composite courses and so on, and I've suggested a composite Saunton before now on this site.  However, look at the infrastructure in terms of airports, spectator access, Tiger's private hydrofoil access and so on....  But let no one deny the huge pay back the R&A gives to all its participating courses, not only Open Championship qualifying courses, but also hosts to junior events and so on. The R&A makes a serious contribution to the wellbeing of many a course in the UK and we owe them a huge debt.   Thank you, R&A!

[Mark_F]

Is one course capable of holding The Open these days?

After all, the last one was played out of two courses.

Should we not therefore be looking at courses that abut each other?

Dornoch and Struie?
Portrush and the Valley course?
Birkdale and Hillside?

[Tommy Williamsen]

It is probably heresy, but I would like to see the new course at St. Andrews host the open.

[mike_beene]

Am I the only one who doesn't care for the New Course?I have only played it 3 or 4 times.It runs together and to me feels a little clausterphobic.The town is so attractive and the course seems disconnected from it.On the other hand ,Kingsbarns would be a great Open course and compelling TV.Talk about an interesting back nine(12,13,14,15,18)

[Doug Siebert]

If the primary criteria is course strength and challenge..look no further than Lahinch..truly  one of the toughest links courses.

Michael:  

I am surprised by your assessment of Lahinch.  I have always thought of Lahinch in the context of being more like Ireland's version of North Berwick than Carnoustie.  Plenty of quirk.  Fun to play.  Several thrilling shots.  However I personally found it the least difficult of Ireland's big 5 (RCD, Portrush, Portmarnock, Ballybunion, and Lahinch).

I think the R&A had it right in the 1950s when they brought The OPEN to Portrush.  I found Portrush to be a complete examination with considerably more interesting and varied green complexes than those found at County Down.  I think it is far more than just a stern test of one's driving abilities.  

I agree Lahinch wouldn't be as good of a choice as Ballybunion, though if the wind's up (and it often is) it will provide a challenge for anyone in the world, even if the par 5s are rather short by today's standards and will give away birdies like party favors.

Its main problem is that don't know it has the room for the fans, there isn't a lot of space between adjacent holes, and what there is isn't too level!  The only place I could see the corporate tents going is the little jetty where the surf shop is behind #2 green/#3 tee, and that's probably not enough space.

Its too bad the Open has become so commercialized, a lot of great courses will never host it simply because they lack the room for all the fans and other crap that comes along with it.  If it was 5000 fans and no corporate tents, a lot of courses would be back in the running.  Oh well, I guess there's still the Amateur, right?

[Jim Nugent]

Its too bad the Open has become so commercialized, a lot of great courses will never host it simply because they lack the room for all the fans and other crap that comes along with it.  If it was 5000 fans and no corporate tents, a lot of courses would be back in the running.  Oh well, I guess there's still the Amateur, right?

One solution to that is to raise ticket prices and corporate sponsor fees.