The Open has been hosted by 14 different courses over the 153 instalments of the championship. Prestwick was the first venue and it welcomed the grand old tournament on 24 occasions, most recently in 1925. The Old Course at St Andrews has been venue for The Open more times than any other course – 29 occasions.
The UK and Ireland is home to an incredible selection of links courses, and many would be worthy hosts for the game’s greatest championship. But logistics often prevent courses being considered as potential venues. They may be too remote or without the necessary infrastructure to support an event as big as a modern day Open Championship, which continues to grow each and every year.
The Open has also always been hosted at, what could be considered, traditional links courses – layouts that have been played upon for decades, even hundreds of years. The R&A would never say never, but up until this point, there’s nothing to suggest it has considered sending the championship to one of our islands’ excellent “modern links.”
A move in that direction may, or more likely, may not ever happen. But if it did, there would be some superb tracks to choose from.
Here are five modern links - which all rank inside our UK and Ireland top 100 courses list - that could be great Open venues.
Kingsbarns Golf Links
- Date opened: 2000
- Golf Monthly top 100 ranking: 14
Kingsbarns Golf Links is no stranger to professional competitions, having been a co-host to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on the DP World Tour since 2001 and the venue for the Women’s British Open of 2017.
A creation of Mark Parsinen and Kyle Phillips, Kingsbarns opened in 2000 and swiftly earned a reputation as a modern classic. It’s a wonderful track, blending the techniques of contemporary course design with the rugged simplicity of a traditional Scottish links.
Arguably, it might be a little too forgiving for Open Championship golf but, with some strategic growing of the rough and some challenging pin selections, it could make for a spectacular venue.
There are some hugely memorable holes, including the par-5 12th, sweeping around the shoreline, and the par-3 15th where the tee shot must carry sea and rocks to reach the putting surface.
Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart
- Date opened: 2009
- Golf Monthly top 100 ranking: 22
Another venue to have hosted top-level professional golf already – Castle Stuart welcomed the Scottish Open four times between 2011 and 2016.
Like Kingsbarns, it was Mark Parsinen, this time together with Gil Hanse, who was responsible for the design. It’s a simply spectacular track with incredible views up and across the Moray Firth.
Again, like Kingsbarns, it might be too forgiving for a Major so would need a little tightening up… But, as the Scottish Opens proved, it would make for fantastic viewing, and a great advert for Scotland's wonderful scenery.
The venue is now known as Cabot Highlands and a highly anticipated Old Petty course is opening soon.
Trump International Golf Links
- Date opened: 2012
- Golf Monthly top 100 ranking: 15
This gem of a links north of Aberdeen would make a brilliant tournament venue. It was built with that in mind and has hosted multiple Staysure PGA Seniors Championships on the Legends Tour and makes its DP World Tour debut in 2025.
Course designer Martin Hawtree spoke of how fortunate he was to work with the terrain and how keen he was to use the lie of the land to the greatest possible effect. He managed it fantastically well.
It’s a stunning track carved through towering sand dunes and, like Cabot Highlands, has a second course on the way soon, too.
Dumbarnie Links
- Date opened: 2020
- Golf Monthly top 100 ranking: 37
Designed by former Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, Dumbarnie only opened for play in 2020 and was instantly regarded as one of Scotland’s best new courses.
It’s already been host to top-level competition as Dumbarnie welcomed the Women’s Scottish Open of 2021, won by Ryann O’Toole.
It’s a striking layout with sprawling fairways leading to huge undulating green complexes. It’s a true modern links, blending stadium and seaside golf, and that makes for a great tournament course.
Rosapenna St Patrick’s Links
- Date opened: 2021
- Golf Monthly top 100 ranking: 39
This would be a first in more ways than one for The Open.
Not only would it be the first time for the championship to go to a modern links, but it would also be the first time it travelled to the Republic of Ireland. While St Patrick's hosting is an unlikely prospect, The Open going to Ireland seems a reality now with Portmarnock looking more and more likely to join the Open rota of courses in the near future.
Tom Doak has created a real modern masterpiece with the St Patrick’s course at Rosapenna. The drama and the fun starts from the outset with a rollercoaster 1st hole, and continues to the 18th, over and through the sometimes rolling, sometimes towering dunes.
The layout asks for a full arsenal of shots, particularly around the excellent green complexes.
