What are the best golf holes at British Open courses? As Golf World Top 100 Courses and Resorts rankings editor, I’ve used mine and my panel’s vast experience to create a countdown of the finest par 3s, par 4s, and par 5s the Major’s venues have to offer.
I’ve been lucky enough to play every course that has welcomed the British Open to its turf (I’ve ranked every course to have hosted The Open), and there are plenty of holes that live long in the memory – some short, some long.
The criteria for this countdown were simple – the course needs to have hosted The Open Championship for at least one of its 152 playings. That’s it. That means 14 courses’ holes were eligible for consideration, from those that welcomed the Championship many moons ago to those on the R&A’s modern-day ‘Open rota’.
Musselburgh, which hosted the first British Open back in 1874 and was the chosen venue a further five times until 1889, doesn’t have a hole in the list. Neither does Prince’s, which hosted Gene Sarazen’s win back in 1932. And, to some people’s surprise, Birkdale, which has welcomed The Open on 10 occasions, is also absent from my selection. If we were to expand this list to the 30 best British Open holes then those courses would all feature at least once, but the top 20 felt like a more succinct number.
In the list you’ll find one hole from Royal Cinque Ports, Royal St George’s, Royal Lytham, Muirfield, Royal Liverpool (Hoylake), and 2024 Open host course Royal Troon. There are two holes from Prestwick, Turnberry, Royal Portrush, and Carnoustie. And, just as it does in our ranking of the best golf courses in the UK and Ireland, St Andrews (Old) leads the way, with six of my top 20 coming from the Home of Golf.
Let’s dive into the countdown.
The best British Open Championship golf holes
20. Royal Cinque Ports: 16th, Par 4, 416 yards
Deal, Kent, England
“I’ve often thought that this hole has the best green in the world,” says one panellist. Its tremendous contouring, including some forbidden hollows, provide much feature and fun.
19. St Andrews (Old): 4th, Par 4, 419 yards
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
‘Ginger Beer’ is all about the preferred angles that make the Old so good. The mound at the front left corner means a brave drive down the right is rewarded with a much easier approach. Most head left, and have to fly it with a long, soft-landing approach.
18. Royal Liverpool (Hoylake): 12th, Par 4, 454 yards
Hoylake, Cheshire, England
This dog-leg left teases with the chance to carry the bunkers on the corner. Played as the 14th in the 2006 Open Championship, Tiger holed out for eagle.
17. Prestwick: 17th, Par 4, 394 yards
Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland
Comparatively short by modern standards but the approach to the green on ‘Alps’ is totally blind and must avoid ‘Sahara’, possibly the largest bunker in Scotland – any bunker with a 13-step staircase demands respect. It’s blind from the fairway – but you know it’s there waiting!
16. Royal Lytham: 17th, Par 4, 467 yards
Lytham, Lancashire, England
Scene of Bobby Jones’ greatest shot, and a fearsome challenge. A small landing area among the bunkers, especially on the inside of the right-to-left dog-leg. The plaque by the third drive bunker on the left commemorates Jones’ approach in the 1926 Open.
15. Turnberry (Ailsa): 9th, Par 3, 248 yards
Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
What was one of the Ailsa’s weakest holes, a par 4 that didn’t work, is now an exhilarating short hole across the rocky inlet with the lighthouse watching on.
Whether we get to see the world’s best players tackle it in an Open Championship in the future remains to be seen, but the Major hasn’t been here since 2009. In 2021, The R&A said the Championship would not return to Turnberry until “we are convinced that the focus will be on the championship, the players and the course”. Reading between the lines, until President Trump and family’s name is no longer above the door.
The 11th hole, a 215-yard par 3, could also easily have made the cut for this list, too.
14. Prestwick: 13th, Par 4, 458 yards
Prestwick, Ayrshire, Scotland
Its beautifully undulating fairway with all sorts of ridges and hollows results in an uneven stance for your second – assuming you’ve avoided ‘Willie Campbell’s Grave’, a hidden pot on the left.
‘Sea Headrig’ plays alongside the water, so your approach is buffeted by the wind as it tries to find an angled green.
13. Carnoustie (Championship): 18th, Par 4, 444 yards
Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
Along with the ‘Postage Stamp’, this might need fewer words of explanation than any in the list.
Out of bounds and the ‘Barry Burn’ all the way down the left, with the water hazard also in play for shorter drives on the right and running immediately in front of the green.
Hugely intimidating hole; a 250-yard drive still leaves around a 175-yard carry approach. But you just LOVE to take it on…
12. St Andrews (Old): 16th, Par 4, 381 yards
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
You can hit iron off the tee for safety and leave a longer shot in (from a hanging lie), or you can take driver or 3-wood to the corner of the 3rd to stay away from the out of bounds on the right and leave a 9-iron in.
So many elements to consider in terms of strategy and execution – the Old Course summarised in 381 yards.
11. Muirfield: 17th, Par 5, 578 yards
Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland
A typically classy hole at the home of the Honourable Company.
Five bunkers decorate the inside corner of this arcing dog-leg, and then a quartet arranged across the fairway 100 yards out are very much in play into the wind.
The green is set back into the dunes through a narrow entrance between traps left and right.
10. Turnberry (Ailsa): 10th, Par 5, 565 yards
Turnberry, Ayrshire, Scotland
‘Dinna Fouter’, which means ‘don’t mess about’, is a breathtaking par 5 from tees perched on top of rocks next to the lighthouse. The green complex is equally spectacularly sited.
Part of a truly epic three-hole stretch from 9-11 at the reimagined Ailsa.
“If you make a mess of it, you want to run back to the tee and play it again,” said one celebrated panellist.
9. Royal Portrush (Dunluce): 5th, Par 4, 382 yards
Portrush, Antrim, Northern Ireland
A brilliant risk-reward hole that takes the golfer down from the higher ground of the first four to the edge of the cliffs.
Two bunkers in play with the tee shot on this dog-leg right, with the dilemma over how much to cut off… because with a helping wind it is possible to get close.
Out of bounds lurks just two or three yards over the back.
Offers a birdie chance and a real adventure.
8. Royal St George’s: 4th, Par 4, 496 yards
Sandwich, Kent, England
Begins with a semi-blind tee shot over the ‘Himalayas’ bunker – one of the most famous fairway bunkers in the game – to find the ‘Elysian Fields’ landing area.
The eccentric, raised green has a huge slope at the front.
7. St Andrews (Old): 13th, Par 4, 418 yards
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
The most underrated hole on the Old Course?
The ‘Coffin Bunkers’ lie in wait 200 yards from the tee and the shared green with the 5th is an experience in itself.
The bunker to the rear might be unnamed, but it is fearsome if found.
6. Carnoustie (Championship): 6th, Par 5, 520 yards
Carnoustie, Angus, Scotland
Out of bounds all the way up the left side, a ditch to the right, two centre-line bunkers that bisect the fairway – plus the prevailing wind into you – ‘Hogan’s Alley’ is the only safe place to be.
The angled green means the test continues after the drive, but the beauty of this hole is that it gives you so many options; the brave can attempt to emulate Hogan and seek a birdie, the higher handicap can negotiate its legendary challenges by playing short of the initial hazards, a solid second and neat approach. The tortoise often beats the hare here…
5. Royal Portrush (Dunluce): 16th, Par 3, 236 yards
Portrush, Antrim, Northern Ireland
‘Calamity Corner’ is now two holes later in the round – something architect Martin Ebert likes – following the addition of two new holes on the front nine. The challenge and the drama remain exactly the same, though.
The green sits across a chasm from the tee, and it’s not a short hit. The green angles left to right, so a fade is best for a right-hander… if you can afford to give up the yardage!
Left of the narrow entrance to the green is ‘Bobby Locke’s Hollow’, a basin from where many nervous chips are hit, given the putts and chips from this elegantly shaped depression are quite delicate. So ultimately there’s nowhere to hide. ‘Calamity’ demands little less than perfection.
4. St Andrews (Old): 11th, Par 3, 174 yards
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Often referred to as the shortest par 5 in Scotland, sitting on the Eden Estuary makes this the most exposed hole on the course. It can require anything from a short iron to a wood, depending on the wind direction of the day.
A large but acutely sloping, devilish green is guarded by two deep bunkers, ‘Strath’ and ‘Hill’, and the pin position alters the hole dramatically. Indeed, the latter caused Bobby Jones to rip up his scorecard.
3. St Andrews (Old): 14th, Par 5, 530 yards
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
“Options abound on this outstanding hole. I am looking forward to it on about the 12th tee,” wrote one panellist, which sums up the joy of our top-rated par 5.
The drive at ‘Long’ asks you to nudge your tee shot between the ‘Beardies’, a collection of four pot bunkers and an ancient wall. ‘Hell’, ‘Kitchen’, ‘Grave’, and ‘Ginger Beer’ bunkers also await, as do the ‘Elysian Fields’, and if you don’t have a warm feeling inside just reading those evocative names on this strategic par 5, we will never get on.
2. Royal Troon: 8th, Par 3, 123 yards
Troon, Ayrshire, Scotland
The ‘Postage Stamp’ is a predictable selection, but any hole that has been played at 99 yards in a Major deserves at least this position. Yard for yard, it is arguably the toughest hole in golf and, a bit like the 1st on the Old Course, will surely set the pulse racing on all who board her elevated tee.
The clue is in its name. The tee shot is played slightly downhill, over a gully to a long and extremely narrow green set into the side of a sand dune. A large and deep bunker protects the front of the green and two more bunkers protect the left side. Any shot slightly right of centre green risks falling off into another two deep bunkers with near vertical riveted faces.
It can, frankly, be completely evil if you miss the target. But, oh, the thrill of trying…
1. St Andrews (Old): 17th, Par 4, 455 yards
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
Of all the thousands of holes that could have been our first No.1, this was, incredibly, the clear choice. It was nominated by the majority of panellists; such is the love for an unconventional hole which is penal in its design but an intriguing challenge for all.
The Old’s 17th has it all. A demanding, blind drive that rewards the brave and makes fools of the reckless/wayward, then a hugely tricky second shot to avoid the infamous front-of-green bunker and the road. The green is 50 yards deep but barely 10 wide and sits at a 45-degree angle between the bunker and the road itself.
Factor in the presence of watching crowds, even for amateurs playing for fun, and a par here is to be treasured, even for the elite.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chris Bertram – Golf World Top 100 Editor
He was born and brought up in Dumfriesshire and has been a sports journalist since 1996, initially as a junior writer with National Club Golfer magazine.
Chris then spent four years writing about football and rugby union for the Press Association but returned to be Editor and then Publisher of NCG before joining Golf World and Today’s Golfer as Senior Production Editor.
He has been freelance since 2010 and when he is not playing and writing about the world’s finest golf courses, he works for BBC Sport.
A keen all-round sportsman, Chris plays off 11 – which could be a little better if it wasn’t for hilariously poor lag putting which has to be seen to be believed.