Golfweek’s Best: Rating the British Open rota courses


All eyes will be on Royal St. George’s Golf Club in Sandwich, England, for this week’s British Open. But how does the links layout southeast of London stack up in a ranking of all 10 of the courses on the modern rota for the British Open?

Golfweek’s Best utilizes a national group of some 800 raters who judge courses around the world, rating each on a points basis of 1 to 10. Any course with an average rating over 7 is a great course, and anything over 8 is in truly rarefied air. Half the courses on the rota, which now includes Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, rate above an 8.

The following list of the 10 British Open rota courses is ordered based on those ratings. Also included is where each course ranks in Golfweek’s Best Modern Courses list for Great Britain and Ireland.

Royal Liverpool (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Where: Hoylake, England

Designer and renovators: Robert Chambers, George Morris, Harry S. Colt

Year opened: 1869

British Opens hosted: 12

Next year to host: 2023

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.17

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 32 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

The 123 yard par 3, 8th hole named the 'Postage Stamp' at Royal Troon.

Royal Troon (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Where: Troon, Scotland

Designer and renovators: Willie Fernie

Year opened: 1878

British Opens hosted: 9

Next year to host: 2024

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.58

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 23 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

royallytham

Royal Lytham and St. Annes (Golfweek files)

Where: Lytham, England

Designer and renovators: George Lowe, Harry S. Colt, Herbert Fowler

Year opened: 1897

British Opens hosted: 11

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.66

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 19 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

barry burn carnoustie

Carnoustie’s Championship Course (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Where: Carnoustie, Scotland

Designer and renovators: Allan Robertson, Old Tom Morris, James Baird

Year opened: 1842

British Opens hosted: 8

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.86

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 14 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

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Royal Birkdale (Richard Heathcote/R&A via Getty Images)

Where: Southport, England

Designer and renovators: George Lowe, F.G. Hawtree, J.H. Taylor

Year opened: 1897

British Opens hosted: 10

Golfweek’s Best rating: 7.93

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 11 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

Royal St. George's

Royal St. George’s (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Where: Sandwich, England

Designer and renovators: Laidlaw Purves, Martin Ebert

Year opened: 1887

British Opens hosted: 15*

Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.17

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 9 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

* Includes the 2021 Open

gettyimages 1041568832

Trump Turnberry (David Cannon/Getty Images)

Where: Turnberry, Scotland

Designer and renovators: Willie Fernie, Mackenzie Ross, Martin Ebert, Tom MacKenzie

Year opened: 1902

British Opens hosted: 4

Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.27

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 8 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

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Royal Portrush (Golfweek files)

Where: Portrush, Northern Ireland

Designer and renovators: Harry S. Colt, Martin Ebert

Year opened: 1929

British Opens hosted: 2

Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.52

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 5 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

The Open Championship Media Day

Muirfield (Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)

Where: East Lothian, Scotland

Designer and renovators: Old Tom Morris

Year opened: 1892

British Opens hosted: 16

Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.67

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 3 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland

st andrews 6

St. Andrews’ Old Course (Getty Images/David Cannon)

Where: St. Andrews, Scotland

Designer and renovators: Unknown

Year opened: Unknown, but a version of golf was played on the site dating back to the 15th century

British Opens hosted: 29

Next year to host: 2022

Golfweek’s Best rating: 8.8

Golfweek’s Best ranking: No. 2 on Golfweek’s Best ranking of courses opened before 1960 in Great Britain and Ireland



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