British Open

FOLLOW THE JUG … ADD THE CLARET …

By JO MAES European Golf & Travel Media Association

Shane Lowry was always destined for greatness. To be the leading amateur golfer in Ireland during the McIlroy years was no mean feat and the rosy cheeked and spectacled chubby local lad went on to win the Irish Open at Baltray, one of Ireland’s top links courses while still an amateur. With a reasonable professional career already underway, nobody could have predicted what was to come next.

Shane Lowry won the 2019 Open when it returned to Royal Portrush Golf Club to become the second champion from the Republic of Ireland.

PHOTO: THE R&A

In 2019, the Open Championship returned to Royal Portrush on the Antrim Coast in Northern Ireland, first time it was to be held outside of Scotland or England since 1951 when again Portrush saw Max Faulkner lift the Claret Jug. Lowry is used to the links conditions, feels the turf in his fingertips, sees the contours and is able to use them. He thrives on the local meadow grass. He can manufacture shots, left to right, right to left, high, low, bounce it … you name it. Portrush would also have been familiar from his Irish amateur days. The same could have been said for McIlroy who holds the course record until the changes to the course prior to the Open. McIlroy cracked under the expectations. Lowry revelled in it and came out on top. Portrush felt very Irish that final Sunday and that is no mean feat given the history of the area.

The first Open Championship was played on October 17, 1860 at Prestwick Golf Club in Ayrshire, Scotland, over three rounds at the twelve-hole links course.

PHOTO: THE R&A

The R&A uses a pool of courses for the Open Championship mixed between England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.. Most of these courses are open to the public and if you want history coupled with great course conditions, none better than some of the Open Championship venues. From the vast expanse on the North Sea coast that is Royal St George’s, a beast of a course with no protection from the elements to the deep bunkers and the Barry Burn at Carnoustie, every Open Championship course has its own defences. The humps and hollows, valleys and dunes of Portrush and the private nature of Muirfield provide golfers with that same Open Championship experience.

This year’s Open Championship, cancelled last year due to Corona, will be the 149th staging. No tournament in the world is so iconic and full of history. As golfers we all remember the duel in the sun, Tom Watson narrowly making history at Turnberry, the wild antics of Jordan Spieth, the emergence of Justin Rose … Tiger, Nicklaus, Mickelson, McIlroy, Els, Oosthuizen, Harrington, and even further back in time, Faldo, Norman, Seve … you name them. When you play an Open venue, you always get the championship experience. This year, Royal St George’s is the venue and the Kent layout was the first course to host an Open outside of Scotland.

Organised by The R&A, based in St Andrews, it tends to host the Open at the Old Course every five years. They will make an exception in 2022 because of the 150th staging when the championship returns to the holy golf ground that is the Old Course, the Home of Golf. Many golfers have taken the trip to the historic university and golf town on Scotland’s east coast. Give or take an hour from Edinburgh, St Andrews should really be on every golfer’s bucket list. Golf comes out of its pores, the selection of courses is second to none and there are some idiosyncrasies that

Old Course at St Andrews is considered the oldest course in the world and due to its special status it usually hosts the Open every five years. Old Course is closed on Sundays and is only open for the Open Championship and Dunhill Links.

PHOTO: THE R&A

makes visitors wonder. For example, there is no golf on the Old Course on Sundays. Exceptions are the Open and the Dunhill Links but the rest of the year the Old Course becomes a public park on Sundays and it’s not uncommon to see people picnic next to the Swilcan Bridge. The Old Course and the New, Jubilee, Castle etc. are not owned by the R&A; they are owned by the community and placed in a trust. The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is one of the golf clubs that has playing rights on the course. The St Andrews Links Trust manages availability and pricing. A couple of days a year the course is played back to front as it was originally laid out that way. The Old Course is bunkered to the gills but hardly any of them are visible when you play the normal routing. They all face away from play as the course was laid out in reverse. The Old Course has many double greens and some of them are massive. The numbers all add up to 18, so 2 shares with 16, 3 shares with 15 and so forth. The best option off the tee on most holes is left and when you get a caddy they will point out lines to you that look dodgy at best but you will have to trust him - he knows. Whack it left on all holes except 9 and 10 where right is the better option. Nobody will design a hole nowadays with a hotel in the way. The iconic Old Course Hotel has some outbuildings and old railway sheds which golfers have to hit over. Yes, the Old Course, like most traditional courses, was built along a railway as that was the only way people could get to and from the course back in the day.

The Open Championship is the mother of all golf tournaments and its courses are the best in the business. Get yourself to Scotland, England and Northern Ireland and sample what is arguably one of the best golf experiences you can have. The only condition is that you have to take your golf seriously or you’ll go home humbled.