Scottish Golf History
The Open Championship in Scotland: Every Scottish Venue, Past and Present
The Open Championship has been played at eight Scottish venues. Some are still on the rota. Some aren't. Here's the full history of every Scottish course that has hosted the world's oldest major, with what made each one significant.
The Open Championship — the oldest golf major, first played in 1860 — has been staged in Scotland for the majority of its history. Of the 151 Opens played through 2023, approximately 90 have been at Scottish venues. Eight courses in Scotland have hosted it: Prestwick, St Andrews, Musselburgh, Muirfield, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Turnberry, and Kingsbarns (which hosted the Women's Open in 2007 and was confirmed for the senior Open rotation, though not the men's).
Four of those eight are on the current men's rota. Three are not. One — Prestwick — hosted the first twelve Opens in succession and then disappeared from the schedule entirely.
Here is every Scottish venue, in order of first hosting.
Prestwick Golf Club, Ayrshire
Years hosted: 1860–1925 (24 times) Last Open: 1925 Status: Off rota (permanently)
Prestwick is where it started. In 1860, Prestwick Golf Club organised the first Open Championship to identify the best professional golfer in the country, following the death of Allan Robertson, who had been considered the best player of his era. Eight professionals competed for a red morocco belt. Willie Park won.
The competition was held at Prestwick for the first twelve successive years, until St Andrews and Musselburgh joined a rotation in 1872. Prestwick hosted 24 Opens in total, more than any venue other than St Andrews.
The course played host to some of the most significant moments in early Open history, including Young Tom Morris's four consecutive wins (1868–1872), the last of which won him the belt outright.
The final Open at Prestwick, in 1925, is remembered for its crowd mismanagement. Spectators flooded the course so badly that the final rounds became nearly unplayable. The championship never returned. The course is still there — private, historic, and one of the finest rounds in Ayrshire. Visitors are welcome by prior arrangement.
St Andrews Links, Fife
Years hosted: 1873–2022 (30 times) Next Open: 2027 Status: Current rota
St Andrews has hosted the Open more times than any other venue. The Old Course is the centrepiece of the town, the game's symbolic headquarters, and the most photographed golf course in the world.
Notable Opens at St Andrews include:
- 1978: Jack Nicklaus's second St Andrews win, his third Open overall
- 1984: Seve Ballesteros's second Open title; the 17th Road Hole playing a significant role
- 2000: Tiger Woods, who didn't visit a single bunker, winning by eight shots. Perhaps the most dominant major performance of the modern era
- 2010: Louis Oosthuizen's runaway victory, one of the more overlooked dominant Open wins
- 2022: Cameron Smith's final round 64 to overtake Rory McIlroy and win by one stroke
The 2027 Open returns to St Andrews in what will be the 156th Open Championship.
Musselburgh Old Course, East Lothian
Years hosted: 1874–1889 (6 times) Last Open: 1889 Status: Off rota (permanently)
Musselburgh, east of Edinburgh, was part of the early Open rotation alongside St Andrews and Prestwick. The course at Musselburgh (now a nine-hole loop around the racecourse) hosted six Opens between 1874 and 1889. Willie Park and his son Willie Park Jnr each won twice at Musselburgh.
The course was dropped from the rota in the 1890s as the game professionalised and larger venues were required to accommodate growing crowds. It is still playable today — a public nine-hole course, inexpensive, and one of the oldest courses in the world.
Muirfield (Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers), East Lothian
Years hosted: 1892–2023 (16 times) Next Open: TBC Status: Current rota
Muirfield was first used for the Open in 1892, when the championship moved there from Musselburgh. It was the first Open played over 72 holes (the previous format was 36).
The course is owned by the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, the oldest golf club in the world by documentary evidence. It was designed by Old Tom Morris in 1891 and has been refined consistently since.
Notable Opens at Muirfield:
- 1966: Jack Nicklaus wins his first Open. The course is thereafter nicknamed "Muirfield" rather than Honourable Company for most broadcast purposes; Nicklaus names his own course in Ohio after it
- 1972: Lee Trevino's championship, which eliminates Tony Jacklin from contention with a chip-in at the 17th
- 1992: Nick Faldo's second consecutive Open, completing his six majors total
- 2013: Phil Mickelson wins his only Open title in a final round 66
Muirfield was temporarily removed from the Open rota in 2017 following a vote by members to continue excluding women from membership. It was reinstated in 2019 after the membership reversed that decision. The 2023 Open returned to Muirfield, won by Brian Harman.
Royal Troon Golf Club, Ayrshire
Years hosted: 1923–2024 (10 times) Next Open: TBC Status: Current rota
Royal Troon is an Ayrshire links facing the Isle of Arran and the Firth of Clyde. The course is characterised by its extremes: the Postage Stamp (8th hole), a par-3 of 123 yards, is the shortest hole in Open Championship golf; while the 6th hole at around 600 yards is one of the longest.
Notable Opens at Troon:
- 1962: Arnold Palmer, dominant in his era, wins his second consecutive Open
- 1973: Tom Weiskopf wins. Gene Sarazen, then aged 71, makes a hole-in-one on the Postage Stamp during the unofficial champions' round — one of golf's more charming senior moments
- 1997: Justin Leonard recovers from five down with seven to play in the final round to win
- 2016: Henrik Stenson and Phil Mickelson play one of the great final-day duels in major history. Stenson's 63 wins
- 2024: Xander Schauffele wins his first major
Carnoustie Golf Links, Angus
Years hosted: 1931–2018 (9 times) Next Open: TBC Status: Current rota
Carnoustie is the hardest course on the Open rota by most assessments. The Barry Burn on the 17th and 18th holes has ended more championships than any other feature in Scottish golf.
Notable Opens at Carnoustie:
- 1953: Ben Hogan's only Open appearance, and his win. He shot four rounds in the 70s on a course that was playing extremely hard. He never returned to defend, considering the travel impractical
- 1968: Gary Player's second Open title
- 1975: Tom Watson's first major win, in a playoff with Jack Newton
- 1999: Jean Van de Velde's collapse on the 72nd hole, leading three shots with one to play, making a triple bogey and losing in a playoff to Paul Lawrie. Lawrie is Scottish; his is the most recent Scottish winner of the Open
- 2007: Pádraig Harrington's first Open, in difficult conditions that saw the field average several shots over par
- 2018: Harrington again? No — Francesco Molinari, who became the first Italian to win a major
Royal Troon's partner: Turnberry, Ayrshire
Years hosted: 1977–2024 (5 times, with a long gap 2009–2024) Status: Current rota, with caveats
Turnberry hosted its first Open in 1977, famous for the "Duel in the Sun" between Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson — two rounds of 65 and 65 in the final day heat, Watson winning by a shot. Considered by many to be the greatest final 36 holes in Open history.
The course was removed from the rota in 2009 under its previous ownership and returned in 2015 under Donald Trump's ownership. The R&A's decision to return was controversial; subsequent events added to that controversy. The 2015 Open (Zach Johnson) and the 2024 Open were hosted there.
Turnberry as a golf course is spectacular — the lighthouse hole (9th), the views of Ailsa Craig, the quality of the links turf. The politics of its ownership continue to make it a complicated subject.
A note on Kingsbarns
Kingsbarns Golf Links near St Andrews has hosted the Women's British Open (2007) and events on the European Tour, and is regularly discussed as a future Open Championship venue. Its condition is maintained to tournament standard and its coastal setting is exceptional. It has not yet hosted the men's Open.
For planning your own visit to any of these venues: How to Get a Round at Muirfield. For the Open's return to St Andrews in 2027: Open Championship 2027 — Tickets, Accommodation and What to Expect.
About the author
Gary
Editor and founder of Birdie Brae. Based in Glasgow, 14.5 handicap, playing since 2022. Has played 40+ Scottish courses and started this site because most Scottish golf content is written by people trying to sell you a package holiday.
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