By david owen
ince the beginning of time (i.e., 1860), the Open Championship has been played on just 14 courses. I’ve played all of them at least once, and I’ve played most of them more than once, and in 2010 I played all 14 in a two-week trip. Here’s my ranking, in reverse order: Golf holes all over the world measure 4¼ inches in diameter because in 1829 a blacksmith in made a hole-cutting device from a piece of drain pipe that happened to be that size. The course, which has just nine holes, is interesting mainly because of facts like that one.
is the least impressive of the three Open courses on England’s southeastern coast. (See Nos. 7 and 10 for the other two.) The Open was played there once, in 1932— Gene Sarazen won, using the sand wedge he’d just invented—but that layout no longer exists.
has hosted 24 Opens, including the first 12. The course is famously “quirky,” but I don’t love it. The private parts of the clubhouse are way cool, however. Plead with a member to show you around. golfdigestme. com I don’t understand why Opens, including this year’s, are given to You play what seems like the same hole over and over again, then you play the Postage Stamp, then you play what feels like the same hole over and over again, again. If I could pick any Open club to join, I might pick
in Deal, England—because I love the course and because the members remind me of the members of my club at home. In 1898, one of them played cross-country from Royal St. George’s in 32 strokes. He hit his final shot through a clubhouse window. july/august 2016 For the Open, the R&A turns the first hole at
into the third, giving players two holes to warm up on before hitting one of the scariest tee shots in tournament golf. Plus, the Beatles.
has way too many bunkers, but its ninth hole is one of my favourite par 3s anywhere, and the club offers what might be the best overnight stay-and-play package in the world. Ian Fleming was a member of He made it the model for Royal St. Marks, the club where James Bond wins a cheating match with Auric Goldfinger. On a clear day, you can see France.