5 Modern Links That Could Be Great Open Courses

Four golf courses and an Open Championship yellow flag

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 17 July 2023

The Open has been hosted by 14 different courses over the 151 instalments of the championship. Prestwick was the first venue and it welcomed the grand old tournament on 24 occasions, most recently in 1925. The Old Course at St Andrews has been venue for The Open more times than any other course – 29 occasions.

The UK and Ireland are home to an incredible selection of links courses, and many would be worthy hosts for the game’s greatest championship. But logistics often prevent courses being considered as potential venues . They may be too remote or without the necessary infrastructure to support an event as big as The Open Championship.

The Open has also always been hosted at, what could be considered, traditional links courses – layouts that have been played upon for decades, even hundreds of years. The R&A would never say never, but up until this point, there’s nothing to suggest they have considered sending the championship to one of our islands’ excellent “modern links.”

A move in that direction may, or more likely, may not ever happen. But if it did, there would be some superb tracks to choose from. Here are five modern links - which all rank inside our UK and Ireland top 100 courses list - that could be great Open courses.

Kingsbarns Golf Links

Kingsbarns is no stranger to professional competitions, having been a co-host to the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship since 2001 and the venue for the Women’s British Open of 2017.

A creation of Mark Parsinen and Kyle Phillips, Kingsbarns was opened in 2000 and swiftly earned a reputation as a modern classic. It’s a wonderful track, blending the techniques of contemporary course design with the rugged simplicity of a traditional Scottish links.

Arguably, it might be a little too forgiving for Open Championship golf but, with some strategic growing of the rough and some challenging pin selections, it could make for a spectacular venue.

There are some hugely memorable holes, including the par-5 12th, sweeping around the shoreline, and the par-3 15th where the tee shot must carry sea and rocks to reach the putting surface.

Cabot Highlands Castle Stuart

Another venue to have hosted top-level professional golf already – Castle Stuart welcomed the Scottish Open four times between 2011 and 2016.

Like Kingsbarns, it was Mark Parsinen, this time together with Gil Hanse, who was responsible for the design at Castle Stuart. It’s a simply spectacular track with incredible views up and across the Moray Firth.

Again, like Kingsbarns, it might be too forgiving for a Major so would need a little tightening up… But, as the Scottish Opens proved, it would make for fantastic viewing, and a great advert for Scotland's wonderful scenery.

Trump International Golf Links

A little problem with this one given away by the course name, but putting that aside, this gem of a track north of Aberdeen would make a brilliant tournament venue. It was built with that in mind but has yet to host a really top-level event.

Course designer Martin Hawtree spoke of how fortunate he was to work with the terrain and how keen he was to use the lie of the land to the greatest possible effect. He managed it fantastically well. It’s a stunning track carved through towering sand dunes.

Dumbarnie Links

Designed by former Ryder Cup player Clive Clark, Dumbarnie only opened for play in 2020. But it’s quickly started to be regarded as one of the country’s best new tracks.

It’s already been host to top-level competition. Dumbarnie welcomed the Women’s Scottish Open of 2021, won by Ryann O’Toole.

It’s a striking layout with sprawling fairways leading to huge undulating green complexes. It’s a true modern links, blending stadium and seaside golf, and that makes for a great tournament track.

Rosapenna St Patrick’s Links

This would be a first in more ways than one for The Open.

Not only would it be the first time for the championship to go to a modern links, but it would also be the first time it travelled to the Republic of Ireland. That’s an unlikely prospect, but hey, let’s just imagine…

Tom Doak has created a real modern masterpiece with the St Patrick’s course at Rosapenna. The drama and the fun starts from the outset with a rollercoaster 1st hole, and continues to the 18th, over and through the sometimes rolling, sometimes towering dunes.

The layout asks for a full arsenal of shots, particularly around the excellent green complexes.

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He has also worked with Golf Monthly to produce a podcast series. Called 18 Majors: The Golf History Show it offers new and in-depth perspectives on some of the most important moments in golf's long history. You can find all the details about it here.

He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly.

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?