There are several great golf courses in England that you should play when enjoying your European golf vacations. Being a Scot, I would propose that you first play the historic golf courses from the home of golf - Scotland. Due to the coverage of The Open, the golf courses in England are becoming famous and worth playing. Following is a list of the six championship courses that have held the event through the years.
I am not sure why, but The Open golf championship is held in golf courses in England that are sited in two distinct regions of the country. There are three in the south east corner of England in the county of Kent, to the south of London. Then there are another three that are located on the north west coast, between Liverpool and Blackpool.
Golf Courses In England - The North-West
Between Scotland in the north and Wales in the south is the coastline of the northwest region of England. The links of three of The Open golf courses are to be found here. You can easily reach this area by flying to either Manchester or Liverpool airports, which are both about an hours drive from the golf courses. Why not make Liverpool a base for playing the three courses as it is a beautiful city - as well as being home to The Beatles.
Royal Liverpool, known as Hoylake, was the first course in the north west to hold The Open and it also happens to be the second oldest links golf course in England. Starting from 1897 it has held the event a total of 11 times, about once every decade until 1967. After several decades, the event was again held at Royal Liverpool in 2006 and Tiger Woods was the champion. The US amateur, Bobby Jones won here in 1930 and was to go on to complete an unmatched grand slam of golf.
Royal Lytham & St. Annes held its first Open in 1926 even though it was founded in 1897. It is considered to be one of the best and most taxing links courses in Great Britain with over 200 bunkers to avoid. Many legends of golf have enjoyed success here including Bobby Jones in 1926, Tony Jacklin in 1969, Gary Player in 1974, and Seve Ballesteros in 1979 and 1988.
Royal Birkdale is the newest English course to host The Open; starting in 1954 it has held the event almost twice a decade since with 2008 being the latest. The course features towering sand dunes and has been a popular venue and a lucky course for American golfers. Apart from Australian golfers, Peter Thompson who won here in 1954 and 1965, and Ian Baker-Finch in 1991, Americans have dominated here with 5 wins out of 8.
Golf Courses In England - The South-East
The southeast of the country is home to three Championship courses all located on the south coast of Kent, just to the south of London. This close proximity to London makes the area easy to reach for the visitor. To enjoy playing the three courses here, you would do well to stay in one of the charming villages and make the beautiful countryside of Kent as your base.
Royal St. Georges has held The Open a total of thirteen times and was the first course in England to host the event back in 1894. I would make this course a priority when enjoying your European golf vacations. In the early days, this course witnessed two wins each by legendary golfers Harry Vardon and Walter Hagan. There have been many closely fought Opens here, including the 1993 event which saw Greg Norman shooting a brilliant 64 to beat Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer.
Royal Cinque Ports or Deal is less well known as it as only held The Open twice, in 1909 and 1920. Other events were planned, but due to bad luck, the events were canceled in 1915 due to the War and in 1938 and 1949 due to storms and high tides. As it is a very challenging golf course it is still worth playing though.
Prince's is an other unknown Championship course as it only held the event once in 1932. The winner was Gene Sarazen who played flawless golf and scored a total of 283, a Championship record which he kept for 18 years. Unbelievably, Prince's golf course was utilized by the RAF for bombing practice during World War II. In the 1950's, restoration work was carried out which made different fairways but incorporated 17 of the original greens which had somehow escaped damage.
These are the 6 Championship golf courses that have held The Open in England and that you can play. You maybe should consider playing three in either the northwest or in the southeast as they are quite far apart. Keep in mind that you will have to book your tee times in advance and then check the websites of each club to check on their dress code.
I am not sure why, but The Open golf championship is held in golf courses in England that are sited in two distinct regions of the country. There are three in the south east corner of England in the county of Kent, to the south of London. Then there are another three that are located on the north west coast, between Liverpool and Blackpool.
Golf Courses In England - The North-West
Between Scotland in the north and Wales in the south is the coastline of the northwest region of England. The links of three of The Open golf courses are to be found here. You can easily reach this area by flying to either Manchester or Liverpool airports, which are both about an hours drive from the golf courses. Why not make Liverpool a base for playing the three courses as it is a beautiful city - as well as being home to The Beatles.
Royal Liverpool, known as Hoylake, was the first course in the north west to hold The Open and it also happens to be the second oldest links golf course in England. Starting from 1897 it has held the event a total of 11 times, about once every decade until 1967. After several decades, the event was again held at Royal Liverpool in 2006 and Tiger Woods was the champion. The US amateur, Bobby Jones won here in 1930 and was to go on to complete an unmatched grand slam of golf.
Royal Lytham & St. Annes held its first Open in 1926 even though it was founded in 1897. It is considered to be one of the best and most taxing links courses in Great Britain with over 200 bunkers to avoid. Many legends of golf have enjoyed success here including Bobby Jones in 1926, Tony Jacklin in 1969, Gary Player in 1974, and Seve Ballesteros in 1979 and 1988.
Royal Birkdale is the newest English course to host The Open; starting in 1954 it has held the event almost twice a decade since with 2008 being the latest. The course features towering sand dunes and has been a popular venue and a lucky course for American golfers. Apart from Australian golfers, Peter Thompson who won here in 1954 and 1965, and Ian Baker-Finch in 1991, Americans have dominated here with 5 wins out of 8.
Golf Courses In England - The South-East
The southeast of the country is home to three Championship courses all located on the south coast of Kent, just to the south of London. This close proximity to London makes the area easy to reach for the visitor. To enjoy playing the three courses here, you would do well to stay in one of the charming villages and make the beautiful countryside of Kent as your base.
Royal St. Georges has held The Open a total of thirteen times and was the first course in England to host the event back in 1894. I would make this course a priority when enjoying your European golf vacations. In the early days, this course witnessed two wins each by legendary golfers Harry Vardon and Walter Hagan. There have been many closely fought Opens here, including the 1993 event which saw Greg Norman shooting a brilliant 64 to beat Nick Faldo and Bernhard Langer.
Royal Cinque Ports or Deal is less well known as it as only held The Open twice, in 1909 and 1920. Other events were planned, but due to bad luck, the events were canceled in 1915 due to the War and in 1938 and 1949 due to storms and high tides. As it is a very challenging golf course it is still worth playing though.
Prince's is an other unknown Championship course as it only held the event once in 1932. The winner was Gene Sarazen who played flawless golf and scored a total of 283, a Championship record which he kept for 18 years. Unbelievably, Prince's golf course was utilized by the RAF for bombing practice during World War II. In the 1950's, restoration work was carried out which made different fairways but incorporated 17 of the original greens which had somehow escaped damage.
These are the 6 Championship golf courses that have held The Open in England and that you can play. You maybe should consider playing three in either the northwest or in the southeast as they are quite far apart. Keep in mind that you will have to book your tee times in advance and then check the websites of each club to check on their dress code.
About the Author:
Mick Euan Tait is a golf fan, golfer, and a golf writer. Visit his website for more facts about Golf In England and Golf In Scotland.
No comments:
Post a Comment