The final major of 2024 is nearly here as the top golfers head to Scotland’s southwestern coast to battle for the claret jug at Royal Troon. Golf’s original major dates all the way back to 1860 and has been played at 14 different courses throughout the United Kingdom (yes, this includes Northern Ireland) providing countless memories including celebrations, heartbreak, and unique moments that will never be forgotten (looking at you Jordan Spieth).

With The Open teeing off less than a week from now, we wanted to highlight some of The Open Championship’s finest links courses that should play when you make the journey to golf’s homeland:

• Old Course at St. Andrews 
• Carnoustie 
• Muirfield 
• Royal Portrush 
• Royal Troon 
• Royal Birkdale 
• Royal St George’s 

Old Course at St. Andrews 

Do we even need to say anything else? The “Home of Golf”, host of 30 Open Championships, the most coveted tee time in the WORLD, there are a million reasons to have St. Andrews on your links golf bucket list. From the double greens, to the tee shot over the Old Course Hotel, to the walk up 18th fairway with the town buildings framing a picturesque scene (especially at dusk), every golfer should make the voyage to St Andrews at least once in their life.

Carnoustie 

Roughly 25 miles north of St. Andrews lies the devious links of Carnoustie, often recognized by the large white Carnoustie Golf Hotel as the backdrop of the 18th green. While the course has only hosted The Open 8 times, it is considered to be one of the hardest layouts in The Open rota (just ask Jean Van de Velde) although not that long, playing just under 7000 yards from the tips. 

Muirfield 

Located right next to this week’s host of Scottish Open (The Renaissance Club), this fantastic links layout has hosted the prestigious Championship 16 times since 1892. The narrow fairways and penal rough requires precise shots off the tee while avoiding the devious pot bunkers is a must. The course is set away from the coastline so you won’t get the sweeping ocean views, but a round at Muirfield is one the premier tee times in all of Scotland (so make sure you book early – 12-18 months at least).

Royal Portrush 

Our next stop brings us across the Irish Sea to the northern coast of Northern Ireland and the popular Royal Portrush. Having hosted The Open only twice in its illustrious history, Royal Portrush is a golfer’s dream with 36 holes of pure links golf set against a gorgeous backdrop of the ocean and cliffs. The Open Championship will return to Portrush in 2025 and YOU CAN BE THERE to watch it all in person! 

Royal Troon 

The host of this year’s Open Championship, Royal Troon is home to one of the best par-3 holes in all of golf, “The Postage Stamp.” A downhill 125-yard tee shot to a minuscule green surrounded by bunkers on all sides makes it one of the more challenging holes. Another hole that adds to the challenge is the 601-yard par 5 that used to be the longest golf hole in Open Championship history. This year will be the 10th Open Championship held at Royal Troon, the first since 2016 when Mickelson and Stenson had a battle for the ages in the final round.

Royal Birkdale 

For the next course on the list, we have to head down to the northwest coast of England just outside of Liverpool. Consistently ranked in the Top 10 courses in all the UK, this 10-time host of The Open has hosted many other prestigious events such as Ryder Cups, Women’s Opens, and more! The course is laid out with fairways running through flat-bottomed valleys surrounded by high dunes which provide many blind shots throughout the course. The Open returns to Royal Birkdale in 2026 so it won’t be long before it is back in the spotlight.

Royal St. George’s 

For the final course on our list, we are staying in England, but heading across to the southeastern side of the country to Kent. Royal St. George’s is 4th on the list of most Open Championships hosted with 15 (1 behind Muirfield) the most recent being Collin Morikawa’s victory in 2021. RSG is the only active course on The Open rota in this part of the UK, but two former hosts (Prince’s and Royal Cinque Ports) are within 3 miles of the property. The expansive course is laid out with holes separated by dunes with heavy rough, undulating fairways, and deep pot bunkers to challenge your game. While it may not be mentioned in the discussions of St. Andrews, Carnoustie, and the like, Royal St. George’s is still a Championship layout that is worth the trip across the pond.

With these big-name courses in such high demand, it is important to note that if you want to play them, you need to start planning your trip early. Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR, the world’s #1 rated golf tour operator, suggests planning and booking your trip at least 12-18 months in advance in order to secure a tee time at the courses you want. The UK & Ireland specialists at Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR have the knowledge to help tailor the perfect golf trip for your group so you can play big-name courses and hidden gems you might not have heard of. If you’re ready to start planning your bucket list trip across the pond, make life easier and go with Golfbreaks by PGA TOUR.

Editor’s note: This article is presented in partnership with Golfbreaks. When you make a purchase through links in this article, GolfWRX may earn an affiliate commission.

GolfWRX is staying stateside, traveling to Kentucky for the ISCO Championship at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Kentucky.

WITBs and custom putters are here for the viewing, including some very cool looks into the bags of some players whose setups we haven’t had the pleasure of shooting so far in 2024.

Check out all our photos from the Bluegrass State below!

General Albums

• 2024 ISCO Championship – Monday #1
• 2024 ISCO Championship – Monday #2

WITB Albums

• James Nicholas – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Marcus Kinhult – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Adrien Saddier – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Stephen Stallings, Jr. – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Espen Kofstad – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Daniel Iceman – Kentucky PGA Section Champ – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Cooper Musselman – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Alex Goff – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Angel Hidalgo – WITB – 2024 ISCO Championship

Pullout Albums

• Kevin Streelman’s custom Cameron putter – 2024 ISCO Championship
• Cameron putter – 2024 ISCO Championship

See what GolfWRXers are saying about the photos in the forums.

While you’re here, check out BK’s breakdown of the WITB of Davis Thompson, last week’s winner.

By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco. For comments: [email protected] Good Tuesday morning, golf fans, as we gear up for the Scottish Open. 1. Keegan Bradley to be named U.S. Ryder Cup captain SI’s Bob Harig…”Tiger Woods has turned down the U.S. Ryder Cup captaincy, leading the PGA of America to go off recent protocol with a unique choice to take the job next year at Bethpage Black: Keegan Bradley.” “The PGA of America confirmed Monday afternoon what Sports Illustrated first reported earlier in the day: that Bradley, who was bypassed by captain Zach Johnson for an at-large pick last year, will succeed him as captain.” Full piece. 2. Luke Clanton’s hot streak Kevin Prise for PGATour.com…”Luke Clanton authored a piece of modern-era history Sunday at the John Deere Classic, where he followed a T10 at the previous week’s Rocket Mortgage Classic with a runner-up at TPC Deere Run, punctuated by a 25-foot birdie on the 72nd hole in the Quad Cities.” “It was a fitting conclusion to a sparkling week at the John Deere, as the rising Florida State junior proved that his recent performances were no fluke. Clanton made the cut at last month’s U.S. Open Championship at Pinehurst Resort, finishing T41, and he has continued to improve upon his finishes as he finds continued comfort at the game’s highest level – as a 20-year-old college kid.” Full piece. 3. Smylie: Rory’s caddie should have stepped in Our Matt Vincenzi…”It’s been almost a month since the U.S. Open, but the disappointing finish for Rory McIlroy is still fresh on the minds of plenty of people in the golf world.” “Amongst the people analyzing Rory’s performance on that Sunday at Pinehurst is golf analyst Smylie Kaufman. While appearing on Golf’s Subpar podcast, the former pro said he believes McIlroy’s caddie, Harry Diamond, should have done more to help Rory.” “I felt like (caddie) Harry Diamond really should have stepped in on the 15th hole.” “He did not have the right club in his hands. And I felt like Rory could have taken control of the championship on 15 if he just hits it in the middle of the green. And he hit a good shot. But it just was the wrong club.” “And never, never was a 7-iron for Rory. Especially with a right flag. If the wind was down off the right, it’s not exactly a flag and a wind condition and the heat to be able to land it in a hula hoop, where you got to hit this kind of soft, spinny, fade 7-iron. It was an 8-iron all day, hit it in the middle of the green.” Full piece. 4. LIV pro’s airline, clubs fiasco Our Matt Vincenzi…”Over the weekend, a handful of LIV golfers found themselves in contention at the International Series Morocco.” “Amongst those players was the Iron Heads’ Scott Vincent. Incredibly, the Zimbabwean played well despite almost missing his tee time after the airline misplaced his clubs.” “Vincent’s tee time was 12:30 and he arrived at 12:34, which led to him narrowly escaping a disqualification. He did, however, receive a two-stroke penalty for being late. He then had to use a set of borrowed clubs for his first round of the important event.” “Despite the penalty and the unfamiliar clubs, the 32-year-old was able to fire a 5-under 68, which left him just two shots off of the first-round lead.” “After the round, Vincent spoke about his clubs and how he was able to adapt to the unique situation.” “A lot of people had clubs, bits and pieces, but obviously it is hard to make up a full set when you do not have anything, so we have a bit of a mixed bag here. “I have talked a lot to myself about adapting, no matter what, whatever the situation might be. And so just being able to go out there with none of my stuff, even golf shoes, I am taking in the moment, and we will just take it as it comes.” Full piece. 5. Poulter on why he skipped Open qualifying Out Matt Vincenzi…”Among the players who aren’t exempt into majors is Ian Poulter. The 48-year-old could have chosen to attempt to play a qualifier to get in like Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood did, but he chose to skip it.” While speaking to talkSPORT, the Englishman gave his explanation. “My world ranking is not high enough to get into The Open Championship. “I had the ability go and qualify and I didn’t. “I was on holiday with the family in Switzerland instead. “That is what LIV Golf has given me, a bit more family time. “I still have got a busy schedule with LIV playing 14 tournaments.” Full Piece.