Future Open Championship Sites You Can Play

Q: What are The Open Championship future sites?

Future Open Championship venues include: 2025 – Royal Portrush Golf Club, 2026 – Royal Birkdale Golf Club, 2027 – The Old Course at St. Andrews. The 2028 and 2029 venues are yet to be announced, but Muirfield, Carnoustie, or Royal St. George's are likely candidates.

Q: What courses host The Open Championship?

The Open rota currently includes 10 courses: The Old Course at St. Andrews, Muirfield, Royal Troon, Carnoustie, Turnberry, Royal Lytham & St. Annes, Royal Birkdale, Royal Liverpool, Royal St. George's, and Royal Portrush.

Upcoming Host Venues for The Open

For many travelers planning golf trips to Scotland, Ireland, and England, the first priority is clear. They want to play the courses that have hosted The Open Championship.

Unlike most major championship sites in the United States, all of the Open Championship venues offer at least some access for visiting golfers. And while any round at a major host is memorable, playing these courses in the lead up to or following The Open adds a little extra excitement to the experience.

Here is a look at the future Open Championship sites, along with a few notes to keep in mind as you plan your trip.

2025 - Royal Portrush Golf Club

After the wildly successful return of The Open Championship to Royal Portrush Golf Club in 2019, the question was not whether the Claret Jut would return, but how quickly. The answer, as it turns out, might have been faster than anyone expected. In fact, besides The Old Course at St. Andrews, this will mark the fastest The Open has returned to the same venue in over three decades.

If 2019 is a guide, the 2025 Open Championship promises to deliver something truly special once again. It also promises to bring a significant surge in demand from golfers eager to play the Dunluce Links.

Tee times at Royal Portrush generally open in April of the year prior to your visit. For most golf travelers, that means unless plans are already on the books, 2027 may be the next realistic opportunity to play here.

2026 - Royal Birkdale Golf Club

The Open Championship owes a debt of gratitude to the history forged at Royal Birkdale Golf Club. Arnold Palmer's win in 1961 marked an important turn of fortunes for the tournament. Until then, few Americans made the journey across the Atlantic to play in golf's oldest major. But the news of his victory and the popularity of The King enticed more players to follow his lead.

In the decades since, Royal Birkdale has crowned a notable list of champions. Lee Trevino, Tom Watson, and Johnny Miller all won here. So did Jordan Spieth in 2017, thanks in part to his miracle recovery from the driving range. The 2026 Open Championship will be held at Royal Birkdale, where more history is certain to be made.

Compared to other future sites for The Open, Royal Birkdale offers a few notable perks. First, England's Golf Coast is home to not one, but three Open Championship courses. But unlike other popular destinations for golf, a great trip to this region can usually be planned with just 9-12 months notice. Best of all, you can play all three of The Open venues, plus several other great courses, without ever changing hotels.

2027 - The Old Course at St. Andrews

No venue has hosted The Open Championship more times than The Old Course at St Andrews. When The Open returns in 2027, it will mark the 31st time the game’s oldest major has unfolded in The Home of Golf.

Each time The Open comes back to St Andrews, the attention of the entire golf world follows. For golf travel, St. Andrews doesn't just move the needle, it is the needle. And the impact of the 2027 Open Championship is already being felt.

If you're hoping to play The Old Course in 2027 or beyond, here's what you need to know...

The Old Course typically closes for several weeks in advance of The Open to allow for tournament preparations. In 2027, that closure will likely remove about 20% of the peak golf season. Fewer available tee times combined with overwhelming demand will mean that guaranteed Old Course tee times will be exceedingly scarce.

As a result, our advice is pretty simple: the time to begin planning 2027 is already here. And as we’ve seen after past Opens at St Andrews, the ripple effects will continue well into the seasons that follow.

Beyond 2027, which courses will host future Open Championships is anyone’s guess. Our money is on Muirfield in 2028. The current 15 year gap between championships is much too long. From there, Royal St. George's in 2029 followed by a return to a reimagined Carnoustie Golf Links wouldn't surprise us. Wherever the Claret Jug goes, however, one thing will remain the same...

You can walk in the footsteps of history.